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Hey brother!
Guys, as ever, with the recent release of "Lightyear",
we find ourselves at the crossroads
of the ever-growing Pixar theory,
and I have to tell you that this movie in particular
has been a huge challenge to try and whittle down
because we have a brand new and unique circumstance
that really throws into question
what actually exists in universe.
The same rules don't apply like they have in the past
because "Lightyear" both does and does not exist
in the Pixar universe.
Let me explain.
At the opening credits of the movie,
we discover that the movie of "Lightyear"
is the same movie that a young Andy Davis saw
before his birthday in the original "Toy Story",
meaning this movie actually exists
inside of the Pixar universe itself,
and came out around the year of 1995.
The movie that we are watching is the same movie
that Andy himself watched
and why he asked for a Buzz Lightyear action figure
for his birthday.
It's also this movie that has brought about the craze
of this particular character that we can see
even in "Toy Story 2" in Al's Toy Barn.
So, two big details actually come
from this particular bit of information.
The first being that Pixar actually exists
inside of the Pixar universe, which I find very fun.
But it also means that the entire plot
of the movie "Lightyear" that we see
is actually a live action movie
inside of the Pixar universe.
Within the movie,
Buzz Lightyear is being played by a real actor,
in the same way that Chris Evans out here in the real world
plays the character of Steve Rogers.
Sox, one of my new favorite Pixar characters of all time,
is not any more real than R2-D2.
And the evil emperor Zurg is also just the same actor
who played Buzz, just cleverly aged up,
similarly to how Chris Evans was
when he played Steve Rogers.
Either which way though,
of course "Lightyear" does fit into the Pixar theory,
because it is, in fact, a movie that exists
inside of that universe.
The question is though, does it change anything
about the existing Pixar theory?
And possibly brings about the question of,
are there any other Pixar movies
that are possibly just movies inside of the Pixar universe?
Today, we find out.
♪ Pixar theory ♪
♪ The Pixar theory ♪
♪ We're finally going to see clearly ♪
♪ The Pixar theory ♪
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Okay, so if, at this point in time,
you are still somehow unfamiliar with the Pixar theory,
it works like this.
Every Pixar movie exists on one giant timeline
within the same universe, and as such,
each movie is telling just another installment
of a much bigger story,
and it all starts with the asteroid missing Earth
in "The Good Dinosaur", or possibly "Soul",
depending on your perspective on things.
And it ends all the way in the future with "Monsters, Inc",
or "Brave", or "Soul",
depending on your perspective on things.
- Joe, are you dead?
- But of course, it all started with "Toy Story",
which brings us to today's question.
What effect does "Lightyear" make
on the Pixar theory as we know it?
Is it just as simple as,
it's a movie that Andy saw with his friends as a kid?
And the answer is yes, but also, it tells us a lot more
about other characters that we already know
inside of the Pixar-verse, namely Buzz Lightyear,
but others as well.
Actually, to get even crazier with the meta-ness of it all,
consider this:
from Andy's perspective,
he's watching a live action movie, right?
But from our perspective,
we're watching a animated movie, right?
However, it looks like there's also an animated version
of Buzz Lightyear based on the live action version.
It's called "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command",
and if you'd like to watch it, good luck.
Disney has basically scrubbed it from everywhere.
But anyway, let's first start with Buzz,
because "Lightyear" really re-frames
his entire character arc in the "Toy Story" universe.
Ad that's not to say it's in a bad way at all.
For me, it just gave me a deeper understanding
of what he's actually going through,
because Buzz has always been an enigma
amongst the other toys.
Yes, they may have acted a little bit
like the creatures or personas that they depict,
like Slink, for example, wags his tail when he's pet,
and Jessie, in fact, acts like a cowgirl,
and Bullseye acts like a horse.
Even Rex tries, admittedly in vain, to be a dinosaur.
(Rex roars)
- How you doing, Rex?
- Were you scared?
Tell me honestly.
- But even so, they still all understand
that they are still toys,
an idea that Buzz Lightyear can't seem to comprehend.
But seeing "Lightyear" now makes Buzz's personality
make a lot more sense,
because the character that the action figure is based on
acts very much in the same way.
