10 Reasons Why Lightyear Failed
3. It Felt Like A Disney+ Film
It's somewhat ironic that Lightyear is the first Pixar film in over two years to get a theatrical release, and yet for the most part it actually feels like a straight-to-Disney+ film.
Now, that's not really a slight against Disney+ movies at all, but simply that Lightyear lacks the finesse that defines almost all of their work - including their three prior films, Soul, Luca, and Turning Red, which were sent straight to Disney+.
Despite its stonking $200 million budget - more than any of those three movies - Lightyear feels in its bones like an amusing little Toy Story spin-off that isn't quite theatrical caliber, no matter how gorgeous its visuals might often be.
Again, there's no shade intended against the films Disney releases direct to their streaming service, but since the pandemic audiences have generally become far more discerning about what they leave the house to watch.
As a piece of storytelling, Lightyear simply lacks that attention-grabbing spark or zeitgeist-capturing sense of FOMO.