Angus MacLane & Galyn Susman Interview: Lightyear

screenrant.com:

Lightyear is in a pretty unique place in Pixar canon, as it fleshes out the backstory from a character in an entirely different movie. While it serves as a Toy Story spin-off, it is actually a piece of fiction within that universe rather than a prequel or sequel. With the film out in theaters now, audiences can see for themselves how much they love Chris Evans' interpretation of the fearless space explorer, as he portrays the «human» counterpart to Tim Allen's toy version.

While none of the original cast is present, Lightyear features fantastic voice performances from Keke Palmer, Peter Sohn, Taika Waititi, Dale Soules, James Brolin, and Uzo Aduba. Director Angus MacLane also has a long history with the franchise, having been a storyboard artist on Toy Story 2 and participating in various shorts and films since then. With producer Galyn Susman (who worked on Toy Story 4) by his side, it's clear the creative team was full of affection for the characters and ideas that gave birth to Lightyear.

Related: Lightyear’s 3 Post-Credits Scenes & Sequel Setup Explained

Screen Rant spoke to MacLane and Susman about their approach to Buzz's story, the Pixar movies they connect most with, and the tools you need to carry with you to become an animation filmmaker.

Screen Rant: First of all, congrats on the movie. I was truly howling laughing in the theater, especially at Sox the cat. What was the inspo for Sox?

Angus MacLane: I think it was a childhood terrified by animatronic animals at pizza restaurants. I think that kind of robotic animal is totally goofy to me, and I like the idea of it trying to pass itself off as a comfort animal, but not at all convincing as a cat.

I think we were drawn to that simple [idea]. There's something