Pixar's Lightyear is set to arrive on the Disney+ on August 3, less than two months after the Pixar film blasted into theaters. When it arrives, it will be completely free to watch for subscribers with no additional fee or premium access charge attached.
"'Lightyear' looks amazing on the big screen, of course, but we are so excited to bring it to Disney+," said director Angus MacLane in a statement accompanying the announcement. "We devoted years of our lives to this film and we are so proud of it. We want to share it with as many people as possible. Disney+ not only gives more fans an opportunity to see 'Lightyear,' it gives us all the means to see it again and again."
Lightyear released in theaters back in June and and received positive reviews from critics and audiences alike (a 75% on Rotten Tomatoes with an imrpessive 84% Audience Score). But despite the positive reception, Lightyear failed to light up the box office like Disney is used to from Pixar films. It's actually considered to be a box office disappointment, having only grossed $213 million worldwide against a $200 million production budget.
There are many theories as to why Lightyear failed at the box office, and one of them seems to be confusion over the film's plot and how it fits into the Toy Story universe exactly. To be clear, the sci-fi adventure is an origin story of Buzz Lightyear, the hero who inspired the toy. That's also the reason Chris Evans voices the titular Space Ranger and not Tim Allen, who voiced Buzz in the previous Toy Story movies.
Here's the official synopsis for Lightyear:
Lightyear follows the legendary Space Ranger after he's marooned on a hostile planet 4.2 million light-years from Earth alongside his commander and their crew. As Buzz tries to find a way back home through space and time, he's joined by a group of ambitious recruits and his charming robot companion cat, Sox. Complicating matters and threatening the mission is the arrival of Zurg, an imposing presence with an army of ruthless robots and a mysterious agenda.
Lightyear also stars Uzo Aduba as Buzz's commander and best friend Alisha Hawthorne and Peter Sohn as Sox, Buzz's adorable mechanical feline companion. Keke Palmer, Taika Waititi and Dale Soules lend their voices to the Junior Zap Patrol's Izzy Hawthorne, Mo Morrison and Darby Steel, respectively, while James Brolin voices Zurg.