Lightyear Review: An Engaging and Imaginative Animated Movie

Lightyear is an animated movie telling the origin story of Toy Story character, Buzz Lightyear.

Characters

Buzz Lightyear - The main character and our hero from many Toy Story movies. But, now we see Buzz as not simply a toy brought to life, but a character with an entire backstory. It's a bit of a disconnect from the Toy Story movies in a way, but easy enough to go along with. Buzz is a hotshot Space Ranger in Star Command.

Alisha Hawthorne - The commanding officer of Star Command and a close friend of Buzz.

Sox - A robot cat who accompanies Buzz on his adventure.

Izzy Hawthorne - Alisha's granddaughter, who teams up with Buzz after he travels into the future.

Mo Morrison - A fresh Star Command recruit.

Darby Steel - An elderly convict who also works with Buzz to defeat the evil Zurg.

Zurg - The leader of the Zyclops robots, who have invaded the planet where Buzz and his team are initially stranded.

Plot

After a mission to explore a habitable planet (T'Kani Prime) goes sideways, where Buzz, Alisha and the crew eventually establish a colony. Buzz volunteers to test a new hyperspace fuel, which turns send him four years into the future. Multiple tests take Buzz 62 years into the future and eventually another 22 years beyond that.

In the future colony, Buzz meets Alisha's granddaughter Izzy, along with a motley crew as they fight the invading Zyclops army.

Watch it or Not

Lightyear is a fun romp into a sci-fi adventure with a familiar hero and engaging supporting characters. The time travel paradox issues are fun and overall it delivers solid entertainment for kids and parents alike.