Lightyear follows the origin story of Buzz Lightyear, the legendary Space Ranger who inspired the toy from Toy Story. The movie begins with Buzz and his team, including his best friend Commander Alisha Hawthorne, crash-landing on a hostile planet. Determined to find a way back home, Buzz embarks on test flights to achieve hyperspeed travel, but each attempt results in significant time dilation—causing him to age slower than his loved ones.

As Buzz persists, he finds himself decades into the future, where the planet is now under siege by a mysterious robotic force led by Emperor Zurg. Buzz teams up with a ragtag team of rookie cadets—Izzy Hawthorne (Alisha’s granddaughter), Mo Morrison, and Darby Steel—along with his robotic cat companion, Sox.

Eventually, Buzz discovers that Zurg is actually an alternate version of himself from the future, who wants to change history by preventing the original crash. Young Buzz refuses, realizing that the time he lost is part of life’s journey. He leads his team in a final battle, destroying Zurg’s ship and choosing to remain on the planet, forming the new Space Ranger corps.

Spending Budget & Box Office Performance

The film had a spending budget of approximately $200 million, making it one of Pixar’s most expensive projects. However, despite high expectations, Lightyear underperformed at the box office, earning $226.4 million worldwide. It was considered a financial disappointment, especially compared to other Toy Story films.

Release Date & Success Story

Released on June 17, 2022, Lightyear was met with mixed reactions. While praised for its animation and action sequences, it faced criticism for its more serious tone and deviation from the original Toy Story charm. It later gained more popularity through its Disney+ streaming release, where it reached a broader audience.

Despite its box office struggles, Lightyear contributed to the expansion of the Toy Story universe, showcasing a fresh sci-fi adventure that deepened the character of Buzz Lightyear in a new and unexpected way.