“In 1995, Andy got a toy from his favorite movie. This is that movie.”
So begins “Lightyear,” a new Pixar release that takes a meta approach to the animation studio’s flagship franchise. It isn’t a prequel to “Toy Story,” exactly, but instead presents the movie that inspired Buzz Lightyear toys in the first place. It’s a potentially clever bit of reverse engineering by the Walt Disney Co., which, after decades of growing merchandizing out of its films, has reversed course. We aren’t exactly through the looking glass, but we may be through the Happy Meal.
