_Gemini_Dream_ t1_j9ieqk3 wrote on February 22, 2023 at 4:42 AM

Reply to comment by OnlyMamaKnows in Pixar head Pete Docter on why Lightyear failed by JannTosh17

i mostly agree, at least in the current context, but I think the idea of "Buzz as space hero" could totally have worked... 20+ years ago. Kids who watched Toy Story in the 1990s loved Buzz as an actual toy. It was a HUGE success in toy stores and spawned a successful cartoon too. The official Toy Story 2 video game was even specifically marketed as a Buzz Lightyear game, "Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue".

They missed their window.

A Pixar produced Buzz film in the late 90s or early 00s would have been gigantic.

boot2skull t1_j9ipfgd wrote on February 22, 2023 at 6:33 AM

I think you can have the serious Buzz or source material Buzz, but it had to be first, not the other way around. We love toy Buzz. We want toy Buzz. We want Buzz and Woody together. I don’t think we’re interested in source material Buzz now that we’ve had Toy Buzz. Besides, did Lightyear even match the tone of what we imagine the source material to be like to create a toy like Buzz?

Seems like a Star Wars problem, where you let the IP live in our heads too long, then add to it. You are going to have to be perfect to make most of the fans happy, and even then, not everyone will be happy. You can gauge how old a person is by how offended they are by each trilogy.

Flatworm-Euphoric t1_j9j9wxm wrote on February 22, 2023 at 11:05 AM

Toy Story 2 was made in ‘99 against Pixar’s wishes (Eisner would’ve exercised option for Disney to animate a straight to VHS sequel).

Just to frame your timeline. ‘90s really wasn’t a possibility.