
Before each adventure, the duo touch fingers and yell “To infinity and beyond!” which I assume would have been the tagline for this film when Andy saw it. Hawthorne is a Black woman, something you don’t often see in space movies despite all that work they did for NASA in “ Hidden Figures.” She constantly mocks Buzz’s penchant for “monologuing,” that is, recording the Shatner-like captain’s log into that device on his arm. They share in-jokes and memories of missions past. Buzz is partnered with Alisha Hawthorne ( Uzo Aduba), his best friend. “Lightyear” begins with a special mission for space rangers. After seeing “Lightyear,” I was full of even more questions, such as, “Would Andy’s Mom have allowed a toy version of Buzz’s partner in her house?” And, “Come on, Andy! Why didn’t you ask your Mom for a toy version of Buzz’s cat?!” At least this time, the toy came from a contemporary reference for the kid. Which begged the question as to why the Hell a millennial like Andy would want him.

If you recall, “ Toy Story 2” revealed that the Woody toy was originally a tie-in to a television show from the 1950s. I won’t fault suspicious viewers who think this sounds like a bunch of cash-grabbing malarkey, but I should point out that this retrofitting is not without Pixar precedent.
