Film

Lightyear

Name: Lightyear
Genre: Animation, Science Fiction, Family, Adventure
Released: 2022
Cast: Chris Evans, Keke Palmer, Peter Sohn, Taika Waititi, Dale Soules

Lightyear is a Pixar spinoff that treats Buzz Lightyear as a real space ranger, not a toy. It's a zippy sci-fi adventure with genuine heart, exploring what it means to sacrifice for others and how to live with the consequences. Warm, funny, and visually gorgeous—for anyone who loves both action and character.

TMDb rating

3.4

If you liked this

Interstellar2014

A massive, sweeping space epic about sacrifice and connection across time. Like Lightyear, it takes its high-concept premise seriously and earns every emotional beat through character and consequence.

But Nearly three hours long, and the third act asks a lot of patience. Some find the dialogue heavy-handed; others find the ending divisive.

The Iron Giant1999

A hand-drawn gem about a boy and a robot learning to trust each other during the Cold War. It shares Lightyear's warmth, visual charm, and belief that connection matters more than firepower.

But Underperformed at the box office and was heavily cut; some versions feel incomplete. The animation style won't appeal to everyone.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse2023

Dazzling animation, genuine stakes, and a hero learning that doing the right thing sometimes means standing alone. It has Lightyear's blend of humor, heart, and jaw-dropping action sequences.

But The ending is a cliffhanger that demands a sequel. If unresolved narratives frustrate you, wait until the next film drops.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Lightyear

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Right Stuff1983

Both ask what it means to be a hero, and both understand that real heroism involves loss you can't undo. Lightyear's Buzz is reckoning with what Yeager and Glenn lived through.

A four-hour epic about real astronauts and test pilots learning what courage actually costs. It's the film Lightyear secretly wants to be—a serious meditation on sacrifice dressed up as an adventure.

But It's long, dense, and slower than you'd expect. The ensemble cast means no single character dominates, which some find frustrating.

How to Train Your Dragon2010

A CG adventure about proving everyone wrong and finding your place in the world. It's got the same warmth, humor, and gorgeous action that makes Lightyear so rewatchable.

But The sequels dilute what made the original special. This one stands best alone, which some find bittersweet.

Moana2016

Stunning visuals, genuine character growth, and a protagonist who has to believe in herself despite the odds. The emotional core is as solid as Lightyear's, and the adventure is just as fun.

But The songs are catchy to the point of being inescapable. If earworms drive you mad, you've been warned.

Wreck-It Ralph2012

A love letter to arcade games with surprising depth about identity and belonging. Like Lightyear, it's clever about its premise and genuinely moving beneath the action and humor.

But The world-building sometimes overwhelms character. Some sequences feel like product placement dressed up as fun.

Big Hero 62014

A team of misfit heroes learns to work together. It shares Lightyear's mix of humor, action, and real emotion, with particularly strong voice acting and visual design.

But The villain's motivations feel thin compared to the rest of the film. Some find the climax emotionally manipulative rather than earned.

Raya and the Last Dragon2021

A Southeast Asian–inspired adventure with a protagonist learning to trust again. The action is inventive, the animation sumptuous, and the emotional work is genuine.

But The pacing sags in the middle. Some plot threads feel underdeveloped, and the world-building can feel scattered.

Treasure Planet2002

A criminally underrated space adventure with visual flair and a messy, complicated father-son dynamic. It's weird and ambitious in ways most family films aren't.

But It bombed commercially and visibly suffered from development hell. The tonal shifts are sometimes jarring, and some animation hasn't aged smoothly.

Love, Death & Robots2019

Both prove animation isn't inherently childish and can tackle big ideas with visual ambition. Lightyear is the family-friendly answer to what this anthology series asks: what can animation do when we let it?

An anthology of wildly varied animated shorts—some gorgeous, some grotesque, all inventive. If you loved Lightyear's animation and want more CG storytelling that takes risks, this is it.

But It's aggressively adult and extremely uneven. Some episodes are brilliant; others are forgettable or needlessly crude. You'll skip around rather than watch straight through.

Dark City1998

Both feature a protagonist isolated by knowledge no one else has, forced to act alone while the world changes around them. But where Lightyear is bright and hopeful, Dark City is noir and haunted—the shadow version of the same story.

A noir sci-fi film about a man discovering he's lived a lie and learning to trust his instincts despite the darkness around him. It's hypnotic, visually inventive, and emotionally raw in unexpected ways.

But It's deliberately moody and slow, with murky cinematography some find tedious. The plot can feel convoluted, and the ending is abstract rather than climactic.