1. He\u2019s actually been to space<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, Buzz is well-known for going \u201cto infinity and beyond\u201d, but did you know that he\u2019s actually been to infinity? Back in June 2008, NASA teamed up with Disney to send a real statue of Buzz Lightyear into orbit. The statue was around 30 centimetres tall, and the initiative was the result of an educational team-up between the companies that was intended to teach kids about space. If you ask us, that\u2019s a pretty neat way to educate people about the world beyond our planet!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. He\u2019s inspired by G.I. Joe<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nDuring the inception of Toy Story <\/em>and the Buzz Lightyear character, creator John Lasseter wanted someone who would be reminiscent of a G.I. Joe<\/em> type, an uncomplicated hero with a square jaw. Given Buzz\u2019s story arc, this makes perfect sense; the first movie is all about him realising that he\u2019s not quite the hero he makes himself out to be (although he then becomes a hero for real), so he has to be set up as a charismatic leader type for that story arc to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n3. His outfit is based on real NASA astronauts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBuzz Lightyear\u2019s outfit is actually based on the Apollo 11 mission. If you look at pictures of the astronauts from that mission, you\u2019ll see a much less cartoony, much more realistic (obviously) version of Buzz; they\u2019ve got the same head-hugging skullcaps, the same bulky astronaut suits, and the same helmets that allow you to see each astronaut\u2019s face. It\u2019s clear that Pixar and Disney did their research for Toy Story<\/em><\/a>, just like they do for every movie they make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n4. He\u2019s named after Buzz Aldrin<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe similarities between Buzz and real-life astronauts don\u2019t stop there, though. He\u2019s actually named after famous astronaut Buzz Aldrin, who was one of the astronauts on the moon mission alongside Neil Armstrong (who doesn\u2019t get a character in Toy Story<\/em>, more\u2019s the pity). Aldrin didn\u2019t get any money for the use of his name, although he doesn\u2019t exactly have a copyright on \u201cBuzz\u201d, so it\u2019s not hard to see why. Aldrin himself is apparently over the moon (pun intended) with the endorsement, though, as he\u2019s been seen giving speeches alongside Buzz Lightyear toys!<\/p>\n\n\n\n5. He was originally a tin toy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nIf you\u2019ve never seen Tin Toy<\/em>, it\u2019s well worth seeking it out. It\u2019s a 1988 short film directed and written by John Lasseter that revolves around a one-man band toy by the name of Tinny, who is trying to escape from the child playing with him. Tin Toy <\/em>was an obvious inspiration for Toy Story<\/em>, but did you know that Buzz Lightyear was originally supposed to be in the role of Tinny? Eventually, Pixar realised that nobody wanted to play with tin toys anymore, so they recast him as a modern astronaut toy<\/a> instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n6. He was originally supposed to be voiced by Billy Crystal\u2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-85.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nPixar fans will know Billy Crystal as the iconic, lovable voice of Mike Wazowski in the excellent Monsters Inc<\/em>, but that\u2019s not where he was always destined to end up. Originally, Crystal was down to voice Buzz Lightyear, but he eventually turned the role down because he didn\u2019t feel that he\u2019d be the right fit for it. In the end, comedian Tim Allen was cast, and Crystal\u2019s decision turned out to be the right one; he would arguably have been too much of a wisecracker for the straight-laced Buzz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n7. \u2026and Jim Carrey<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-86.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe other voice in the running to play Buzz Lightyear was comedian Jim Carrey. It\u2019s clear Pixar knew they wanted a comedian for the role, but if you ask us, both Carrey and Crystal were obviously the wrong fit. Carrey eventually didn\u2019t play the character because he was too expensive for Pixar; the fee he asked for was too much, so they moved onto a different casting decision instead. The choice they made was once again the right one, as it\u2019s hard to imagine a Buzz Lightyear voiced by Jim Carrey!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
