Pete Docter, the boss of Pixar, analyzed the failure of the film Buzz Lightning. He admits that the concept was too complex.
At the top of the box office since 1995, Pixar has rarely experienced failure. Last year, Buzz Lightninga spin-off from Toy Story, did not appeal to the public. Almost a year later, Peter Docter, the boss of the studio, explains the reason for this failure.
“We thought about it a lot because we love this film. The culmination of our thinking is that we asked too much of the public”, explains Pete Docter to the American magazine The Wrap.
“When you think of Buzz, you think of Mr. Potato Head, Woody and Rex. And we came up with a science fiction movie. the characters were drawn. It was real science fiction.”
“Angus [McLane, le réalisateur, NDLR], in his defense, took this work very seriously. He wanted to represent these characters realistically. In Toy Story, the characters are more approximate. So it was a bit disconnected from what people wanted and expected,” he adds.
“No relation to the toy”
Released in June 2022, Buzz Lightning billed itself as the movie that inspired the Buzz Lightyear toy. Tim Allen, original voice of the famous space ranger, had confided his disappointment during an interview with the show Extra:
“It’s a new team that is in charge. They have nothing to do with those who made the first films. (…) It’s a great story, certainly, but it has nothing to do with the toy.”
The Buzz Lightyear character first appeared on screen in 1995 in Toy Story, where toys come to life as soon as their owners have their backs turned. The feature film gave rise to three sequels, the last of which was released in 2019. A fifth part is in preparation.
