After co-directing Finding Dory with Andrew Stanton, Angus MacLane was allowed to pitch the idea of making a Buzz Lightyear film, having always wondered what movie Andy Davis saw in the original Toy Story (1995) to get interested in a Buzz Lightyear action figure. were reported to have been cast in supporting roles in February 2022, following the release of the official trailer. It was positively reviewed by commentators, with CNN-based editor Leah Asmelash writing, "the trailer filled many millennials with sentimentality". Both Deadline Hollywood and Variety attributed the performance to competition from Jurassic World Dominion and Top Gun: Maverick, though ultimately noted it as a disappointment given the brand strength of both Pixar and the Toy Story franchise. Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) awards: Banshees of Inisherin, Everything Everywhere, Women Talking and The Woman King top winners".

would also be cast for roles in the film, respectively voicing for the Italian and Spanish versions. On May 4, 2022, production of Lightyear was completed after spending five and a half years in development. On May 29, 2022, Ferrari announced that Lightyear would be a sponsor on their cars starting at the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix.The team shot this footage using two different virtual cameras, a regular camera with a 35mm equivalent sensor and a 65mm equivalent sensor, which was earlier initiated by Pixar in WALL-E (2008). Fandango Media's managing editor Erik Davis, and John Rocha, film critic for Outlaw Nation, predicted a demand for Sox toys, even before the film's release.

Perhaps Quentin Tarantino can be persuaded to make a bloodthirsty, B-moviesque prequel based on the rip-roaring adventures of the Roundup Gang, or someone else can develop a Disney+ show based on the animated, fictional porker that inspired Hamm the talking piggy bank. Zurg was redesigned for the film, influenced by anime robots, to look more grounded and menacing than his previous appearances which MacLane believed were too comical. Coya Elliott (supervising sound editor); Ren Klyce (sound designer); Kimberly Patrick, Jonathon Stevens, Benjamin A. Peter Bradshaw's four-star review for The Guardian stated "This cracking origin story for Toy Story 's spaceman hero is fun and clever and reminds us why we loved Pixar in the first place. Realizing this would erase Alisha and Kiko's life together, along with Izzy and the lives of all the other colonists, Buzz refuses.

It’s all so bewildering, and it seems highly unlikely that the release of Lightyear this summer will do anything much to clear up the mess.