Yahoo Finance Chris Evans Suits Up for Space as Voice of Buzz Lightyear in New Movie Teaser Trailer
Chris Evans is shooting off into space in his latest film.
The actor, 40, is voicing the iconic Toy Story animated character Buzz Lightyear in the upcoming Pixar movie Lightyear. In a newly released teaser trailer that dropped Wednesday, Buzz is just beginning his journey to becoming an astronaut.
While Evans doesn't speak much in the teaser, he does deliver half of his character's famous catchphrase: "To infinity and … ." The trailer comes to an end before he can add the word "beyond."
Pixar
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In a Wednesday press release, Evans said voicing Buzz was "a dream come true."
"Anyone who knows me knows that my love for animated films runs deep. I can't believe that I get to be a part of the Pixar family and work with these truly brilliant artists who tell stories unlike anyone else," he said. "Watching them work is nothing short of magic. I pinch myself every day."
The new Lightyear film tells the origin story of Buzz, a character first introduced in 1995's Toy Story and voiced by Tim Allen. Lightyear tells the story of the character Buzz the toy is based on, not the actual toy featured in the original film, Director Angus MacLane clarified to Entertainment Weekly.
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"'Set in the world of Toy Story' is kind of weird. Another way to get at it, it's a straightforward sci-fi action film about the Buzz Lightyear character," MacLane said. "In the Toy Story universe, it would be like a movie that maybe Andy would have seen, that would have made him want a Buzz Lightyear figure."
He added, "The movie doesn't end and then you see Andy eating popcorn," the filmmaker clarifies. "This is its own thing … This is standalone. It's the Buzz Lightyear movie. It's that character but as the space ranger, not as the toy."
Disney first announced that Evans would voice Buzz last December. Shortly after the news broke, Evans confirmed his casting on Instagram, sharing in a post with his followers that he's been a lifelong fan of Pixar.
"My team could barely contain their excitement when they told me that Pixar had a pitch for me. All they said was 'Buzz Lightyear'. I didn't know what that meant, since Tim Allen is Buzz Lightyear, and no one could ever touch his performance. I needed to know how this character was different and why this story was worth telling," he wrote.
Evans continued, "I can say 2 things with absolute confidence: 1.. I didn't stop smiling through the ENTIRE pitch. Ear to ear. 2. Everyone can rest easy. And get very excited. Trust me when I say that they REALLY know what they're doing over there. This one is gonna special, and it doesn't step on a single thing. I can't even put my excitement into words. I smile every time I think about it."
Lightyear premieres June 17, 2022.
