Fun Easter eggs and film references are common for any animated film, especially those marketed towards a younger audience. Often, such references can be a great way for filmmakers to pay homage to their inspirations while also giving eagle-eyed viewers something to look out for.
Being a spin-off of Pixar's beloved Toy Story franchise and the studio's first spin-off film, it's almost expected that Lightyear would feature a ton of callbacks and references to the character's origins. As far as Easter eggs go, Pixar certainly didn't disappoint fans, giving a number of nods to the original adventures of Buzz and Woody. Many references are obvious, while just as many are subtle and even difficult for the most hardcore Toy Story fans to catch. In any case, Lightyear certainly goes to infinity and beyond with its Toy Story references.
6 Crystallic Fusion
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The crystallic fusion is a crucial component of the origin story of Buzz Lightyear, though casual Pixar fans may not have recognized that the term was first mentioned in the original Toy Story movies. In Lightyear, Buzz Lightyear uses the crystals as a means of achieving hyperspeed, which he needs in order to return home and complete the mission. Throughout the beginning of the story, Buzz must test out various formulas of the crystallic fusion before finding the right one.
Crystallic fusion as a means of fuel is actually first referenced in the first Toy Story movie. Throughout most of the story, Buzz is unaware that he is just a toy and believes that he is an actual Space Ranger. Therefore, he believes that he has landed on an alien planet. When Buzz first meets Woody, he asks him a series of questions. One such question happens to be, "Do you people still use fossil fuels, or have you discovered crystallic fusion?" While it's only a small line from the original film, it becomes extremely important in Buzz's origin story.
5 Capture Cones
Here is a subtle but clear reference to the second installment in the Toy Story series. About halfway through Lightyear, Buzz, Izzy, Mo, and Darby raid an old mining station in search of parts. While there, they accidentally trigger an alarm system where they each get trapped inside movable orange cones. The crew then has to work together in order to escape.
This reference might not be obvious at first, but it's very reminiscent of a particular scene with Buzz in Toy Story 2. In that film, Buzz and several of the other toys have to travel across town to rescue Woody. One part of their rescue sees the toys hide under orange traffic cones as they cross the street. The reference is almost unnoticeable despite being intricate scenes in both films, yet it's a fun reference nonetheless.
4 Emperor Zurg
Emperor Zurg acts as Buzz's arch-nemesis in the fictional sci-fi universe, so it's almost expected that the character would show himself somewhere in Lightyear. There is a fun callback, however, to the character's appearance in Toy Story 2. In Lightyear, Buzz doesn't confront Zurg until near the end of the film. The villain eventually reveals his true self; Buzz initially calls him "dad" before Zurg tells the protagonist his actual identity.
The small line is actually a reference to a fun interaction between the two characters in Toy Story 2. When the two confront each other, Buzz and Zurg have a very similar exchange that Luke Skywalker famously had with Darth Vader at the end of The Empire Strikes Back. The scene in Toy Story 2, which itself is a fun reference to Star Wars, has Zurg reveal that he is Buzz's father. Fittingly, that's exactly what Buzz calls Zurg when they first meet in Lightyear.
3 Gamma Quadrant Sector Four
"Gamma Quadrant Sector Four" might sound like sci-fi nonsense to the average moviegoer, but anyone who's a fan of both Toy Story and Buzz Lightyear will recognize that it's a very important part of the character's lore. In Lightyear, Buzz and his new team are sent to Gamma Quadrant Sector Four by the film's conclusion.
Gamma Quadrant Sector Four is actually mentioned throughout both the Toy Story franchise and the Buzz Lightyear of Star Command spin-off series. The most noteworthy reference in the movies is the opening of Toy Story 2, where the film proclaims to take place in Gamma Quadrant Sector Four. This being where Zurg is supposed to reside, the ending of Lightyear could be hinting at a future confrontation between Buzz and Zurg.
2 Pizza Planet Truck
Being a crucial part of the original Toy Story, Pixar has made a commitment to include a Pizza Planet truck somewhere inside each of their movies, and Lightyear is no exception. While the truck may be easier to spot in some films, even eagle-eyed viewers would be forgiven for missing the reference in Lightyear, considering how difficult it is to notice.
Around the end of the first act of Lightyear, Buzz and his cat robot companion Sox have figured out the correct formula that will successfully allow Buzz to achieve hyperspeed. Star Command's new commander, Burnside, tells Buzz that they've decided to stay on the planet, ordering Buzz to abandon the original mission. Buzz and Sox decide to disobey and test the hyperspeed anyway, resulting in a high-speed chase. During the chase to the ship, viewers can spot the Pizza Planet truck on the left side of the screen.
1 Ending
The final moments of Lightyear offer a clever nod to Buzz's beginnings in Toy Story. At the end of Lightyear, Buzz and his crew are now officially Space Rangers. The film ends as they all enter a new ship and take off to explore uncharted space.
Fans have noticed how the ending is actually a callback to Buzz's arrival in Andy's room in the first Toy Story. The characters, including Buzz himself, are given the classic green-and-white Space Ranger suits that Buzz wears throughout Toy Story. On top of this, the ship that they fly off in looks remarkably similar to the spaceship-shaped box that Buzz arrived in.