When Will ‘Lightyear’ Be Available to Stream on Disney+? And Why Is Everyone So Confused by this Movie?
The Buzz Lightyear toy has been a part of popular imagination for nearly 27 years after debuting in 1995’s “Toy Story,” but until now, no one really knew the “true story” of how the Star Command officer became a household name. Fortunately for all of those who have been losing sleep over that fact since the late 20th Century, the new movie “Lightyear” — which is hitting theaters on Friday, June 17 — reveals how everyone’s favorite dome-headed hero became the icon that he is today.
Are you confused how a sentient action figure from an animated movie that was released nearly three decades ago can be getting a “true story” movie released today? Well, join the club. The film’s star Chris Evans originally set off the confusion a year and a half ago by tweeting, “And just to be clear, this isn’t Buzz Lightyear the toy. This is the origin story of the human Buzz Lightyear that the toy is based on.” Clear as mud, right?
Since then, the internet has been unsure as to what to make of this obviously animated movie whose star maintains that it is about a “human Buzz Lightyear.”
The film’s creators recently attempted to clear up the confusion by explaining that “Lightyear” is a live-action movie in the “Toy Story” world. So, just like Andy and company appear to be animated to us IRL humans, so do the “actors” in this new film. Makes sense, right? … Right?
Toy Story Movies
Toy Story is a CGI animated media franchise created by Pixar and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The franchise is based on the anthropomorphic concept that all toys, unknown to humans, are secretly alive, and the films focus on a diverse group of toys that feature a classic cowboy named Sheriff Woody and a modern spaceman named Buzz Lightyear. The group unexpectedly embark on adventures that challenge and change them. The collection currently includes Toy Story 1-4.
This also semi-explains why Tim Allen — who has voiced Buzz in all manner of “Toy Story” content for decades — is not involved in the movie. However, since Allen does voice the real-life merchandise based on his animated character, it wouldn’t strain too much credulity if he was also the voice behind the “human” Buzz as well, but fear not, Tim Allen fans, the erstwhile Tool Man will in fact be on Disney+ this year with the release of his series “The Clauses.”
Despite all of the misunderstandings about what the movie actually is, “Lightyear” is projected to make between $75 and $80 million in its opening weekend at the domestic box office and currently has a solid 80% from critics at Rotten Tomatoes and 88% from audiences.
So while the movie is expected to be a hit, families with kids who would rather play with their toys on the couch while watching the movie won’t be able to do that from home just yet. Disney hasn’t announced when “Lightyear” will be available on Disney+ as of yet, but based on some recent data points, we can make a semi-educated prediction.
Disney’s last big-screen release was “Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” which will be coming to the streaming service on June 22, just 47 days after it debuted in theaters. That is about three weeks faster than the previous Marvel film, “Eternals” hit the streamer.
Despite that information, how Disney handles the release of a major Marvel movie is not going to be the same as how it treats an animated (or is it live-action) Pixar film? There have been growing concerns from inside Pixar with how the parent company has treated the studio’s recent films, especially when it comes to streaming. While “Soul,” “Luca,” and “Turning Red” have all been hits with critics and audiences alike, the last Pixar film to debut in theaters was “Onward” which was released in early March 2020, just before COVID-19 began shutting down theaters.
Obviously, the pandemic is a major mitigating factor in these decisions, but Disney has managed to release a lot of movies in theaters since then, just none from Pixar. So it is difficult to guess how CEO Bob Chapek, Mickey, and the other decision-makers will handle the “Lightyear” release. However, when the Disney animation hit “Encanto” was released for Thanksgiving 2021, it enjoyed a 30-day cinema window before coming to the streamer for Christmas.
However, I would imagine that “Lightyear” will get a longer theatrical release than just one month. “Encanto” came out at the height of the Omicron surge and was perfect for holiday family viewing. Given the traditional summer movie season, the film’s blockbuster expectations, and recent trends, I would be surprised if “Lightyear” didn’t get at least the same shelflife as “Dr. Strange 2.” It also wouldn’t be a bad olive branch for Disney to extend to Pixar in order to show some faith in the film’s cinema staying power.
Lightyear
Legendary Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear embarks on an intergalactic adventure alongside a group of ambitious recruits and his robot companion Sox.
However, when trying to nail down an exact date, there are some other factors to consider. If “Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” had followed the same timetable as “Eternals” (68 days), “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” (70 days), and “Black Widow” (89 days), that would have meant that it would hit the streamer in mid to late-July, after the next MCU film “Thor: Love and thunder” was released in theaters on July 8 and at nearly the same time as the “Ms. Marvel” series was wrapping up. So, it makes sense that Disney moved the Sorceror Supreme’s streaming release up a few weeks in order to clear the decks a bit for the other MCU projects.
So, when looking at the Disney release calendar, if “Lightyear” gets the 45-day treatment, that would put its release date in early August. The studio does not have any movies scheduled for big-screen release following “Thor: Love and Thunder” until “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” until Nov. 11, so it’s clear on the cinema front.
But on Disney+, “LEGO Star Wars: Summer Vacation” premieres on Aug. 5 while the “I Am Groot” series of original shorts will debut on August 10, and both of those titles would seem to have an overlapping audience with “Lightyear.”
Then, the next Marvel series “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” will drop its first episode(s) on August 17. Later in the month, “Star Wars: Andor” premieres with two episodes on Aug. 31 before the long-awaited live-action “Pinocchio” debuts on Sept. 8.
Taking in all of the release dates, I think that there is a nice hole in the middle of August for “Lightyear” to fly onto Disney+, especially if it continues to do well at the box office. Disney won’t want to crowd “Pinocchio,” so slotting Buzz in during the week of Aug. 22 would make sense.
So, while “Lightyear” could drop on Disney+ as early as the last weekend in July, I think it is safer to go with 68 days on Wednesday, August 24. While this is far from a guarantee, I am going to ride this prediction to infinity and beyond (or until Disney says something to the contrary).
Disney+
Disney+ is a video streaming service with over 13,000 series and films from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, The Muppets, and more. It is available in 61 countries and 21 languages. It is notable for its popular original series like “The Mandalorian,” “Ms. Marvel,” “Loki,” “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” and “Andor.”