SPOILER ALERT: This story contains details about the first 30 minutes of Pixar’s Lightyear.
Forget about whatever Disney did with its theatrical day-and-date experiment with Disney+ during the pandemic, and its sundry titles sent directly to the streaming service. The studio returned to CinemaCon in Las Vegas about why they’re still about the big screen.
After showing off the first 20 minutes of their summer box office firestarter Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Disney Theatrical Distribution boss Tony Chambers had more to show during the studio’s presentation: that being the first 30 minutes of Pixar’s Lightyear due out on Father’s Day weekend, June 17-19.
Pixar had their previous two titles sent to Disney+: Soul and Turning Red.
Star Chris Evans introduced Lightyear in to an enthusiastic crowd in a quick video cameo: “I can’t wait for my new movie to land in your theaters this summer. You’ll finally know the story behind Buzz Lightyear. This is an epic thematic experience that has to be seen on the big screen. Thank you so much for your support.”
The footage launched with Buzz’s spaceship taking a detour after detecting life forms on an uncharted planet and heading down to investigate. Buzz and two companions explore, come under attack and make a run for the ship, which ends up marooned without fuel. Fast-forward a year and after fixes for a test fight, Buzz launches. The ship veers off-course into deep space and returns four years later.
He feels responsible and keeps trying, losing four years each time, until higher-ups decide no more missions — they’re staying put. He disagrees. When they try to decommission his robot companion cat Socks, he steals a ship and is off … to we know where.
The clip Includes a shout-out to his iconic suit. “Respect the suit,” he tells a rookie, “It’s not just protecting the body, it’s protecting the universe.”
Written By Jill Goldsmith, Anthony D'Alessandro for Deadline
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