There’s a Galaxy of Adventure in the Trailer for Pixar’s Lightyear

Pixar’s Lightyear, the Toy Story spin-off revolving around the adventures of the “real” Buzz Lightyear, whatever that can truly be said to mean, is still a project with some degree of mystery around it, even though it’s hitting theaters in June of 2022. Even now, with the release of a new trailer, Disney hasn’t actually announced who the majority of the announced cast are actually playing, beyond MCU staple Chris Evans as the voice of Buzz Lightyear, the man who would be a space ranger.

The trailer below does begin to shed some light on the plot of Lightyear, though, as it seems that Buzz and his crew have been marooned on an inhospitable planet for more than a year. Beset by giant insects and killer vines, they’ve toiled to recreate an interstellar spaceship for brave test pilot Buzz Lightyear to fly into the cosmos, presumably so he can bring back help for the rest of them. Oh, and there’s a robot cat in there somewhere as well.

Overall, one can’t help but note that the tone of Lightyear feels a bit more adult and weighty than one might expect from a Toy Story spin-off, as the film does seem to be attempting to tell a legitimate sci-fi story, complete with the obligatory 2001 references. Still, if you look closely there are definitely some Toy Story callbacks, with the “giant robot” in particular bearing a striking resemblance to the outline of Toy Story 2 favorite Zurg, the supposed “evil emperor” of Buzz’s universe. Will such a depiction of Zurg make it to Lightyear? Could that be the role of James Brolin, perhaps? Regardless, the vocal cast of Lightyear, in addition to Evans, includes Keke Palmer, Dale Soules, Taika Waititi, Peter Sohn, Uzo Aduba, James Brolin, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Efren Ramirez and Isiah Whitlock Jr. It likewise has a score from composer Michael Giacchino, who won an Oscar, Golden GLobe and Grammy for the original score to Up, while also working on Pixar classics such as The Incredibles and Ratatouille.

Lightyear is scheduled to blast into theaters on June 17, 2022. Check out the full trailer below.