Similar to how action figure Buzz
can't quite grasp the idea that he's a toy,
action hero Buzz can't quite grasp the idea
that he's a human.
To be clear, I do think he is aware
of the fact that he's human.
What I mean is, everyone else around him
is busy having a life, but Buzz is 100% defined
by being a space ranger.
- Just doing the mission log.
- You do know no one ever listens to those.
- I know that.
- To him, that is just all that matters
and all that is worth being.
It is where he finds all of his sense of purpose,
and that means that when toy Buzz finally discovers
and accepts the fact that he is a toy.
- [Announcer] The world's greatest superhero,
now the world's greatest toy!
- He's not upset here that he's a toy,
he's upset that he's not a space ranger.
In fact, I don't even think he would care
all that much at all to realize that he was a toy
if it still meant being an actual space ranger.
Woody actually addresses this idea just completely head on.
- Being a toy is a lot better than being a space ranger.
- This is the same lesson that action hero Buzz
also needs to learn during the movie "Lightyear",
except it's more like, having a life with friends
and a team that you love is a lot better
than being a space ranger, pal.
On that note though, let's talk about Buzz's friends
or the lack thereof inside of the "Toy Story" movies.
One of the odd but very fitting bits of Redcon-ing
that happens in the movie "Lightyear"
is the addition of his team and all of his friends.
- That was utterly terrifying
and I regret having joined you.
- Absolutely nothing wrong with that.
They are amazing and so much fun.
But what seems to suddenly not fit so well
is that if this is this super craze blockbuster movie,
then where are the action figures of all of them?
We know there are demand for "Lightyear" toys,
and just look at this toy aisle in "Toy Story 2",
it's literally floor to ceiling
Buzz Lightyear action figures.
Who is stocking the store
that they're not ordering a single other character
from this movie other than Buzz?
Oh, and also Zurg.
Oh yeah, that's right, we know the answer to that question.
It's Al from Al's Toy Barn,
which is somehow a surprisingly satisfying answer
to this question.
The guy who's not stocking up on other characters
who happen to be two people of color, two women
and an elderly woman and a cat
is also the guy who steals from kids at yard sales.
That tracks.
So yeah, in a weird twist of fate,
despite not being in the movie at all,
the movie "Lightyear" actually makes Al
an even worse villain in "Toy Story 2".
But come on now, not even a single Sox toy?
That would've killed.
On the note of things that he does stock now,
there is something in Al's Toy Barn
that makes me raise my eyebrows a little bit,
and that is "A Bug's Life" toys,
because now we're absolutely forced to ask the question,
is "A Bug's Life" also just a movie
inside of the Pixar universe?
- It's a rock.
- And the answer is maybe, but then again,
we can also see Flik and Heimlich
in "Toy Story 2" right here.
So unless the bugs are sentient beings
and also made a movie of themselves.
- [Bug] Marker.
- Whoa, Flik, honey.
We are not about to, is someone hammering?
- No!
But actually no, bloopers don't count.
We can just only assume
that there is also a movie about bugs
that these toys are based on.
But that also doesn't make
every other Pixar movie safe either.
Are there any other Pixar movies that could just be movies
inside of the Pixar-verse,
and another one we have to consider is "The Incredibles".
(cinematic music)
If you look over here in "Finding Nemo",
you can see that this little boy is reading
an "Incredibles" comic book, as if they're fictional.
And then if you look over in "Coco",
you can see, wait for it, a literal movie poster
for "The Incredibles 2", although to be fair,
it is a skeleton version of them,
which I'm not gonna lie to you guys,
this started having me a little bit concerned.
Are the Incredibles not real?
Are they just another movie?
Because not for nothing,
they're currently a pretty important part
of the entire Pixar theory,
because as a refresher on that particular idea,
the Omnidroid is supposedly the first piece of AI
that was smart enough to go on to create Buy and Large,
which effectively takes over the world.
And even beyond that, the Super's existence
is kind of the underlying explanation
as to why the monsters in "Monsters, Inc"
needed to shift from scream energy to laughter energy,
because with superheroes all over the world,
there was just simply less for people to be afraid of.
Plus, there are other characters within the Pixar universe
that do have superpowers, or else magic,
like the witch from "Brave" or Ian from "Onward".
