Emperor Zurg makes his evil appearance in new trailer for 'Lightyear,' the Buzz Lightyear origin story

With spring looming just around the corner and summer slowly coming into focus, space-loving filmgoers eagerly awaiting Disney/Pixar's Buzz Lightyear origin story, "Lightyear," have something new to cheer about with a freshly released trailer and poster for the animated sci-fi film.

"Lightyear" enters our orbit on June 17, 2022 and it's poised to be one of the most anticipated movies of the year, with its plot chronicling the heroic history behind the most famous Space Ranger in the "Toy Story" universe.

"Buzz's world was always something I was excited about," director Angus MacLane in said in a statement. "In 'Toy Story,' there seemed to be this incredible backstory to him being a space ranger that's only touched upon, and I always wanted to explore that world further," he said. "So my 'Lightyear' pitch was, 'What was the movie that Andy saw that made him want a Buzz Lightyear toy?' I wanted to see that movie. And now I'm lucky enough to get to make it."

Check out the full trailer for "Lightyear" and blast off to infinity and ... well, you know the rest!

Related: Disney's 1st trailer for 'Lightyear,' a Buzz Lightyear origin story, looks amazing

The official "Lightyear" movie poster. (Image credit: Disney/Pixar)

This fun sneak peek carries with it all the humor, thrills and wonder we've come to expect from the billion-dollar "Toy Story" empire, with David Bowie's iconic "Starman" tune lending its stirring notes to inspiring scenes of daredevil spaceflight, a more menacing Emperor Zurg, purple intergalactic portals, tentacled alien creatures and Buzz's personal companion robot, Sox.

Chris Evans replaces Tim Allen for the voice of Buzz Lightyear in this iteration of the character and he's got the perfect cadence and tone to pull it off. 

Keke Palmer, Dale Soules and Taika Waititi join the vocal team as a trio of eager Star Command recruits. Buzz's robot kitty will be voiced by Peter Sohn. Uzo Aduba, James Brolin, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Efren Ramirez and Isiah Whitlock Jr. round out the talented voice performers.

"The cast for 'Lightyear' is truly a dream team," added MacLane. "Each of the performers immediately inhabited their character, which gave us the opportunity to play a bit during recording sessions. This resulted in a level of specificity that elevated the material and brought additional depth to the characters' relationships. It has been a privilege to work with such a talented and generous cast."

Disney/Pixar also revealed news this week that award-winning composer and Pixar veteran Michael Giacchino will provide the musical score for "Lightyear." Giacchino took home an Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Grammy for his original composition for "Up." Additional Pixar credits on his impressive resume are "The Incredibles," "Ratatouille," "Cars 2," "Inside Out," "Coco," "Incredibles 2," "Toy Story of Terror" and many more.

"Lightyear" lands in theaters June 17, 2022.

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Jeff Spry
Contributing Writer

Jeff Spry is an award-winning screenwriter and veteran freelance journalist covering TV, movies, video games, books, and comics. His work has appeared at SYFY Wire, Inverse, Collider, Bleeding Cool and elsewhere. Jeff lives in beautiful Bend, Oregon amid the ponderosa pines, classic muscle cars, a crypt of collector horror comics, and two loyal English Setters.