Lightyear Review Roundup

The year was 2019, and I just finished wiping away tears after witnessing the incredible moving ending of Toy Story 4, thinking this was also the end of the franchise. How wrong was I? Pixar is once again returning to their incredibly successful toy box focusing on Buzz Lightyear specifically, and while it may not be the return of Buzz Lightyear of Star Command tv series (is it even on Disney+?), the new film Lightyear looks out of this world. Well, the critics' opinions are in, so does it live up to such lofty expectations and beyond? Here's the review roundup: 

CNN  (Brian Lowry)
'Although the action should entertain kids with its space-faring visuals, the bigger concepts in "Lightyear" -- the ones that have elevated Pixar through the years -- are thought-provoking, if perhaps not of the quality that has elevated the animation studio's work to another level. They don't rival something like "Up," whose lessons come to mind, and the most consistently pleasing addition might be among the silliest: A robot cat named Sox who behaves like a household pet, yet also proves extremely useful in a pinch.'

For the full review please visit here.

TIME MAGAZINE  ( STEPHANIE ZACHAREK)
'As with all Pixar movies, there are several embedded bromides, including “Don’t be afraid to make mistakes,” with its attendant footnote “From mistakes come innovation.” The ever-popular “Face your fears” is also represented. The best thing about Lightyear is Sox the robot cat, a cream-and-marmalade marvel who’s always the smartest person in the room, despite not even being a person. Sox has a killer stare, and furballs of fury to match. He can run infinitesimally complex calculations in his little cat brain. While Buzz strides through every scene with plodding virility, Sox pads along breezily, minding his own business unless he’s called upon to save the day, which is often. Sox is the secret star of Lightyear. But not even he is a great enough creation to warrant his own spinoff. Sometimes being the second or third banana—or cat—is reward enough in itself. And a character who’s just the right size for a toybox may not be big enough to carry his own movie.'

For the full review please visit here.


VARIETY (Owen Gleiberman)
'Throughout the movie, Buzz keeps trying to get home; he wants to resume his life of space exploration. He doesn’t realize that with his friends around him, he already is home. That’s a touching, if standard, message, but I couldn’t help but agree with Buzz — that as solid an entertainment as “Lightyear” is, it feels like he belongs in a more special movie. It makes you wonder: Is “Woody’s Wild West” going to be next? Because that sounds like a way, through sheer spin-off opportunism, of taking the toy, and maybe the joy, out of “Toy Story.'

For the full review please visit here.

EMPIRE MAGAZINE (Sophie Butcher)
'Whilst that title card provides somewhat of an answer as to how Lightyear fits in with Pixar’s pioneering original animation, it doesn’t necessarily justify its existence. There’s certainly some enjoyment to be had here, but the film is weighed down by genericness and loyalty to the existing IP, coming up short against fully original, specific-yet-universal Pixar output like Turning Red, Coco or Inside Out. Though the underlying themes of teamwork, family and leadership are nicely played, they’re also fairly surface-level — never quite reaching the heights of infinity, nor beyond.'

​For the full review please visit here.

INDIE WIRE (David Ehrlich)
'“Finish the mission” may be a flawed mantra, but it loses all of its punch in a film whose purpose is so uncertain from the start. The pandemic has certainly played a part in the company’s strategy, but if Disney continues to pump retrograde franchise spinoffs into theaters while forcing people to watch the likes of “Luca” and “Turning Red” on TV, it won’t be long until fans settle in on T’Kani Prime and lose interest in leaving home. Yesterday it was “to infinity and beyond!” Tomorrow it might be “no further than the couch.”'

For the full review please visit here.

IGN  (VIDEO REVIEW)

In the end, the film amassed a critical score of 82% from 90 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Such numbers would indicate that majority of the critics loved the film. However, digging a little deeper, you will find that Pixar's latest is considered one of its weakest. The rest of us will just have to find out for ourselves when Lightyear hit theater on June 17, 2022. 

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