8. He almost drifted off into space thanks to a Pixar staff member<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBack in the late 90s, Pixar machines ran on Linux, probably because it was a more efficient environment on which to render CGI. An unknown Pixar staffer (who still remains unknown to this day) ran a command on the company\u2019s Linux computer that deleted every single Toy Story 2 <\/em>file during the movie\u2019s production, which could have led to a catastrophic situation. However, supervising technical director Galyn Susman had backup copies of the movie, so it wasn\u2019t destroyed. Whew!<\/p>\n\n\n\n9. He was almost called Lunar Larry<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s hard to imagine a child walking into a shop and asking for a Lunar Larry toy, isn\u2019t it? Nevertheless, Buzz Lightyear was very nearly called Lunar Larry. When Pixar decided that they were going to make an astronaut character, Lunar Larry was seriously considered as one of his names; it wasn\u2019t just a working title! Eventually, Pixar settled on the much snappier and more effective \u201cBuzz Lightyear\u201d, and thankfully, the character we know and love today was born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
10. He\u2019s based on a fictional astronaut<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBuzz Lightyear is not actually based on a real astronaut within the Toy Story <\/em>universe. He\u2019s based on a popular movie character, which means that the popular character in real life is based on a toy, which is based on a fictional movie character in a fictional universe. Are you following us? That\u2019s the premise of the recent Lightyear <\/em>movie, anyway, in which we see the movie that originally inspired Andy to rush out and buy his beloved Buzz Lightyear toy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n11. His voice actor cried at \u201cWhen She Loved Me\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nTim Allen is the famous voice of Buzz Lightyear, but he hasn\u2019t always been able to maintain his solid, dignified composure. When he was first shown the \u201cWhen She Loved Me\u201d scene in Toy Story 2<\/em>, during which cowgirl Jessie tells the gang her origin, both he and Woody\u2019s<\/a> voice actor Tom Hanks broke down in tears. It\u2019s not hard to see why; \u201cWhen She Loved Me\u201d is arguably the moment at which most kids realised that Pixar movies weren\u2019t just going to be animation tours de force, but emotional experiences as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n12. Toy Story 3 <\/em>was almost very different<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe plot of Toy Story 3 <\/em>is an expansive, sprawling affair, taking in lost toys, the concept of moving on, and the inevitability of time. However, it was almost a very different film indeed. In 2005, when work on Toy Story 3 <\/em>began, Disney thought they might have to make the movie without Pixar, so they created storyboards for a film that would have seen Buzz Lightyear toys recalled and his gang travelling all the way to Taiwan in order to save him from the recall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n13. \u201cTo infinity and beyond\u201d is more than just a Buzz catchphrase<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nMost people nowadays know the phrase \u201cto infinity and beyond\u201d as Buzz Lightyear\u2019s catchphrase. It\u2019s indelibly associated with the character, but it isn\u2019t just his catchphrase. It\u2019s also the title of a book about the concept of infinity written by intellectual Eli Maor in 1991. The phrase was also used by a father and his son who were trying to break a world record in 2008; they were trying to tread water for more than 15 hours, and they used the phrase to make sure neither of them got lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
14. Lightyear <\/em>isn\u2019t the first solo Buzz movie<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-87.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nYou might be excited to go and see Buzz Lightyear in his very first solo movie outing, but if you are, then you\u2019re wrong to feel that way. Not the excitement, of course; we fully endorse that. However, Lightyear <\/em>isn\u2019t Buzz\u2019s first solo rodeo. All the way back in 2000, when the popularity of Toy Story <\/em>was arguably at its peak, Buzz starred in Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins<\/em>, which went direct to video but which was nevertheless a feature movie!<\/p>\n\n\n\n15. He\u2019s the main character of the best Toy Story <\/em>game<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nFinally, we\u2019re going to close out with something that is technically a matter of opinion (although it isn\u2019t really, of course). The PS1\u2019s Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue <\/em>is a platformer released back in 1999 and starring everyone\u2019s favourite fictional astronaut. The game is surprisingly great; it stands up next to its peers as an example of the sprawling level design, collectathon gameplay, and tight controls that were popular during the PS1 era of gaming.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Buzz Lightyear is unquestionably one of the most iconic animated characters of all time. Ever since the original Toy Story was released in 1995 (yes, it really has been that long), Buzz has captivated children\u2019s hearts with his heroism. Not long ago, Pixar and Disney released Lightyear, a sort of origin story that explains how … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":8566,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"close","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[222,171,174,173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-movies","category-nostalgia","category-toys"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8564"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8564"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8564\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9817,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8564\/revisions\/9817"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
