See Chris Evans Battle The Villainous Zurg In New Lightyear Trailer
Lightyear, an animated film starring Chris Evans as the iconic astronaut, tells the story of the "real" astronaut that inspired the action figure we all know from Toy Story.
Disney is coming back to theaters in a big way post-pandemic, and we have a new trailer for one of their summer tentpole films. Lightyear, an animated film starring Chris Evans as the iconic astronaut, tells the story of the “real” astronaut that inspired the action figure we all know from Toy Story. The trailer made its debut during Sunday night’s Academy Awards telecast on ABC.
The trailer is a slightly different cut of the film’s official trailer that made its debut a month or so ago. It once again features a remix of David Bowie’s classic song “Starman” and gives us a pretty good indication of the plot. While Chris Evans’ Buzz gets the most screen time, a number of new characters (and one familiar one) are prominently featured as well.
Thanks to the trailers, we now have a pretty good indication of the film’s plot. A detachment of Star Command personnel, as well as Lightyear, are marooned on a distant planet. After a year away from home, Chris Evans’ Buzz is ready for a test flight that will hopefully make it possible to return home. Things get complicated, however, when an alien ship appears, and the group is confronted by Emperor Zurg, who is voiced by veteran actor James Brolin.
An all-star cast joins Chris Evans in the Disney/Pixar film. In addition to Brolin as Zurg, the cast includes Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit and several Marvel movies) as Morrison and Dale Soules (Orange Is The New Black) as Steel, two members of Star Command stranded with Buzz. Peter Sohn voices Sox, a robotic cat who serves as Buzz’s sidekick and the source for most of the laughs in the trailer. Keke Palmer, Uzo Aduba, Mary McDonald-Lewis, and Isiah Whitlock Jr. round out the cast. Efren Ramirez, who famously played Pedro in the modern classic Napoleon Dynamite, is also a member of the voice cast, which is never a bad thing. The film is directed by Angus MacLane (Finding Dory) and produced by Galyn Susman (Toy Story That Time Forgot). The film opens in theaters and in IMAX on June 17, 2022.
Chris Evans was initially a controversial choice to voice Buzz Lightyear, as fans remain loyal to Tim Allen as the definitive voice of the character. However, after hearing Evans speak in the trailer, he seems more than capable of handling the role with the same humor and panache as Allen. Since the new film tells the story of the “real-life” Buzz, it makes sense that he doesn’t sound like the toy, as we can assume the “real” Buzz wouldn’t be asked to voice the “action figure.” Or maybe we should stop over-thinking it and enjoy the trailer.
The Chris Evans film isn’t without its share of controversy. It was revealed last week that a gay couple, as well as a gay kiss, would be featured in the film. The couple, and the kiss, had reportedly been cut from the film, but was reinstated after LGBTQ+ activists protested a bill, The Parental Rights in Education Bill, that prohibited sexually explicit discussions and lessons for young children in classrooms from kindergarten through third grade.
