Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins (2000)

Starring: Tim Allen, Wayne Knight, Nicole Sullivan, Diedrich Bader, Adam Carolla, Larry Miller, Stephen Furst, Patrick Warburton, Sean Hayes, and Frank Welker, with Jim Hanks, Wallace Shawn, and R. Lee Ermey
Grade: A+

XR reading the magazine Victoria’s Circuits is yet another example of the adult animators having fun with their work. I never noticed these types of details when I was younger, but it’s pretty funny seeing it now.

Summary

Sometime after the events of Toy Story 2, Sarge (Ermey) calls in on the radio in Andy’s room to tell the rest of the toys that they have secured the package. Rex is ecstatic (Shawn). The toy soldiers bring in a VHS copy of Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins, and Rex demands someone put it in the TV because his tiny arms can’t do it. Seeing how overtly excited he is, Woody (Hanks) starts messing with him by acting like he can’t open the package the tape is in, though he shows he’s just kidding. Next, he gets Buzz in on the joke. They act like they’re just popping in the tape to see the commercials in the beginning, and Rex starts to freak out, prompting Buzz to tell Rex that Woody is joking again. After Wheezy (Joe Ranft) says that Buzz should sign it because it could be worth something someday, Woody jokingly acts like the tape is jammed in the VCR. Rex passes out because of the suspense, and everyone stops. Thankfully, Rex was the one messing around this time.

Now, it’s time to start the show.

Buzz Lightyear (Allen) narrates the introduction. Ranking first in his class at the Academy, the space ranger talks about how he patrols the universe with his good friend and second-ranked at the Academy partner Warp Darkmatter (Bader). They work out of Star Command’s Universe Protection Unit. Recently, they’ve been given a new mission. Three Little Green Men have gone missing. They were last seen on the Star Command Science Bay. Buzz and Warp travel to the Zeta Quadrant on an uncharted moon, but Buzz puts in his mission log that they’ve checked the place from top to bottom and haven’t found anything. Warp interrupts to mention how no one reads the mission logs, but Buzz is a stickler for following procedure. The two drive a space dune buggy to check out the dark side of the moon but come to a screeching halt after being shocked to find three Little Green Men in the backseat. Warp is satisfied and assumes they are the same, but Buzz knows they’re only stowaways. The three Little Green Men run out and speak aloud about how they must save their lost brethren. Warp says they’re going to help but just not here. However, the stowaways are adamant that the lost LGMs are on this moon because their species has a mind link that connects them all. Suddenly, all three sense evil afoot. Immediately, Buzz thinks the sworn enemy of the Galactic Alliance in Evil Emperor Zurg (Knight) is behind it, but Warp doesn’t buy it because Buzz blames Zurg for everything. As Warp starts complaining, a massive Crater Viper appears and tries to attack the group, forcing them to spring into action.

They start shooting their lasers at them but more start appearing. At the same time, the LGMs nonchalantly travel through the battlefield, and it forces Buzz to protect them at the same time while firing alongside Warp. The two take the vipers out with efficiency, but it’s only for a moment. It turns out that the vipers are actually the fingers of an even bigger, one-eyed mutant creature. Buzz and Warp have to fly in close to it at first because they once again have to save the LGMs. Eventually, they grab the LGMs and place them on top of a cliff, as Warp questions what the hell they’re doing. Finally, the stowaways explain that the lost LGMs are under the gigantic mutant monster. Warp is down to leave, but Buzz has a plan and jumps right back in, forcing Warp to follow. They use hooks from their armor to tie up the vipers. Then, they fly upwards to pull the monster off from its position. Since the two’s equipment isn’t strong enough to lift the monster too high, Buzz institutes a backup plan on the spot and shoots down a cliff. The rocks crash onto the monster and take it out. Under the rubble is an enormous “Z” symbol, signaling Zurg. This is where the remaining LGMs are. Inside is the Zurg Subterranean Outpost and specifically the Torture Division. They have the LGMs in a glass case filled with a liquid, and they are being tortured by a lab of Brain Pod robots. Through their testing, they don’t have any results or conclusions yet and they all agree Zurg is going to be pissed. All they know is that the LGMs think and feel as one, but they don’t know how. Zurg comes in, knocks one of the Brain Pod guys to the ground, and slices open the Torture Tank with his metal hand. It bursts and the liquid goes everywhere. Next, Zurg grabs the three LGMs and electrocutes them from the tip of his finger since they are adamant they will never talk.

