Toy Story 5‘s Buzz-centric storyline drags Pixar’s Lightyear movie back into the spotlight, forcing the studio to address its 2022 flop. The meta approach to Buzz Lightyear’s origin story was ambitious, but it ultimately backfired when the movie failed to make any kind of notable impact. Lightyear‘s premise was too confusing for much of the Toy Story fan base to latch on to, and those who did see it generally had lukewarm feelings toward it. So, it would make sense if Pixar avoided drawing attention to Lightyear again, but Toy Story 5‘s release in 2026 will do the exact opposite.
Lightyear is very far from the list of best Pixar movies, which is surprising when it’s considered that it belongs to the otherwise successful string of Toy Story movies. It’s not exactly a bad film, but it was a project that no one really asked for and its placement within the main canon was unnecessarily complex for a family-friendly saga. Despite Lightyear‘s failure, Pixar appears to have painted itself into a corner by pretty much forcing itself to reaffirm the decision to make the movie in the first place.
Toy Story 5’s Buzz Storyline Means The Upcoming Sequel Must Acknowledge 2022’s Lightyear Origin Movie
Lightyear was the movie that made Andy want a Buzz action figure
If nothing else, Lightyear at least revealed why Andy had such an intense desire to own a Buzz Lightyear action figure in the first Toy Story movie. Establishing Buzz as merchandise of the Lightyear movie was an interesting creative choice, but not one that particularly needed an entire spinoff project to address. Regardless, it’s canon now, and Toy Story 5‘s decision to include a horde of commemorative Buzz Lightyear toys as the story’s villain(s) means Lightyear needs, at the very least, a passing mention in the upcoming sequel.
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Although there are still a lot of unanswered questions about Toy Story 5’s plot, Pixar has made it clear who will be the movie’s bad guy(s).
Because Buzz is now proven to have been produced in-universe as a result of the Lightyear movie, the most reasonable explanation for the commemorative toys being made in Toy Story 5 is that the anniversary of Lightyear is being celebrated. Although specifics about Toy Story 5‘s narrative are still scarce, it seems at the moment that the commemorative Buzzes will be a huge part of the plot. By extension, that means Lightyear will be important too.
Toy Story 5 Could Actually Redeem Lightyear
Lightyear feels separate from the Toy Story franchise at the moment
It’s easy to watch the main Toy Story movies without seeing Lightyear. The latter is very optional viewing, although it would be less rewarding to watch in isolation without an appreciation of the larger franchise. Either way, Lightyear currently feels cut off from the wider series, which is weird considering Andy receiving a Buzz toy in the first Toy Story movie is what sets the entire series in motion. So, Toy Story 5 has an interesting opportunity to undo that sense of Lightyear being adrift and the spinoff could then become more relevant to the main core of the franchise.
There’s nothing stopping the upcoming sequel featuring a cameo by Chris Evans’ Buzz from Lightyear.
As well as showing characters watching Lightyear as part of the anniversary’s celebration, Toy Story 5 could even have a more direct reference to the meta movie from 2022. Although Tim Allen’s Buzz toy will be the primary version that’s replicated and “stuck in toy mode” – as confirmed as part of the Toy Story 5 reveals at D23, there’s nothing stopping the upcoming sequel featuring a cameo by Chris Evans’ Buzz from Lightyear, with a version of the action figure that’s more like the interaction from the in-universe movie than the version who is generally recognized as the “main” Buzz.
How Toy Story 5 Can Get Away With Mentioning The Franchise’s Worst Movie
Lightyear could be retconned from the Toy Story universe
Of course, there’s no guarantee that Toy Story 5 will acknowledge Lightyear at all. The sequel’s Buzz-powered storyline could simply be something Pixar wants to pursue despite Lightyear‘s existence, rather than because of it. If so, the possibility remains that Lightyear could be retconned from the main Toy Story canon. Should this be the case, then there will need to be an alternative provided for why Andy was so desperate to own a Buzz Lightyear action figure. Thankfully, there are a couple of easy ways this can be addressed.
Toy Story Franchise Release Timeline |
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Movie |
Year |
Rotten Tomatoes Score |
Toy Story |
1995 |
100% |
Toy Story 2 |
1999 |
100% |
Toy Story 3 |
2010 |
98% |
Toy Story 4 |
2019 |
97% |
Lightyear |
2022 |
74% |
Toy Story 5 |
2026 |
TBC |
Firstly, toys become coveted all the time without being movie merchandise. This is even proven in the Toy Story movies by the presence of Mr. Potato Head, Slinky, and others. Therefore, maybe Buzz was just a cool toy that took the world by storm. Alternatively, the Buzz Lightyear video game in Toy Story 2 could be the reason why the toy was produced and then popularized. There are other possibilities too, which proves that Toy Story 5 doesn’t necessarily need to reference Lightyear at all unless it wants to.
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Toy Story 5 is the fifth entry in the Toy Story movie franchise by Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios. The film was announced on February 8 2023, along with several other major Disney animation sequels. For the film, Tim Allen reprises his role as the space-faring toy, Buzz Lightyear, once again.
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Disney Pixar branches the Toy Story franchise off with Lightyear, a story that centers around a human version of the Buzz Lightyear toy and his missions with Star command. Set during an exploration mission, Lightyear and his crew are attacked during a scouting mission by alien lifeforms and find themselves stranded on an unknown planet. To help get everyone home, Lightyear volunteers on a dangerous mission to test pilot their means home. However, each test light passes time and the characters age in his absence.