AlthoughPixarhas created a few TV shows in the years since 2000, the studio’s first cartoon did whatToy Story’s spinoffLightyearcouldn’t manage in 2022.Every Pixar moviehas its champions, and the studio isn’t short of critical defenders. Pixar’s movies have fared incredibly well with reviewers, with no less than 11 of their feature film efforts winning Best Animated Feature at the Oscars. Only six Pixar movies weren’t nominated for any Academy Awards, and all of them were spinoffs, sequels, and prequels. One such movie was2022’s box office failureLightyear.
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An attempt to expand theToy Storyuniverse by making the in-universe toy Buzz Lightyear into a real franchise leading man,Lightyearwas seen as a misfire by audiences upon its 2022 release. Although critics were comparatively kind toLightyear, its disastrous box office means thatLightyear 2is unlikelyto be among Pixar’s upcoming movies anytime soon. This is ironic since, some 22 years earlier, the studio had already followed upToy Storywith a successful Buzz Lightyear-centric spinoff that managed to do whatLightyearcouldn’t manage. This show also cost a lot less money in the process.
Buzz Lightyear Of Star Command Was A Better “Real Buzz” Than The 2022 Movie
Buzz Lightyear’s Cartoon Captured His Hilarious Personality
Beginning in October 2000,the cartoon comedy seriesBuzz Lightyear of Star Commandsuccessfully de-fictionalized the character of Buzz Lightyearover two decades beforeLightyearwas released. Developed by the same creators that went on to makeKim Possible,Buzz Lightyear of Star Commandstarred a veritable who’s who of ‘90s cartoon voice acting talent. Patrick Warburton voiced Buzz Lightyear himself, whileScrubsscene stealer Nicole Sullivan played Princess Mira Nova. Neil Flynn, Phil LaMarr, Michael Showalter, and Wayne Knight filled out the rest of the show’s impressive lineup.
Despite this string of major names,Buzz Lightyear of Star Commandsucceeded primarily because the show had an effectively simple premise. Each episode saw Buzz and his team going on a different adventure across the galaxy, as opposed to the gritty origin story thatLightyearattempted. While both were fun,Buzz Lightyear of Star Commandtook itself far less seriously thanLightyearand was better for it. Coming off the back of a string of anarchic ‘90s cartoon comedies, including Warburton’s earlier superhero spoofThe Tick,Buzz Lightyear of Star Commandwas a fun, self-aware sci-fi spoof.
Buzz Lightyear’s Spinoff Show Never Took Itself Too Seriously
Even casting the voice ofToy Story 2’s villain as the evil Emperor Zurg was a smart way to link theToy Storymovies toBuzz Lightyear of Star Commandwithout over-complicating things.Lightyear’s downfall as a Pixar moviecame from taking its title character too seriously and trying too hard to make him a John Carter-esque hero for a new generation.Buzz Lightyear of Star Command’s Buzz is as silly as his movie counterpart, and Warburton imbued the character with the same deadpan self-seriousness that the comedy veteran brought to many more live-action and animated roles.
Buzz Lightyear of Star Commanddoesn’t prioritize action over comedy, something thatLightyearstruggled to balance in the movie’s attempts to craft a straightforward sci-fi adventure story.
UnlikeLightyear,Buzz Lightyear of Star Commandseemed willing to embrace the silliness at the core of its title character. Even though the show’s version of Buzz is a real heroic Space Ranger, in contrast with Tim Allen’s delusional toy from the movies, his antics remain comical and absurd.Buzz Lightyear of Star Commanddoesn’t prioritize action over comedy, something thatLightyearstruggled to balance in the movie’s attempts to craft a straightforward sci-fi adventure story out of a series that originally focused on talking toys.
Pixar’s TV Strategy Has Changed A Lot Since Buzz Lightyear Of Star Command
Pixar’s New Shows Are Generally Straightforward Spinoffs
AlthoughBuzz Lightyear of Star Commandis fondly remembered,Pixar’s slate of upcoming projectsproves that the studio may not have learned the right lesson from the series. When the studio returned to making TV shows after a lengthy absence from the small screen, it was with the showCar Toonsin 2008. Running from 2008 until 2014,Car Toonswas a direct continuation of theCarsfranchise. Similarly,2021’sMonsters At Workfunctioned as a followup toMonsters Inc.andMonsters University, with John Goodman and Billy Crystal even returning to the roles of Mike and Sully.
Toy Story 5 is set to be released in June 2026.
Clearly, despite an early willingness to experiment with formula, the studio has since returned to relying on direct continuations of existing franchises for its small-screen spinoffs. 2021’sUpspinoffDug Daysand 2022’sCars on the Roadboth continued this reliable trend, directly adding to the world of an existing IP instead of taking a more experimental approach likeBuzz Lightyear Of Star Command. Thus, it is unlikely that viewers will soon see anotherPixarTV show likeLightyear’s predecessor, which was the earliestToy Storyfranchise spinoff.
