by Watch: Keke Palmer discusses representation in Light-year
Keke Palmer Said It Was Important For Pixar’s New Animation Light-year – in IMAX and UK theaters from June 17 – to deliver the message that people of color and the LGBT+ community have “always been a part of history”.
In the new swashbuckler space framed as Andy de Toys StoryChris Evans’ favorite movie, the star plays Izzy Hawthorne – a close ally of Chris Evans on Buzz.
Palmer told Yahoo that the film’s depiction was very meaningful to her, especially as the “film within the Toys Story movies” would have been made in the 1990s.
See More information: Why is Tim Allen not in Light-year?
She said, “I love it. It also leads to the reality that these kind of people have always been a part of history. A lot of times, it hasn’t been shown in movies and television and things like that.
“The fact that this is the movie Andy watched just goes to show that these people have always been a part of history and so let’s make sure we show that. It’s easy and it just is. It’s not something you have to explain.”
Palmer’s character is the granddaughter of Alisha Hawthorne (Uzo Aduba) – Buzz’s commander on a mission that leaves them stranded on a hostile alien planet.
In his attempts to find a way back to Earth, Buzz experiences time dilation and returns to the planet years later, aging only moments as Alisha and her colleagues experience the passage of time normally.
See More information: An inside look at the making of Light-year
Through the brief stretches of time he spends on the planet between missions, Buzz sees Alisha marry his partner and have children and grandchildren.
A kiss between Alisha and her partner led to Light-year being banned in more than a dozen countries, including Saudi Arabia, with a release in China also unlikely.
Director Angus MacLane added, “I think we’re very proud of the character being LGBTQIA+, but we wanted to make sure it was something substantial and not a facade aspect of the character.
“Narratively, it was important to us because we wanted to show that Buzz wasn’t interested in pursuing a relationship with [Alisha] apart from the platonic relationship they have, so when we meet Izzy it’s not a second chance at a relationship he never had.
See More information: On introduces Pixar’s first LGBT+ character
“There’s one thing that’s very clear when he’s talking in the hallway with them, you don’t feel any tension that he’s interested in Alisha.
“It was one thing that helped us narratively and it was also a great representation that felt substantial. Those things were important to us.”
For Palmer, it was huge to take on a role in Toys Story universe, having a relationship with the movies since childhood.
“When you have a beloved, nostalgic character like Buzz, you want to make sure that if you’re going to reinvent the IP, you want to be a part of it in the right way,” she said.
See More information: Mind-blowing Disney and Pixar Jokes
Palmer added: “Obviously with Disney and Pixar, I think they always get it right. There’s still an element, keeping that nostalgia, of something new and fresh.
“Especially with me playing a completely new character like Izzy and this being the movie Andy watched that made him love the Buzz Lightyear character. It’s like we can go back in time.”
Light-year has a brilliant cast of famous faces on its voice roster, with Evans and Palmer joined by Taika Waititi, Bill Hader, Peter Sohn, James Brolin and Isiah Whitlock Jr.
There is also an appearance for real-life British astronaut Tim Peake as the voice of “Mission Control Tim”.
See More information: Billy Crystal admits to turning it down Toys Story it’s career regret
Critical reviews for the film were strong, with aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes currently showing an approval rating of 81% and the critical consensus reading that the film is a “wonderfully animated adventure”.
Light-year is released in IMAX and UK theaters from June 17th.
Watch: Trailer for Light-year
