While many are excited to hear Chris Evans in his perfect casting as LIGHTYEAR, there are many equally as excited to learn all about Lightyear’s new robot sidekick Sox. We’ve been gathering intel on this little guy and we’re ready to brief you on everything you need to know about Sox the Robot Cat from LIGHTYEAR.
HERO’S BEST FRIEND — Disney and Pixar’s “Lightyear” is an all-new, original feature film that presents the definitive origin story of Buzz Lightyear (voice of Chris Evans)—the hero who inspired the toy—following the legendary Space Ranger on an intergalactic adventure. But Buzz can’t do it alone—he shares space with a dutiful robot companion cat called Sox (voice of Peter Sohn). A hidden grab bag of gizmos in a cute kitty package, Sox is Buzz’s go-to friend and sidekick. Directed by Angus MacLane (co-director “Finding Dory”) and produced by Galyn Susman (“Toy Story That Time Forgot”), the sci-fi action-adventure releases on June 17, 2022. © 2022 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
Everything You Need to Know About Sox the Robot Cat from LIGHTYEAR
In a recent press event for the upcoming LIGHTYEAR movie, director and screenwriter Angus MacLane dished on Pixar’s newest digital sidekick, Sox the Robot Cat. Sox is sure to be the next hottest trend in pet names, and we’ve already fallen in love with him at our house and we’ve only seen 30 minutes of what he has in store for us. However, we’ve seen Sox somewhere before. Did you know that one of the Easter eggs in Turning Red was a Sox sticker?
© 2022 Disney/Pixar
The Cute Thing—Sox the Robot Cat
“I couldn’t leave without talking about the cute thing. Now, what is the cute thing? Well, you know what the cute thing is, it’s the protagonist’s little sidekick, it’s the character that makes you go, ‘Aw.’ The cute thing has been around since the beginning of cinema throughout film history,” said MacLane. “The cute thing has shown up in all kinds of movies from action films to animation to superhero movies, to comedies, to still be in sci-fi, even horror films. And for LIGHTYEAR, the cute thing is Sox. He’s, as you saw, Buzz’s robotic companion animal designed to be a constant during Buzz’s journey through time.”
© 2022 Disney/Pixar
Where Did Sox Come From?
Well, for starters, MacLane is a cat person. But the idea really came from his love of limited animation.
MacLane shared that working with “limited characters” was a passion of his and that he’d animated a lot of the more physically stagnated characters in the Toy Story universe, such as Wally and Can from the third film.
MacLane said it’s these movement limitations that provide much of the charm and comedy of these characters and he wanted to have a character like that for LIGHTYEAR.
“So for Sox, I wanted a robot character that had the limitations and charm of simple animatronic puppets,” said MacLane. “Now, never for one minute would you confuse Sox with an actual cat, his limited motion would prevent that. Sox is the true contrast to the other elements of the film, both in design and in motion, making him stick out in a good way. And although he has limited movements, Sox is by no means helpless, as you saw.”
“He’s got a welding laser, he’s got long-range scanners, hollow projectors, short-range sensors, he’s got a name tag, he’s got an empathy chip, quadruped locomotion, magnet feet, self-writing mechanism, a data port in the tail, the ability to talk, he’s got a ton of features. This isn’t even half of them. There’s a bunch I can’t tell you about, but we can tell you is that he’s a scene-stealer.”
The voice of a companion like Sox has to have warmth. This sidekick is voiced by Pixar’s own Peter Sohn, who is known also as the voice of Emile from Ratatouille and Squishy from Monster University, as well as the director of The Good Dinosaur. “Pete’s natural warmth, charm, and humor made him the first and best choice [to play Sox],” said MacLane.
TEAMING UP – 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. The all-new story follows the legendary Space Ranger on an intergalactic adventure alongside a group of ambitious recruits (voices of Keke Palmer, Taika Waititi and Dale Soules), and their robot companion Sox (voice of Peter Sohn). Also joining the cast are Uzo Aduba, James Brolin, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Efren Ramirez and Isiah Whitlock Jr. Directed by Angus MacLane (co-director “Finding Dory”) and produced by Galyn Susman (“Toy Story That Time Forgot”), “Lightyear” releases June 17, 2022. © 2022 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
READ: Casting the Perfect LIGHTYEAR
READ: FIRST LOOK AT DISNEY PIXAR’S LIGHTYEAR TRAILER, POSTER, AND IMAGES
Annie Award-winning director and veteran Pixar animator Angus MacLane, who co-directed 2016’s Finding Dory, helms LIGHTYEAR. Galyn Susman (Toy Story That Time Forgot short) produces.
LIGHTYEAR is coming to theaters June 17, 2022.
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