Director and co-writer Angus MacLane described the genesis of Lightyear as a curiosity about the origin of the action figure that became Andy Davis' new favorite playmate in the original Toy Story. "I've always wondered what movie was Buzz from, you know?" he explained. "Why couldn't we just make that movie? So that's what we did. Presenting Lightyear, the movie that Andy saw that changed his life. Andy's Star Wars. A sci-fi epic designed to inspire a new generation." And while, by all accounts, Lightyear is shaping up to be a truly epic animated space opera, it also has something in common with a certain 20th Century Fox property: The Simpsons.
Lightyear presents itself as the origin story for the eponymous space ranger. Set in the far future, it follows Buzz as he attempts a test flight of an experimental new ship so he and his fellow astronauts can escape a hostile planet -- one on which Buzz himself marooned them. The flight winds up sending Buzz 62 years into the future, where he has to team up with the last remaining members of Star Command -- Izzy Hawthorne, Mo Morrison and Darby Steel -- to defeat the Evil Emperor Zurg and return to his own time.
The surnames of the characters are of particular note here, as they appear to be derived from landmarks in MacLane's home city of Portland, Oregon. Hawthorne and Morrison are both major streets in Rose City, while Steel could refer to one of the many bridges that cross the Willamette River and connect East and West Portland. Evidently, MacLane is using the same strategy in naming his characters that Matt Groening did for The Simpsons. Another native of Stumptown, Groening used streets from the city's Alphabet District to name a handful of Springfield's regulars, including Flanders, Lovejoy, Kearney, Quimby, Terwilliger and Burnside (shortened in the series to just "Burns").
Of course, MacLane and Groening are far from the first animators to incorporate their hometowns and histories into their work. Jorge R. Gutierrez has said that his upbringing served as an inspiration for the family drama seen in El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera and The Book of Life. Tim Burton's childhood making short films in Burbank was the jumping-off point for Frankenweenie. These creators are able to infuse their work with a personal connection that elevates the material, demonstrating a love for the characters and the worlds they come from that shines through onscreen.
To meet these characters and more, Lightyear lands in theaters on June 17.