Buzz, Warp, and the other three LGMs discreetly get inside the outpost after tricking Zurg’s diminutive Grub (Welker) to open the door before slamming it in his face. Once they get inside, the three LGMs feel the pain the others are going through because of their mind link, prompting Warp to ask how they do it anyway. Apparently, it’s the existence of the Uni-Mind, the mystical orb that links all of LGM-kind. It’s on their home world. Buzz explains this is classified, but Warp argues he should know this since they’re partners. As Zurg prepares to dissect the brains of the LGMs, Buzz busts into the room and takes out the dissecting robot and charges Zurg for attempted dissection of Star Command personnel. Undeterred, Zurg sends in his robot army after Buzz, and he escapes. Buzz takes out everything in the room and saves the three LGMs. The last remaining robots are crushed under a platform Warp enters the room on. They plan to go after Zurg, but Zurg appears on a video screen in the room to tell them he already started the self-destruct sequence on his way out. They only have 60 seconds before the entire moon explodes. Neither are worried, but they are shot at by more robots. Staying to fight, Buzz tells the LGMs to go back to the ship and take off. In the midst of the shootout, the base starts to cave-in. Though they clear the robots, Buzz looks around for Warp before they escape, only to find his partner stuck under some rubble. He struggles to get it off him as time runs out, so Warp does him a favor and presses the rocket button on Buzz’s suit, forcing him to fly off the moon just in time.

Buzz lives, but Warp dies.

At Warp’s funeral, Buzz does the eulogy and takes the loss hard. Zurg was after Buzz, but Warp was killed unjustly in the process. Because of this, Buzz vows to work alone from now on.

Sometime after, Commander Nebula (Carolla) oversees the rookies on the Training Deck at Star Command. Buzz shows up in Nebula’s office because Nebula wants him to see new standout recruit Mira Nova (Sullivan). He puts the rookies on Level 9, a level Buzz trains on. Mira is the only one who succeeds, and Buzz is impressed. Then, Nebula goes to Level 10, which worries Buzz for her sake. At first, it looks like she’s taken out, but she reappears from under the floor and is able to float through the bigger robots like a ghost, rewiring one to destroy the other two and then having the one self-destruct. Nebula explains to Buzz that she’s from the planet Tangea, which gives her Tangean ghosting powers. She floats into the office to report to Nebula and Buzz and introduces herself, with Buzz realizing she’s the heir to the Tangean throne. He met their leader when he saved their planet once. Mira admits that Buzz’s actions inspired her to join in the first place. Nebula follows this by introducing her as Buzz’s new partner. Despite her friendly greeting, Buzz refuses this because he made it clear to Nebula he didn’t want a partner after Warp’s death. Mira tries to bring up the regulations and how he needs a partner, but Buzz retorts how he knows them because he wrote half of them himself. Even with Nebula yelling at him, Buzz stands his ground and leaves. On the Starcruiser Launch Bay, janitor Booster (Furst) wanders inside while cleaning because he’s like a little kid when it comes to being a space ranger. Unfortunately, a higher-up official reprimands him because he’s not supposed to be there and fires him. Thankfully, Buzz interrupts and saves his job by saying Booster was stationed in the Launch Bay to clean things up and the corporal apologizes before Buzz sends him away.

