Disney and Pixar will be releasing its highly rated film âLightyearâ in South African theatres just in time for families to enjoy this upcoming youth day weekend from Friday 17 June, 2022. The movie is a great watch for both parents and children, as it explores the different facets how we as individuals can view the world. Life is never what we plan for and things donât always go the way we want it. But this movie is all about not dwelling on the past and wishing that things were differentâthat seems like a waste of time. The movie teaches both adults and the youth that in spite of bad things and bad decisions that we need to rather focus on doing what is best with where one is right now and making the most of oneâs time. As individuals we make bad decisions, but if we spend our lives regretting those bad decisions instead of investing in whatâs in front of our eyes, is that really living?â Filmmakers called on actor Chris Evans to voice the accomplished Space Ranger, Buzz. âLightyearâ also features the voices of Uzo Aduba as his commander and best friend, Alisha Hawthorne, and Peter Sohn as Buzzâs dutiful robot cat, Sox. Keke Palmer, Taika Waititi and Dale Soules lend their voices to the Junior Zap Patrolâs Izzy Hawthorne, Mo Morrison and Darby Steel, respectively, and James Brolin can be heardas the enigmatic Zurg. The voice cast also includes Mary McDonald-Lewis as onboard computer I.V.A.N., Isiah Whitlock Jr. as Commander Burnside, Efren Ramirez as Airman DĂaz, and Keira Hairston as Young Izzy. âThe faster I fly, the further into the future I travel. I get it.â â Buzz Lightyear PRODUCTION NOTES Every cinephile loves a good heroâsomeone to admire, someone to root for. Heroes overcome insurmountable obstacles to save the day. And the best heroesâthe ones who live on long after their films hit the big screenâare, at heart, human. They have flaws and fearsâtheyâre utterly relatable, even as they soar to greatness. Buzz Lightyear is such a heroâin fact, heâs the kind of big-screen phenomenon that inspired a successful line of toys. Thatâs what filmmakers pictured when creating the character for Pixar Animation Studiosâ 1995 feature film âToy Story.â That story placed Buzz Lightyearâthe toy in this caseâcenter stage as the brand-new, highly sought-after action figure that gives vintage pull-string Sheriff Woody a run for his money as Andyâs favorite. Fast forward 21 years, and director Angus MacLane found himself asking: What movie inspired Andy to beg for a fancy toy with lasers, karate-chop action and aerodynamic space wings? ââLightyearâ is the movie that Andy, his friends and probably most of the rest of the world saw,â says MacLane. âI wanted to make something that felt true to those fun, big-budget popcorn films.â A sci-fi action-adventure and the definitive origin story of Buzz Lightyear, âLightyearâ follows the legendary Space Ranger on an intergalactic adventure. âI did a lot of research, breaking down the nature of genre thrillers,â says MacLane. âI knew Buzz would have to face a big problem, and I liked the sci-fi element of time dilation. Thereâs a rich history of character-out-of-time heroics: Captain America, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, to name a few. âThey say you canât live in the past, but what if you could?â continues MacLane. âWe all wonder what it would be like to go back in time, but instead weâre jumping forward in time. Thatâs the truth I wanted to build for âLightyearâânostalgia for the past while rapidly jumping into the future.â According to producer Galyn Susman, Buzz Lightyear gave filmmakers a rich opportunity for exploration. âEver since we met the character, Buzz has had this inherent and interesting tendency to view the world in a unique way,â she says. âHis version of reality is never quite the same as everybody elseâs, and thereâs something superentertaining about that. âHeâs an aspirational character,â Susman continues. âAnd the world really needs more aspirational characters right now.â The film kicks off with accomplished Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear, his commander Alisha Hawthorne and a crew of more than 1,000 scientists and technicians heading home from their latest mission. Approximately 4.2 million light-years away from Earth, a sensor signals their proximity to an uncharted but potentially resource-rich planet. Buzz makes the call to reroute their exploration vessel (aka the Turnip) to TâKani Primeâa swampy planet with aggressive vines and giant swarming bugs. Efforts for a quick exit go horribly awry, culminating in a crash that shatters their fuel cell, leaving Buzz, Alisha and their entire crew stranded on the less-than-welcoming planet. âBuzz is the guy whoâs been at the top of his game for a while,â says executive producer Andrew Stanton, who contributed to all four âToy Storyâ films. âWeâre witnessing in this movie his first fall from grace. Heâs never experienced that before.â Marooned on the decidedly hostile planet, the crew settles in for the long game. Says Jason Headley, whoâs a screenwriter on the film, âNobodyâs going anywhere until the resident scientists can create a new âhyperspeedâ crystal that holds up to a test flight. Itâll be years of trial and error.â Buzz blames himself. âBurdened with the guilt of having made a critical mistake, Buzz is consumed by the desire to rectify it,â says Susman. âOur story takes place in spaceâbut itâs still something we all face at some point or another. We make bad decisions, but if we spend our lives regretting those bad decisions instead of investing in whatâs in front of our eyes, is that really living?â Adds MacLane, âLife is never what we plan for. Itâs not about dwelling on the past and wishing things were differentâthat seems like a waste of time. While Buzz is obsessed with righting his wrong, Alisha decides that sheâs going to do her best with where she is right now. She wants to make the most of her time regardless of what planet sheâs on.â Time. Among Buzzâs battles with guilt, technology, chemistry