Buzz Lightyear

Buzz Lightyear is a fictional character in the Toy Story franchise. He is a toy space ranger hero according to the movies and action figure in the Toy Story franchise. Along with Woody, he is one of the two lead characters in all three Toy Story movies. He also appeared in the movie Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins and the television series spin-off Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, as well as the two film sequels. His often repeated catchphrase is "To infinity... and beyond!" which is a variation of the line "Beyond the infinite" that appears as a title card in Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey as "JUPITER AND BEYOND THE INFINITE".

Tim Allen voiced the character in the Toy Story film series and the Buzz Lightyear movie, while Patrick Warburton provided Buzz's voice for the TV series, and Pat Fraley voiced him for the video games and the attractions in Disney Parks.

Concept and creation

Buzz Lightyear's name was inspired by Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second person to walk on the Moon. Aldrin acknowledged the tribute when he pulled a Buzz Lightyear doll out during a speech at NASA, to rapturous cheers. A clip of this can be found on the Toy Story 10th Anniversary DVD. Aldrin did not, however, receive any endorsement fees for the use of his first name.

List of Toy Story characters

This is a list of characters from Disney/Pixar's Toy Story Franchise which consists of the animated films Toy Story (released 1995), Toy Story 2 (1999), and Toy Story 3 (2010).

Primary characters

Woody

Voiced by:

Sheriff Woody Pride is a cowboy doll, and Andy's favorite toy. Appearing in all three Toy Story films, he usually acts as the leader of the gang. His rivalry with Buzz forms the basis of the plot of the first film. In Toy Story 2, he is stolen at a yard sale by a toy collector, causing the other toys to embark on a rescue mission. In Toy Story 3 he and the other toys are shipped to a daycare center.

Buzz Lightyear

Voiced by:

Buzz Lightyear is a "space ranger" action figure, and wears a space suit with various features such as retractable wings and transparent helmet, a laser "weapon," and various sound effects. In the films, he acts as Woody's second-in-command. In Toy Story, he begins the series believing he is a real space ranger (the other toys are aware that they are toys) and develops a rivalry with Woody, who resents him for getting more attention as the newcomer. During the film, he comes to realize that he is just a toy, and eventually becomes good friends with Woody. He is extremely loyal to his friends. During his time trapped at Sid's house, Hannah, Sid's sister, called Buzz Mrs. Nesbit. In Toy Story 2, Buzz goes to save Woody from Al with Potato Head, Hamm, Rex, and Slink (Slinky Dog) where he gets stuck in the Buzz Lightyear aisle in Al's Toy Barn by another Buzz and finds out for himself what he was really like. In Toy Story 3, a relationship begins to develop between Buzz and Jessie. He is particularly open with his affection when switched to "Spanish mode."

Buzz Lightyear attractions

The Buzz Lightyear attractions (a.k.a. Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Buzz Lightyear's AstroBlasters, or Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast, depending on the park) are a series of Tomorrowland shooting dark rides based on the Disney/Pixar film Toy Story 2 at Disney Parks around the world. Although each ride may have a different name (as seen on the infobox to the right), all share the same plot and major characters. As each form of the attraction appeared, new technology has allowed the guest to better interact with the ride and even connect with personal computer users.

The attractions use a third-generation Omnimover system, and are combination of a shooting gallery and a dark ride. The first ride featured laser guns that were not movable, but later versions featured the guns that are held in a holster and movable with the exception of a cord to keep them in the vehicle after the ride has ended. In 2005, the Walt Disney Company premiered a home version of the ride in the form of an internet video game that allows users to connect with guests at the parks. The scores of each guest from the dark ride are tallied with the internet gamer and increase the points won. There is also an attraction at Walt Disney World Resort's DisneyQuest with the name "Buzz Lightyear's Astroblasters", where players ride and control cars while shooting balls at each other. Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin was named the 2004 Disney Magazine Reader's Choice Award winner for Best Magic Kingdom Park Attraction for Young Kids.