Privately, Buzz reminds Booster this is the third time he’s been caught this week and how he’s not supposed to be there. Booster is sorry, but he just loves looking at the star cruisers and talks about how badly he wants to be a space ranger. Buzz likes his passion and encourages him by reminding him to study for the entrance exam by looking at the Space Ranger Mission Manuel. Thankfully, this is something Booster has been studying adamantly and has memorized one page of it every night. Just then, Buzz is called into the Science Bay. At Zurg Tower, Zurg happily enters his lair to ask where his new henchman is at. They are just finished arming him as Zurg walks in. He’s an armored soldier Zurg names “Agent Z”. Agent Z isn’t too keen on the name, but the others tell him how much Zurg was so dead set on the name, so he accepts it. One of the Brain Pod guys interrupts to tell Zurg his spy drone is in place on the LGM homeworld looking for the Uni-Mind. On the LGM homeworld, an LGM sounds a horn, and the others go into this building. Seeing this, Zurg’s spy drone drops a robot lookalike LGM with an inflatable body onto the planet to follow the others. There, all the LGMs watch as a claw comes down from the ceiling and picks up the Uni-Mind orb from a compartment below the ground and lifts it into the room for the others to come together in unison. Zurg sees this from his monitors and launches an immediate assault on the LGM homeworld. At Star Command on the Science Bay, the LGMs tell Buzz they heard about his argument with Nebula, and they have solved his partner problem with their new creation: XR (Miller), the “Experimental Ranger”. It’s a robot sidekick with arms and legs, has artificial intelligence, and it learns as it goes, picking up everything it sees.

Buzz isn’t impressed by XR’s size and doesn’t think he’d stand a chance against Zurg’s forces of evil. Hearing this, the LGM blow XR up completely with weapons and rebuild him within seconds, arguing his biggest attribute being how easy it is to fix him. Even so, Buzz doesn’t believe Nebula approved this because he hates robots, so the LGMs admit Nebula doesn’t know. Just then, Nebula interrupts, as he’s officially caught up to speed. He flips out on the LGMs, but they show Nebula that XR’s creation was technically authorized by him because they slipped in the paper with their vacation request, and he signed off on it without reading it. As both the LGMs and Nebula argue with Buzz about the partner request, the mind link stops the LGMs. They tell Buzz their homeworld is under attack by Zurg and his dark forces. Right away, Buzz heads to his ship and XR instinctively follows him because following and learning is what he’s programmed to do. On the LGM homeworld, they are under attack. All of the LGMs run into the building to protect the Uni-Mind. They all join hands, and it creates a force field around it, though the roof caves-in from the attack and it breaks the force field. Robots step in and threaten them, but they are shot at by an incoming Buzz and XR. As they take out robots left and right, Agent Z is sent by Zurg to exit his own ship to attack Buzz. After fending him off initially, Buzz and XR fly after him. They get into a shootout between two roofs. Eventually, Buzz tries this trick where he leaves his arm cannon glove to continue shooting allowing for him and XR to escape. They never see this coming. Somehow, Agent Z does and appears right in front of them before they can slide off the roof.

He shoots XR down and lets Zurg know the Uni-Mind is his for the taking. From his ship, Zurg sends three rocket drones down to pick up the Uni-Mind and fly it to the underbelly of his ship. Next, Agent Z shoots Buzz directly in the chest, and he falls off the roof and to the ground. Agent Z escapes with Zurg. Buzz is somehow okay, and he calls in to Star Command to update them on the failure of the mission and XR being destroyed. Back at the Science Bay, Buzz asks the LGMs if they can fix XR. Since they aren’t one without the Uni-Mind, they’re genuinely not sure, but they will try. Though they’re able to put XR back for the most part, it’s clear they have a screw loose without the Uni-Mind. They start putting random equipment on the insides of XR like a rubber raft, a tuba, a teddy bear, an anvil, a skateboard, a live chicken (that eventually flies away) and a bunch of other random stuff. They even have to confirm with Buzz if what they are holding is in fact an arm, with the other LGM saying, “Told ya” when Buzz confirms it. Once they’re done “fixing” him, XR has a mind of his own. Nebula assumes Zurg knew that Star Command practically runs on the LGMs and did this to cripple their operation, but Buzz thinks differently. If he wanted to do this, he could’ve just destroyed the Uni-Mind and been done with it. However, he stole it, which raises some questions.

At Zurg Tower, we find out the plan. If the Uni-Mind controls all LGMs, it should allow for Zurg to reach out and take over every innocent mind in the Galactic Alliance. They just need to figure out how to turn the Uni-Mind evil. The Brain Pods don’t know how, so Zurg takes it upon himself to grip the Uni-Mind with one hand. With his power, he turns the entire thing purple and electric with evil. Later, he will weaponize the Uni-Mind too and look to take over planet by planet.

The galaxy’s last hope is Buzz Lightyear, but he may need help whether he likes it or not.

