Disney and Pixar’s Lightyear is a sci-fi action adventure and the definitive origin story of Buzz Lightyear (voice of Chris Evans), the hero who inspired the toy from the beloved Toy Story franchise. The film follows the legendary Space Ranger on an intergalactic adventure alongside a group of ambitious recruits, and his robot companion Sox.

Entertainment Affair recently joined Evans and castmates James Brolin, who voiced Zurg, Keke Palmer, who voiced Izzy Hawthorne, Taika Waititi, who voiced Mo Morrison, Dale Soules who voiced Darby Steel, and Peter Sohn, who voiced Sox—as well as director Angus MacLane, producer Galyn Susman, and composer Michael Giacchino for a virtual press conference where they talked about their experience making the film. Check out a few highlights of the event below.

Evans on the difference between ‘Toy Story’ Buzz Lightyear and his portrayal
“The Buzz that we all know is obviously a toy and as a toy, there are certain ways that they can move through the world without the weight that we may carry. A toy knows its purpose, a toy doesn’t have to worry about disease or impacts of the choices that we make as people are a little bit more consequential and it’s fun to put Buzz against that backdrop.”

Director Angus MacLane talked about how the idea came about
“The idea came to me as, I've always wanted to tell or know about the back story of the Space Rangers and Star Command and Buzz Lightyear — what the movie is for that. So, what I decided to do was just think, 'Wait a minute, why don't we just make that movie? Like a cool sci-fi movie?' And I pitched it just like that. 'What was the movie that Andy saw that made him want a Buzz Lightyear figure? Why don't we just make that movie... And that was really the initial pitch and initial idea.”

Taika Waititi on the themes that resonated most with the cast
“I’ve made mistakes in my time. That kind of theme definitely resonates with me, especially the idea [of] taking on responsibility, or wanting to be the hero—wanting to be some kind of hero, to someone. But I think the theme that really resonates the most for me is this idea of seeking something that’s ‘out there,’ something in the future, something that’s not tangible and real, rather than what’s around you in the here and now. The grass is not necessarily greener on the other side.”

Palmer plays Izzy Hawthorne and she spoke about what personally connected her to the role
“Her love for her grandmother, Alicia, and the legacy that she wants uphold. She wants to make her family proud and that’s something that I think we all can relate to. And the fact that she’s not afraid to pivot. I really admired that about her and that character. And I feel like she displays so many great leadership qualities that sometimes we overshadow, you know, she knows how to push her friends forward and, you know, she knows how to see something in somebody so they can carry out their duty. She empowers others and it just, I love the character.”

Sohn was asked about finding a balance between a loveable cat and a robot for his iconic character of Sox
“That was all Angus [MacLane] and the team. They’re really fun to work with. I’ve known Angus for a long time, and we nerd out a lot on our favorite sci-fi movies. It was real easy to go from a militant captain into a friendly buddy. It’s so funny when we’re talking about Sox because he’s a cat, but he’s so loyal, like a dog. I’m a dog guy. I can totally jump into the idea of, “Whatever you want, Buzz. I’ll bring you your snacks. I’ll fetch your newspapers.” It was really fun in the room, but that was made with Angus and those guys, for sure.”

Giacchino on his inspiration when composing this sci-fi adventure
“These are the kind of movies I grew up on. What I used to do was sneak a small tape recorder into the movie theaters when I was a kid, and I would record the movie audio—and it would have the audience response, all of that, on it. There was no VHS when I was growing up; there was no internet, nothing, so the only way for me to experience that movie again, when it was out of theaters, was to listen to it. So I would record them, and then I would sit at home and every night I would play them under my pillow. Because I loved to listen [to] how the sound worked in these movies, and how music worked with sound effects and dialogue and all of that. It’s ingrained in my head in a massive way.”

Disney and Pixar’s Lightyear opens exclusively in theaters Friday, June 17!