During the inception of Toy Story <\/em>and the Buzz Lightyear character, creator John Lasseter wanted someone who would be reminiscent of a G.I. Joe<\/em> type, an uncomplicated hero with a square jaw. Given Buzz\u2019s story arc, this makes perfect sense; the first movie is all about him realising that he\u2019s not quite the hero he makes himself out to be (although he then becomes a hero for real), so he has to be set up as a charismatic leader type for that story arc to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Buzz Lightyear\u2019s outfit is actually based on the Apollo 11 mission. If you look at pictures of the astronauts from that mission, you\u2019ll see a much less cartoony, much more realistic (obviously) version of Buzz; they\u2019ve got the same head-hugging skullcaps, the same bulky astronaut suits, and the same helmets that allow you to see each astronaut\u2019s face. It\u2019s clear that Pixar and Disney did their research for Toy Story<\/em><\/a>, just like they do for every movie they make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The similarities between Buzz and real-life astronauts don\u2019t stop there, though. He\u2019s actually named after famous astronaut Buzz Aldrin, who was one of the astronauts on the moon mission alongside Neil Armstrong (who doesn\u2019t get a character in Toy Story<\/em>, more\u2019s the pity). Aldrin didn\u2019t get any money for the use of his name, although he doesn\u2019t exactly have a copyright on \u201cBuzz\u201d, so it\u2019s not hard to see why. Aldrin himself is apparently over the moon (pun intended) with the endorsement, though, as he\u2019s been seen giving speeches alongside Buzz Lightyear toys!<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019ve never seen Tin Toy<\/em>, it\u2019s well worth seeking it out. It\u2019s a 1988 short film directed and written by John Lasseter that revolves around a one-man band toy by the name of Tinny, who is trying to escape from the child playing with him. Tin Toy <\/em>was an obvious inspiration for Toy Story<\/em>, but did you know that Buzz Lightyear was originally supposed to be in the role of Tinny? Eventually, Pixar realised that nobody wanted to play with tin toys anymore, so they recast him as a modern astronaut toy<\/a> instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pixar fans will know Billy Crystal as the iconic, lovable voice of Mike Wazowski in the excellent Monsters Inc<\/em>, but that\u2019s not where he was always destined to end up. Originally, Crystal was down to voice Buzz Lightyear, but he eventually turned the role down because he didn\u2019t feel that he\u2019d be the right fit for it. In the end, comedian Tim Allen was cast, and Crystal\u2019s decision turned out to be the right one; he would arguably have been too much of a wisecracker for the straight-laced Buzz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The other voice in the running to play Buzz Lightyear was comedian Jim Carrey. It\u2019s clear Pixar knew they wanted a comedian for the role, but if you ask us, both Carrey and Crystal were obviously the wrong fit. Carrey eventually didn\u2019t play the character because he was too expensive for Pixar; the fee he asked for was too much, so they moved onto a different casting decision instead. The choice they made was once again the right one, as it\u2019s hard to imagine a Buzz Lightyear voiced by Jim Carrey!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Back in the late 90s, Pixar machines ran on Linux, probably because it was a more efficient environment on which to render CGI. An unknown Pixar staffer (who still remains unknown to this day) ran a command on the company\u2019s Linux computer that deleted every single Toy Story 2 <\/em>file during the movie\u2019s production, which could have led to a catastrophic situation. However, supervising technical director Galyn Susman had backup copies of the movie, so it wasn\u2019t destroyed. Whew!<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s hard to imagine a child walking into a shop and asking for a Lunar Larry toy, isn\u2019t it? Nevertheless, Buzz Lightyear was very nearly called Lunar Larry. When Pixar decided that they were going to make an astronaut character, Lunar Larry was seriously considered as one of his names; it wasn\u2019t just a working title! Eventually, Pixar settled on the much snappier and more effective \u201cBuzz Lightyear\u201d, and thankfully, the character we know and love today was born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Buzz Lightyear is not actually based on a real astronaut within the Toy Story <\/em>universe. He\u2019s based on a popular movie character, which means that the popular character in real life is based on a toy, which is based on a fictional movie character in a fictional universe. Are you following us? That\u2019s the premise of the recent Lightyear <\/em>movie, anyway, in which we see the movie that