The hardest part of turning Buzz Lightyear into a sci-fi hero

It’s pretty clear by now that it’s Pixar light year is not a Toy Story sequel or a film about real-life Buzz Lightyear; It is a fictional film that would have been released in the Toy Story universe, starring a sci-fi space hero named Buzz Lightyear, who later inspired the toys Andy loved so much.

This means that all of Buzz’s little quirks in the Toy Story films – his mission logs, costume and serious demeanor – would theoretically all have come from that film. While it was fun figuring out what Buzz’s hair looks like underneath that purple snood, the filmmakers struggled to incorporate one of Buzz’s most iconic elements: his signature catchphrase, “To infinity…and beyond!”

“In the beginning, ‘to infinity and beyond’ was a joke You cannot go beyond infinity and you got into something that Key and Peele then got into toy story 4‘ director Angus MacLane tells Polygon. “So it was just a saying that all Space Rangers had, and Buzz wasn’t a Space Ranger or anything like that at the time. [He was like] These guys are stupid. And then he embraces it by saying at the end. That didn’t feel right.

“And then we had this exact gesture,” MacLane says while demonstrating the finger touch that Buzz and his best friend Alicia do as a kind of secret handshake. “It wasn’t ‘to infinity,’ that was exactly what Alicia and Buzz did to show they were together. And then they were separated. It was a sad moment. And then one of our editors, Chloe, says, Just have them say “To infinity and beyond.”

And then I Yes, ok, great. That’s perfect.”

Image: Pixar Animation Studios

“The interesting thing is that it had two different meanings throughout the film,” says producer Galyn Susman. “Because in the beginning it’s more about the next adventure and the next and the next, and in the end it’s a lot more about being together and being here in the present.”

Buzz’s signature catchphrase then became a touching tribute to his closest friendship, rather than a rallying cry to explore the vastness of space. And because Alicia lives a lifetime while Buzz continues his futile missions over and over again, it also takes on a more poignant meaning. Does that make turning into a toy catchphrase an odd choice? Maybe like this. But on a meta-level, the Toy Story films have an underlying message about the limited time we have with loved ones, so perhaps the bittersweet undertones of To Infinity…And Beyond! fit perfectly with the larger overarching themes.

light year is now in cinemas.