Review of Lightyear (2022) by Jluis_001 — 20 Jun 2022

Lightyear has a big dilemma on its hands. First, because of the people who will judge it for Toy Story, and second, because of the people who will judge it for Pixar. And the film won't do well on either of those fronts.

And one way or another it can be confusing to know what this film is really about - Is it about the toy? Or is it about the reason the toy exists?

Beyond that conundrum - that gets clarified in the first seconds - what remains is an entertaining and poignant film that has the Pixar stamp of superb animation, but which unfortunately also seems to be restrained and pressured not to push the limits of ambition and remain at a point where it fails to elevate the film beyond the ordinary.

Unsurprisingly, the first Pixar film to hit theatres since Onward, after the pandemic worst moments, is one that was clearly made with the genuine intention of making a lot of money from a very recognizable character, but as I said, that's also a double-edged sword that exerts enormous pressure on a film that's good and genuinely fun, but is up against the anticipation of an audience that expects it to be a masterpiece.