So with all of that in mind, I think my answer to this
is yes, the Incredibles do, in fact, exist,
and the fact that there is fictional content around them
is more based on them than the source of them.
But as long as we're talking about existing,
let's turn to the character who is most affected
by this in-universe movie, Woody.
Now, obviously, the mere existence of the movie "Lightyear"
causes a considerable amount of anguish
for our good buddy Woodford,
given that it leads to the purchase
of Andy's new favorite toy, Buzz Lightyear.
But as we know, that particular problem is resolved
by the end of the first "Toy Story",
and Woody's story is far from over at that point.
That doesn't actually come to a conclusion
until the end of "Toy Story 4",
and if you've been a longtime viewer of this channel,
you'll know that at the end of "Toy Story 4",
we believe that Woody becomes the first non-biological being
to get a soul.
The theory goes like this.
The first three "Toy Story" movies all revolve around Woody
serving this greater purpose, which is, at all costs,
to be there for Andy.
That is his singular purpose as a toy
and he acts accordingly.
But then we go to "Toy Story 4",
where we see Woody trying to do the same thing for Bonnie
but it just isn't sticking.
- You are going to be there for Andy when he
- Who's Andy?
- I mean, Bonnie.
- And then, by the end of the movie,
something truly miraculous happens.
Woody chooses not Bonnie, but rather himself,
and this is really huge because it suggests
that there is a self to choose.
This truly is a completely unique moment for any toy
that we've seen in the series at all.
Sure, we've seen other toys acting out of self interest,
like Lots-o and his iron fluff grip on the daycare,
or take the Prospector, for example,
and his desire to end up in a museum.
The thing is about both of these two characters though
is that they're still serving that underlying purpose,
which is to be a toy.
Lots-o wants to be played with by kids at Sunnyside forever,
and the Prospector wants to be on display at a toy museum
and to be admired by kids forever.
They're both still acting according to their purpose,
which is to be a toy.
But do you know who doesn't have purpose?
People with souls!
- We don't assign purposes, where did you get that idea?
- Woody breaks free of this self of purpose
and is able to choose a life of his own.
And honestly, if you want even more details
about this particular explanation,
I do recommend you checking out this video right over here.
It is one of my all time favorites.
But the point is,
this journey to become a truly living being
and not just a toy all starts with "Lightyear"
and the fateful arrival of Buzz in Andy's room.
Until then, and even for a few weeks after,
Woody is really no different
from either Lots-o or the Prospector.
He is selfish and jealous and acts accordingly,
all in the name of being Andy's favorite toy.
And it's not until Buzz actually arrives
that he is forced to reexamine his role as a toy,
and it's at this point in time that he begins acting
more in the name of Andy's interests than his own,
and it's even this shift that I think allows Woody
to start just taking cues from Andy himself.
After all, Andy's last on-screen act
is to give all of his toys to a little girl, Bonnie.
And what does Woody ultimately end up choosing to do
with his own life once he's chosen himself?
Pair other toys with kids, because he has a soul,
thanks to Buzz, who exists because of "Lightyear".
Also guys, I just want to remind you that tomorrow,
Friday, the 24th, at 6 PM Eastern time,
we are going to be hosting All Fandom Trivia
right here on the Super Carlin Brothers YouTube channel.
This is in celebration of 10 years of Super Carlin Brothers.
J and I will be in our full blown formal wear
for Formal Friday.
Be sure to set your reminders, again, 6 PM tomorrow evening,
Friday the 24th.
See you then.
Also, we have just launched a brand new show
over on our gaming channel
called Carlin Brothers Box Breakers,
where we break into boxes of Pokemon cards
and give them to you guys.
If you would like to go and check it out,
here is a quick preview.
Link is in the description down below.
Hello and welcome everybody to Carlin Brothers Box Breakers,
or as we like to call it, CB cubed.
- No, I said we're not calling it that.
Flourish!
More than one point for sure with Darkrai V.
The double rare, double full art.
This is what you want.
My side is doing really good now.
(both exclaim)
- Guys, as always, thank you so much for watching.
Be sure to like this video and subscribe to the channel
if you haven't already.
If you'd like to see our complete spoiler review
of the movie "Lightyear", you can do so right over here.
Otherwise, until next time, bye!