My Thoughts:

A spinoff done right, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins was one of the few direct-to-video productions coming out of Disney that is actually worth watching. Most of their direct-to-video sequels or spinoffs are cash grabs (we’re looking at you Tinker Bell), but there were some diamonds in the rough when Disney put together a team behind it that cared enough to cultivate a story to make a return to a franchise something worthy of the fans’ time. Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins is arguably one of the very greatest of the pack, on par with the Aladdin sequels and even the legendary An Extremely Goofy Movie. Serving as a standalone science fiction adventure and a pilot for the eventual Buzz Lightyear of Star Command television series that would follow, Tim Allen gets a chance to stretch his wings as the Galactic Alliance’s greatest defender in an actual space environment instead of Andy’s bedroom. In doing so, we get a wonderfully exciting space caper that is imaginative, action-packed, and fun for the whole family. Toy Story fans may initially become worried if Buzz can carry this movie without the help of the rest of the group, but this under-the-radar extension of the franchise succeeds in curtailing these suspicions almost immediately on arrival.

If you grew up in the era when Toy Story was hot, you couldn’t get enough of these guys. Most children consumed any sort of media involving them (wearing out their VHS players rewatching the two films), forcing their parents to buy as many toys as possible, playing the video games that were available at the time, and probably even taking turns being either Woody or Buzz Lightyear for Halloween. At this point in 2000, there were only two movies available to fans but yet, the franchise was a cultural phenomenon. There was still money to be made. Woody had his story told through Toy Story and Toy Story 2 (and would continue being the main character in future sequels), but the character of Buzz Lightyear was the designated secondary star in importance. Even so, he always captured the imagination of kids everywhere because of his toy backstory. Being the space action figure, he represented the “cool” toy and the changing of the guard in what was popular for kids, while the cowboy character of Woody represented a bygone era of sorts. Exploring Woody’s troubles in dealing with this identity crisis serves a full-fledged story much better. With this being said, the logical next step was to see how they can focus things on the famous space ranger instead. Fans have always wanted to see more of Buzz Lightyear, the ultra-cool, fearless badass who is a bona fide action hero in toy form with a laser cannon on his arm and a space suit that helps him fly. When looking at the backstory of the character, it’s no secret that there are a million stories that could be told, and the fans were practically begging for it. Since Buzz’s importance in the series decreases with each movie, especially in Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4, this was the only real attempt at doing things right, with the goal of a cartoon series to follow it if it worked. As a massive fan of both productions, I can say wholeheartedly that their efforts in reworking Buzz Lightyear and making him the star of his own little spinoff franchise fired on all cylinders.

Being a huge sci-fi fan and starring in the Star Trek-themed Galaxy Quest so many months before it, everyone knows Tim Allen was clamoring for more as well. ‘Twas the perfect storm following Toy Story 2, as Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins dropped at just the right moment in time. It’s both a standalone origin story but also partially serves as what 2022’s Lightyear was SUPPOSED to be. If you remember, it was announced that the idea stemming from Lightyear was that it was to be the movie that made Andy fall in love with the character and led to him buying the toy in the first place. Lightyear did not succeed in making us believe in this goal, though this will be analyzed further in my review of the Lightyear film. With The Adventure Begins, it doesn’t necessarily fit the bill of being the movie that inspired Andy timeline-wise because the opening sequence takes place after Toy Story 2, but if Disney and Pixar released the same statement that they said about Lightyear in creating hype for THIS movie instead, they would have been a lot better off. The Adventure Begins actually fits the bill of a kid wanting to consume anything and everything revolving around Buzz Lightyear because of how awesome this direct-to-video film is done. Not only would this sci-fi adventure satisfy the craving kids have for more of the beloved Buzz, but I can also see why it’s more or less the perfect pilot for the eventual series. Without the studio having to go out of their way to tell us that this is the movie that motivated Andy to love everything about the space ranger like they did with 2022’s failure of a movie, this underrated and forgotten origin movie actually does what Lightyear was supposed to do in creating its own science fiction franchise that renewed interested in the character of Buzz Lightyear, the everyday happenings of Star Command, the never ending war with the Evil Emperor Zurg, and the universe that this space hero swears to protect at all costs.

I’ll say it again: Everything Lightyear was supposed to be, had the intention to be, and claimed itself to be, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins actually IS.

