When you sit down to watch a movie about the "real" Space Ranger, you've gotta throw everything you know about a plastic toy with a pull-string out the window. Honestly, the characters in Buzz Lightyear (the 2022 Pixar flick) are a massive departure from the Toy Story gang we grew up with. It's not just the voice change from Tim Allen to Chris Evans—which, yeah, was a whole thing on the internet for a minute—it’s the fact that these versions are designed to be "real" people in a sci-fi epic.
Basically, the movie Lightyear is the film Andy saw in 1995 that made him want the toy. So, the characters have to feel like high-stakes heroes, not just bedroom floor buddies. You’ve got a perfectionist pilot, a robot cat that stole the show, and a ragtag group of recruits who have no business being in space.
Buzz Lightyear: The Man Behind the Plastic
In this version, Buzz isn't a toy who thinks he’s a ranger; he’s an actual test pilot for Star Command. He’s kind of a jerk at first, honestly. He’s obsessed with "finishing the mission" to the point where he won't let anyone help him. Chris Evans brings a certain "Captain America" weight to the role, but with more of a stubborn, loner edge.
The whole plot kicks off because Buzz refuses help, crashes a massive colony ship on a hostile planet called T’Kani Prime, and strands thousands of people. The guilt he carries defines his character. While everyone else is busy building a life on the planet, Buzz is obsessed with hyperspace tests that take minutes for him but years for everyone else due to time dilation. It’s heavy stuff for a Pixar movie.
Sox: The Robot Cat We Didn't Know We Needed
If we’re being real, Sox is the best part of the movie. Voiced by Peter Sohn, Sox is a personal companion robot given to Buzz to help him cope after his first failed mission. He’s essentially a high-tech therapy pet.
👉 See also: Why Keanu Reeves John Constantine Still Matters: The Sequel That Refused to Stay Dead
But he’s not just there for emotional support. Sox is a Swiss Army knife. He can:
- Project 3D maps from his eyes.
- Hack into complex alien security systems.
- Create a "white noise" sleep sound that is surprisingly hilarious.
- Shoot tranquilizer darts (the "laser" thing is a bit of a running gag).
Sox provides the comedic relief that balances out Buzz’s brooding. Without the cat, the movie would be way too dark. He’s the feline equivalent of R2-D2, only he makes cute little beeping sounds and has a "meow" that sounds like a vintage Macintosh computer booting up.
The Junior Zap Patrol: A Bunch of Misfits
Buzz eventually gets stuck with a group of "volunteers" because all the actual soldiers are gone or occupied. This is where the movie gets its heart.
Izzy Hawthorne
Izzy (Keke Palmer) is the granddaughter of Buzz’s best friend and original commander, Alisha Hawthorne. She’s desperate to live up to the Hawthorne name, but she has a secret: she’s deathly afraid of space. Like, full-on panic attacks at the sight of the vacuum. Her arc is about proving that being a "Hawthorne" isn't about being perfect; it's about showing up when things get ugly.
Mo Morrison
Taika Waititi voices Mo, and it’s exactly the kind of role you’d expect from him. Mo is a guy who has started a dozen different hobbies and never finished any of them. He’s the guy who brings a pen to a gunfight. He’s clumsy, unsure of himself, and provides that "everyman" perspective that highlights just how insane Buzz’s life is.
Darby Steel
Then there’s Darby, voiced by Dale Soules. She’s an elderly convict who’s out on parole and has a weirdly specific talent for making things explode. She’s the muscle of the group, in a "grumpy grandma" sort of way. Her interaction with the younger recruits is gold because she just doesn’t have time for their feelings.
🔗 Read more: Claude Jarman Jr.: Why the Star of The Yearling Still Matters
That Zurg Twist Everyone Talks About
We have to talk about Zurg. In Toy Story 2, the "I am your father" joke was a classic Star Wars riff. In Lightyear, they went a completely different direction.
Spoiler alert: Zurg isn’t Buzz’s dad. He is Buzz.
Well, an older, embittered version of Buzz from an alternate timeline. This Zurg (James Brolin) traveled back in time to try and prevent the original crash. It’s a literal battle of "Buzz vs. his own ego." This version of Zurg is a massive, mechanized suit that looks more like a Japanese mecha than the purple cape-wearing toy we know. It changes the dynamic from a simple good vs. evil story to a character study on how obsession can turn a hero into a villain.
Why the Character Shift Matters
The characters in Buzz Lightyear were designed to be part of a "hard" sci-fi world. Director Angus MacLane wanted the movie to feel "tactile," which is why the suits look heavy and the buttons look like they’d actually click.
Some fans were bummed that the movie didn't feel like Toy Story, but that’s the point. These characters represent the inspiration for the toys. When you see Alisha Hawthorne (Uzo Aduba) grow old through a montage while Buzz stays young, it hits a different emotional chord than Woody losing his hat. It’s about the passage of time and the cost of being a hero.
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the lore, your best bet is to re-watch Toy Story 2 right after Lightyear. You’ll start seeing the tiny "in-universe" details Mattel supposedly used when they "made" the toys based on this movie—like why the toy Buzz has a laser that’s just a blinking light, or why the Zurg toy has those little wheels on the bottom.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Watch the "Alisha Grows Up" Montage: If you want to understand the emotional core of these characters, re-watch the first 20 minutes. It's Pixar's best storytelling since the beginning of Up.
- Look for the "Easter Eggs": Keep an eye out for the "LGM" (Little Green Men) references. They aren't characters in this movie, but the motifs show up in the tech.
- Check out "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command": If you want a more "cartoony" version of these characters, find the old 2D animated series from the early 2000s. It features a totally different crew (like Mira Nova and Booster) but the same heroic spirit.