originally inspired Andy to rush out and buy his beloved Buzz Lightyear toy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tim Allen is the famous voice of Buzz Lightyear, but he hasn\u2019t always been able to maintain his solid, dignified composure. When he was first shown the \u201cWhen She Loved Me\u201d scene in Toy Story 2<\/em>, during which cowgirl Jessie tells the gang her origin, both he and Woody\u2019s<\/a> voice actor Tom Hanks broke down in tears. It\u2019s not hard to see why; \u201cWhen She Loved Me\u201d is arguably the moment at which most kids realised that Pixar movies weren\u2019t just going to be animation tours de force, but emotional experiences as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The plot of Toy Story 3 <\/em>is an expansive, sprawling affair, taking in lost toys, the concept of moving on, and the inevitability of time. However, it was almost a very different film indeed. In 2005, when work on Toy Story 3 <\/em>began, Disney thought they might have to make the movie without Pixar, so they created storyboards for a film that would have seen Buzz Lightyear toys recalled and his gang travelling all the way to Taiwan in order to save him from the recall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most people nowadays know the phrase \u201cto infinity and beyond\u201d as Buzz Lightyear\u2019s catchphrase. It\u2019s indelibly associated with the character, but it isn\u2019t just his catchphrase. It\u2019s also the title of a book about the concept of infinity written by intellectual Eli Maor in 1991. The phrase was also used by a father and his son who were trying to break a world record in 2008; they were trying to tread water for more than 15 hours, and they used the phrase to make sure neither of them got lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You might be excited to go and see Buzz Lightyear in his very first solo movie outing, but if you are, then you\u2019re wrong to feel that way. Not the excitement, of course; we fully endorse that. However, Lightyear <\/em>isn\u2019t Buzz\u2019s first solo rodeo. All the way back in 2000, when the popularity of Toy Story <\/em>was arguably at its peak, Buzz starred in Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins<\/em>, which went direct to video but which was nevertheless a feature movie!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, we\u2019re going to close out with something that is technically a matter of opinion (although it isn\u2019t really, of course). The PS1\u2019s Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue <\/em>is a platformer released back in 1999 and starring everyone\u2019s favourite fictional astronaut. The game is surprisingly great; it stands up next to its peers as an example of the sprawling level design, collectathon gameplay, and tight controls that were popular during the PS1 era of gaming.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Buzz Lightyear is unquestionably one of the most iconic animated characters of all time. Ever since the original Toy Story was released in 1995 (yes, it really has been that long), Buzz has captivated children\u2019s hearts with his heroism. Not long ago, Pixar and Disney released Lightyear, a sort of origin story that explains how … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":8566,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"close","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[222,171,174,173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-movies","category-nostalgia","category-toys"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8564"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8564"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8564\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9817,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8564\/revisions\/9817"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nerdleaks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}3. His outfit is based on real NASA astronauts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
4. He\u2019s named after Buzz Aldrin<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
5. He was originally a tin toy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
6. He was originally supposed to be voiced by Billy Crystal\u2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n7. \u2026and Jim Carrey<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n8. He almost drifted off into space thanks to a Pixar staff member<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
9. He was almost called Lunar Larry<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
10. He\u2019s based on a fictional astronaut<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
11. His voice actor cried at \u201cWhen She Loved Me\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
12. Toy Story 3 <\/em>was almost very different<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
13. \u201cTo infinity and beyond\u201d is more than just a Buzz catchphrase<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
14. Lightyear <\/em>isn\u2019t the first solo Buzz movie<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n15. He\u2019s the main character of the best Toy Story <\/em>game<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n