It’s not the nostalgia talking either. From character development to the action, to the humor, to introducing new characters to the world-building, to the surprising emotional drama, to the pure and childlike imagination, this direct-to-video gem is unapologetically better in every category. Plus, it’s thirty minutes shorter. It’s everything an actual kid would want to see compared to the soulless and overdramatic spinoff that Lightyear was so many years later.

It all starts with how cool of an action hero they turn Buzz Lightyear into. They waste no time in putting us right into the thick of a rescue mission and establishing Buzz as the hero of the galaxy, with Allen’s determined voiceover accompanying the character’s historic resume that flashes on the screen detailing how he’s been awarded the Order of Galactic Merit First Class, The Andromeda Cross, The Pleadiean Cluster, The Solar Wind Award for Courage, The Nebula Heart, The Blue Medallion of Excellence, and The Golden Ring of Jupiter. What are the details of the missions that led to these awards? We have no clue, but this is just the beginning of the excellent world-building to remind the audience that this is the real Buzz Lightyear, not the toy we have been accustomed to in previous movies. Buzz is not the antihero that has dominated the landscape of older demographics. He is a beacon of hope, a leader in every sense of the word, and one who refuses to conduct himself in a manner considered to be anything short of pure excellence. The pressure he puts on himself to succeed is immense, but it’s what makes him such a great protagonist. It also adds even more to the first act when he loses his best friend and partner in Warp Darkmatter. It’s a devasting loss that Buzz has never faced before and it changes him internally, as he sees the situation as his own fault. It takes him a while to recover and to trust himself to protect any partner, especially a new recruit. It’s not in the Dirty Harry sense where he “Doesn’t work well with partners”. Buzz makes it clear that it’s not personal with Mira when he’s introduced to her. It’s just that suffering such a loss with someone who he graduated the academy with makes it hard for him to put anyone else at risk. It’s quite admirable. Another big part of Buzz is that his code of ethics cannot be swayed in anyway. He is completely incorruptible, and it makes him a hero that the entire galaxy respects and admires for his determination to stop any villain who threatens the vast universe he swears to protect.

As boring as it may sound for those that enjoy the character flaws of the antihero, Buzz manages to still be a “cool” hero despite him having a character description that seems to align with the 1950s, black-and-white style of good taking on evil. They do have some fun with it though. To distract Buzz in the climax, Zurg jokingly says that his next target with the Mega-Ray is the planet “with widows and orphans”, and it works with Buzz yelling, “You fiend!”.

Despite jokes made at his expense like this, his characterization still works for the entirety of the feature. Keep in mind this is a kid’s movie too, so Buzz Lightyear being this type of hero makes him the role model appropriate for the age group for which it’s intended, and the ultimate message of teamwork helps just as well. The fact that we still gravitate towards him even with the white knight stuff is a testament to the writing and animation. This take on Buzz Lightyear that combines unshakeable morals and a willingness to protect the innocent at any turn without second guessing anything is very reminiscent of the plight of someone like Captain America or even the jedi knights of Star Wars, and The Adventure Begins and its subsequent television series manages to push the character into the pantheon of fellow all-timer protagonists and superstar sci-fi counterparts in the genre’s history with how well this vision for the character is handled. Tim Allen voices this version of Buzz with the utmost respect for the protagonist he helped shape and takes it very seriously when he could have very easily phoned it in for a quick check. You can tell Allen loves playing Buzz. As I said before, he grew up as a big sci-fan when Star Trek was at its peak, and he was fresh off of Galaxy Quest where he basically played a version of Buzz Lightyear and James T. Kirk at the same time, getting a chance to be the action hero he always wanted a chance to play. When you take this into consideration, it becomes clear that Allen channels this while playing the animated space hero, as it’s more in the vein of an “action star” rather than a toy coming to terms that he is in fact a toy. Allen taking the character in the former’s direction pushes this direct-to-video spinoff to the level it needs to be to be taken seriously as its own thing.

Plus, his trademark humor is still brought in when needed but it taking a backseat is actually a positive, making this version of Buzz Lightyear a completely different person.

