Pixar Just Dropped An Action-Packed Trailer For The Buzz Lightyear 'Toy Story' Spin-Off

‘Lightyear’ is already one of 2022’s most hotly anticipated movies, and Disney and Pixar just gave fans a deeper look into the world of the ‘real’ Buzz Lightyear

On February 8, Disney and Pixar released a feature-length, action-packed trailer for Lightyear, the Toy Story spin-off that chronicles the adventures of the “real” Buzz Lightyear that inspired the titular toy.

In the trailer, Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Chris Evans) and some colleagues appear to be on a mysterious, not-so-friendly planet. “A year of work for a four-minute flight. Isn’t that something?” Lightyear notes, taking in the launch site. Lightyear reveals that he and his crew have been marooned on this planet for a year now, and the team is about to launch their first test flight in an attempt to get everybody home.

The trailer introduces some new, immediately lovable characters, like Sox, Lightyear’s robot companion cat (voiced by Pixar artist Peter Sohn). It also features some nods to the original Toy Story series, including “a massive robot” that looks a lot like Emperor Zurg.

Disney also revealed the spin-off’s stacked vocal cast

Throughout the two-minute trailer, Lightyear is assisted in his mission by a host of new characters, some of whom only have a sliver of screen time (if any) in the trailer. Disney announced the vocal cast the same day they dropped the trailer, and includes the talents of Taika Waititi, Uzo Aduba, Keke Palmer, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Efren Ramirez, and Isaiah Whitlock Jr. Josh Brolin, who voiced Zurg in the original movies, rounds out the star-studded cast.

Lightyear’s adventure is full of danger, action, and references to sci-fi classics like 2001, and already has some people wondering if this is more of a movie for the now-adults who grew up with the original franchise than a younger audience. As of now, the film does not have an official rating from the MPAA.

Back when the first teaser for Lightyear was dropped, director Angus MacLane described the animated feature as “a straightforward sci-fi action film about the Buzz Lightyear character,” adding that “In the Toy Story universe, it would be like a movie that maybe Andy would have seen, that would have made him want a Buzz Lightyear figure.”

Disney first announced the project, along with the fact that Chris Evans was attached to star, in December 2020. Shortly after Disney broke the news, Evans took to Instagram to share his excitement about the role.

“My team could barely contain their excitement when they told me that Pixar had a pitch for me. All they said was ‘Buzz Lightyear’. I didn’t know what that meant, since Tim Allen is Buzz Lightyear, and no one could ever touch his performance. I needed to know how this character was different and why this story was worth telling,” he started the caption.

“I can say 2 things with absolute confidence: 1.. I didn’t stop smiling through the ENTIRE pitch. Ear to ear. 2. Everyone can rest easy. And get very excited. Trust me when I say that they REALLY know what they’re doing over there. This one is gonna special, and it doesn’t step on a single thing. I can’t even put my excitement into words. I smile every time I think about it.” Same, Chris. Same.

Lightyear is set to open in theaters on June 17, 2022.