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MOVIE FEATURE

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DID YOU KNOW?

The name of the character voiced by Taika Waititi, Mo Morrison, is a nod to his fellow Kiwi actor Temuera Morrison, who plays the title character in the Star Wars spin-off series The Book of Boba Fett .

27 years after TimAllen’s Buzz Lightyear became the most popular character in theToy Story-verse, Chris Evans’s new iteration of the Space Ranger introduces a whole new generation of kids to this beloved figure. Words Gill Pringle A cracking sci-fi action-adventure and the definitive origin story of Buzz Lightyear, Pixar’s Lightyear follows the legendary Space Ranger on an intergalactic adventure. the eye movement of the characters; they are true observers of human behaviour.” Lightyear’s voice cast also includes Uzo Aduba as Buzz’s commander and best friend, Alisha Hawthorne, with Keke Palmer, Taika Waititi and Dale Soules lending BUZZ LIGHTYEAR: FAR FROM HOME

voice is so wonderful, and he's such an amazing performer. “I’ve been asked if I cast him because of Josh Brolin. I didn't even think of that. We were at the first recording sessions,

FURTHER VIEWING

and James was like, ‘This is cool. I'm the bad guy here and my son…’ It hadn’t even occurred to me. That was so weird, the fact that Thanos and Captain America… that was completely random,” he says. According to producer Galyn Susman, Lightyear gave filmmakers a rich opportunity for exploration. “Ever since we met the character, Buzz has had this inherent and interesting tendency to view the world in a unique way,” she says. “His version of reality is never quite the same as everybody else’s, and there’s something super entertaining about that." Lightyear kicks off with Buzz, Alisha, and a crew of over a thousand scientists and technicians heading home from their latest mission when a sensor signals their proximity to an uncharted but potentially resource-rich planet. Buzz makes the call to reroute the ship to T’Kani Prime – a swampy planet with aggressive vines and giant swarming bugs – resulting in a crash landing that shatters their fuel cell. Marooned on this hostile world, the crew settles in for the long game, while Buzz is burdened with the guilt of having made a critical mistake. “Buzz is the guy who’s been at the top of his game for a while. We’re witnessing in this movie his first fall from grace. He’s never experienced that before,” notes executive producer Andrew Stanton, who contributed to all four Toy Story films. “Buzz Lightyear has always been a determined, confident and heroic character, but with Lightyear we get a chance to see a more vulnerable and human side of Buzz,” teases Evans. “We witness his struggles, uncertainties and occasional failures.”

If there’s been much speculation as to why Chris Evans took over voicing duties fromTim Allen then, according to director Angus MacLane, the answer is simple. “Chris was really the choice we wanted for Buzz because we wanted to be separate fromTim Allen in Toy Story and wanted it to be a different voice, like an ‘80s action movie. Like, who would be starring in that? Who has that kind of gravitas to be a serious action hero, but also have action-comedy chops? “That really felt like something Chris had done before, and [he] could provide something that was

their larynxes to the Junior Zap Patrol, while James Brolin can be heard as the enigmatic Zurg. Ask MacLane how he came to cast Brolin as Lightyear’s infamous adversary and he says, “We wanted Zurg to have this gravelly voice; his

• Lightyear is out on Aug 24

reminiscent but not be a duplicate. We're not looking for a repeat event,” he adds. “I’ve been a space nut my entire life,” Evans admits. “But what excited me about this movie is the fact that it’s a Pixar film! I’m a massive fan. I always have been. It’s not just amazing what they’re able to do with a pen or a computer, but the emotions they can evoke –

14 AUGUST 2022

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