As you can expect by almost any space opera production, there is a lot of Star Wars influence here, but it’s not a retread or a parody. Sure, there’s a lot of humor, but the movie succeeds without just being a direct parody of Star Wars, which is crucial to its success as it could have gone down this path in a hurry. The influence is seen a lot in Evil Emperor Zurg and his Mega-Ray that starts zapping planets and turning them into evil versions of themselves (as the Darth Vader and Deathstar references are obvious. Also, the ending is very similar to A New Hope and The Phantom Menace if we’re being honest), but this is unavoidable as Zurg was already written in as a villain from the first Toy Story and just seen in the sequel a year before. They had to go in this direction. However, I implore you to ignore the obvious visual similarities. Emperor Zurg is an awesome villain that exudes evil in his design and with Wayne Knight’s incredibly dynamic performance as the archnemesis of the Galactic Alliance’s most decorated officer. He may remind you of Darth Vader, but he’s his own man and the perfect counterpart to our ultimate hero. Zurg plays off his minions well too, as his entire team of bad guys consists of the diminutive Grubs and Brain Pods who are pretty much enslaved and are forced to do whatever he says. On a minor note, I did want to know a little more about the Brain Pods though. When asking for a raise, one of them talks about how when he gave up his body, “Certain promises were made”. What’s the backstory here? What kind of evil contract did Zurg trick these guys into signing, so they could become robots with their living brains inside of them? Explaining just the smallest detail regarding this, as well as how he was able to completely change the effects of the Uni-Mind just by grasping it, could add even more to the characterization of Zurg and how much of a threat to the universe he is.

They already do a great job with Zurg as is, as the fear his minions have of him adds a lot to his characterization and the power he possesses on his planet, but there was room for growth. Furthermore, though a better name would’ve been apt, Zurg’s Mega-Ray being a weaponized version of the Uni-Mind that turns others into evil slave zombies was much more diabolical than just blowing things up willy nilly, so this made up for things in the short-term. Regardless, Zurg is still very funny and his interactions with his team are always good for a laugh, despite how badly he treats them. When the one Grub loads the fusion cell but puts the battery in the wrong way and realizes his mistake once Zurg inquires, even Zurg angrily gives him a pass in one of the funnier moments of the film.

One thing that The Adventure Begins does better than the animated series is the use of the LGMs. They’ve always been hilarious because of their helplessness, but their importance to the plot here is genuinely intriguing. Though they are the little helpers of the Galactic Alliance, they also are the backbone of the station according to Captain Nebula. Regularly, they fix the star cruisers, create new gadgets for the space rangers, and run the day-to-day operations more than the other space rangers who work there. The idea of the Uni-Mind was an engrossing idea for a plot point and perfectly explains the connection every LGM seems to have with each other and why they are all so similar in the way they carry themselves. Moreover, I loved the callback to the claw on the LGM planet right before Zurg sent his robot army to wreak havoc. Along with this, the attacks on each other’s planets and bases are very well done and is treated with much more care than the usual “cartoon violence” label. It’s legitimately exciting and adds immensely to the overall feature, with the aforementioned LGM planet attack and Agent Z’s surprise takedown of Buzz and XR being a major highlight that intensified the drama from an antagonistic standpoint. Regarding the humor, the funniest parts of the movie revolve around the deadpan jokes of the LGMs, as their personalities really shine here like when they trick Nebula into signing off on the creation of XR after admitting they slipped the form in with their vacation request or when they dump XR off on Booster because they’re all aware how much of a fucking sap he is too.

A constant in early 2000s programming, Larry Miller voices XR and does a wonderful job in creating the personality for the character following his reconstruction. When he busts into the space ranger meeting trying to convince Nebula to join in on his time share idea and even the LGMs have no idea what to do, you can’t help but laugh. Princess Mira Nova is easily the best supporting character of the movie and a welcomed addition to Star Command. She doesn’t step on Buzz’s toes but proves herself as the newest space ranger with the highest potential through skill, wit, and the same drive that Buzz has always possessed. He sees it right away through training and respects her talent without question. There’s none of the typical, “You still have a lot to learn rookie” that seems to be so evident in stories like this. Immediately, he’s impressed and there’s a mutual respect between the two. Additionally, they avoid making Mira the typical “hotshot” rookie that’s cocky and thinks she can do it just like an experienced space ranger can, leading to the inevitable bit where she has to learn from the veteran and vice versa. It truly felt like a team effort all the way through, and Mira didn’t say a single groan-inducing line that made her inclusion look like a political decision rather than a creative one that served the story. She belonged, and there was extra care given in this relatively short running time to make Mira an early favorite that wins the audience over by her own merit. Even when Mira suggests the plan to take Alpha-One to sneak past Zurg’s defenses instead of launching a full-scale assault, it wasn’t a rookie trying to make the others look like chumps to prove herself. It was a legitimate suggestion where she was trying to help because she understood the severity of the situation. It was all about stopping evil, something Buzz is always about above all else.

