10 Films With Awesome Animated TV Shows You Forgot Existed

by Ewan Paterson

1. Buzz Lightyear Of Star Command

Perhaps the most intelligent premise for universe expansion I've seen pretty much ever, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command remains an underrated gem from Pixar's formative years on TV. A Toy Story spin-off without the toys, the show lasted for two seasons and spawned a video game of the same name, which my five year old self would probably tell you was the best game of all time.

The genius of Star Command lies in its decision to expand upon the lore of the Toy Story series without the accompanying danger of encroaching upon the franchise's cinematic potential, adding instead to the in-universe lore of Buzz Lightyear by offering a window into the cartoon show that spawned Tim Allen's toy from the 1995 original film. The intro literally follows Andy's toys as they gear up to watch the series with the audience, and the pilot even featured Allen in the role all over again. To make matters even better, when the Galaxy Quest star failed to return for the rest of the series, Tick actor and all-around fantastic guy Patrick Warburton stepped in as a replacement.

Indeed, Warburton's acting style only seemed to enhance the show's idea of offering a hyperbolised take on Buzz's roots, and with two seasons worth of content to enjoy, it made the wait between Toy Story 2 and 3 just that little bit easier. Not much, but, you know - a little.

Adding a completely different dynamic to one of Pixar's most beloved properties was always going to be a difficult task to accomplish, but, in doing so, Star Command exemplifies the strengths of the Toy Story franchise perfectly, in that it can survive and indeed thrive without the need of another blockbuster entry. And while, yes, we're getting Toy Story 4 (whether we wished it or not), the show illustrates that Pixar have a variety of options left at their disposal. Who's to say a Woody's Roundup reboot is off the cards?

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Which of these shows was your favourite? Any that we missed? Let us know down in the comments.

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Content Producer/Presenter
Content Producer/Presenter

Resident movie guy at WhatCulture who used to be Comics Editor. Thinks John Carpenter is the best. Likes Hellboy a lot. Can usually be found talking about Dad Movies on his Twitter at @EwanRuinsThings.