‘Lightyear’ producer has no interest in a Disney Plus release

With the reinvigoration of cinemas, Pixar is moving forward with its planned theatrical release of the highly anticipated Toy Story spinoff Lightyear. For Galyn Susman, who serves as one of the film’s producers, debuting on the big screen was a no-brainer. 

In an interview with Digital Spy, Susman insisted that there was a significant push for a theatrical release, as opposed to the film debuting on Disney Plus like several other high-profile pandemic-era Mouse House titles. 

“There was never a debate on any of the films. All of our films are made for the big screen and if your fans can’t go to the theater, it’s great that we’ve had Disney Plus as that option because we do want families to be able to come and see these films together. Knock on something, unless something goes really bad, we are going to be in theaters because everybody can now come to theaters, and we want people back to theaters so we can have that theatrical experience together.”

In the past two years, Pixar has released the animated films Soul, and more recently, Turning Red, on the Disney Plus, but as theater attendance is back on the rise, Lightyear is looking to offer a full movie experience by opting for a wide rollout. 

Lightyear serves as an origin story for the popular Toy Story character Buzz Lightyear, and stars Chris Evans as the voice of the titular space ranger. Rounding out the cast of the film are Keke Palmer, Dale Soules, Taika Waititi, Peter Sohn, Uzo Aduba, James Brooklyn, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Efren Ramirez, and Isaiah Whitlock. The film is scheduled to be released on June 17.