Maybe it was to prove herself at the same time, but it never looked as selfish as it could have, which is crucial to making her a very likable voice in the world of Buzz Lightyear who we want to see more of. They play off each other well too and seeing Buzz flip on her for trying to do the same thing he was about to do was a fun character development for both of them. Not only did it show how Buzz is willing to break protocol when it comes down to it, but there were also inklings of Buzz somewhat respecting Mira for what she was about to do because him being there proves she’s a lot more like him than he would like to admit. Even Nebula gets in on the fun by cutting off Buzz when he tries to snitch on her by asking, “She beat you to it?” and Buzz annoyingly admitting so and going after her. It’s just another step in strengthening his future team before our star realizes it.

Their burgeoning partnership is enjoyable, and though XR and Booster’s inclusion on the team happens purely out of their own buffoonery, the four staunchly different personalities that Buzz reluctantly takes under his wing because they go under attack is enough to keep things unpredictable. In addition, it gave us the hysterical nose ring argument from the Star Command handbook that XR brings up out of principle (“Incidentally, why can’t we have nose rings” – “Because nose rings are for punks little mister!”). XR in particular is unpredictable in his character development, as he changes to his personality rather late in the movie, and it’s hard to nail down who he truly is as he’s kind of all over the place. He’s a partial goofball, partial schemer, and a minor hero among other things. Though it makes sense because of how the LGMs rebuilt him and essentially screwed him up forever by making him sentient with a screw loose, it’s hard to figure out who XR really is. He doesn’t really have any motivations or goals in mind. He just befriends Booster and helps Booster sneak onto Buzz’s star cruiser for no reason. They don’t really figure him out until the show, but it still takes a while to figure him out there too. I guess they’re right when they talk about how many character flaws he has in the final minutes of the movie. Despite all of this, XR exudes charisma once he makes his personality switch mid-movie, and it’s because of the amusing voice work of Larry Miller. Booster is an overgrown idiot, but he’s got a likable enough personality to win kids over. With that being said, him starting out as a janitor was a humorous idea.

I loved the twist, as well as the reasoning behind it jokingly being blamed on Warp Darkmatter’s name.

This is an action-packed 70 minutes full of adrenaline, humor, and a litany of characters that we become invested in as soon as they cross our screen. All of it leads to a daring mission to infiltrate Planet Z for the first time ever without the help of Star Command. Going into the third act, there’s one shot that solidifies Buzz Lightyear as a star. Trying to go at things alone, we see his smaller body come across the “Z” logo of Zurg, and it’s in this small solitary moment where Buzz looks like the Batman of the Galactic Alliance. At this very instant, I realized how invested I was in this sci-fi feature and how I completely forgot about Toy Story in the midst of it all. This direct-to-video jewel is something entirely different, and it’s entirely worth your time, as it changes any preconceived notion you have on the main character at hand and what the direct-to-video Disney movie has potential in being. All of it leads to a death-defying, cinematic quality climax worthy of the buildup and hits on every level needed to make this science fiction adventure one of the very few animated spinoffs worth viewing. If you watched Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins, there’s no doubt it will make you want to watch the television series that followed it.

*Stay for the end credits to hear William Shatner’s awful rendition of a song called “To Infinity and Beyond”. It’s hilariously bad.*

Fun Fact: This movie was essentially redone and split into three parts to serve as the first three episodes of Buzz Lightyear of Star Command when the show came out. Since Patrick Warburton took over the role of Buzz Lightyear for the show, he rerecorded all the lines for it. The review done here is for the original movie that started it all and is now basically the “Trial run”.