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Description
"Not today, Zurg!"

Lets continue our Disney/Warner Bros. 100th Anniversary celebration with this direct-to-video movie pilot to the hit TV series where Buzz Lightyear and a ragtag team of rookies battle the evil emperor Zurg to stop him from dominating the galaxy; Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins.

Buzz Lightyear and his partner Warp Darkmatter are searching for three missing L.G.M.s, a noosphere-dwelling race working as scientists for Star Command's Universe Protection Unit.
They discover the lost L.G.M.s in a hidden lab belonging to an organization led by the evil Emperor Zurg. Buzz and Warp break in and rescue the L.G.M., keeping Zurg's robots busy while they escape.
However, Zurg triggers the self-destruct mechanism; Warp gets pinned under debris and forces Buzz to leave just before the explosion happens, apparently killing Warp.
Stricken with survivor guilt over Warp's death, Buzz refuses to have another partner, fearing that Zurg would kill them as well.
He then meets up with Commander Nebula, who introduces him to Mira Nova, a prodigy ranger and the princess of the planet Tangea, which Buzz saved from Zurg a while back, and offers her to Buzz as his new partner. With the power of "ghosting", Nova is nearly invincible, but Buzz is still reluctant.
Afterwards Buzz later prevents a well-meaning janitor named Booster, who dreams of becoming a space ranger himself one day, from being fired.
Meanwhile, in Zurg's fortress, a new henchman called Agent Z arrives with a multi-weapon robotic arm. Zurg learns of a huge orb on the L.G.M. homeworld called the Uni-Mind, responsible for the telepathic link between them; he sends his new agent to capture it.
The L.G.M.s on Star Command build a new robot soldier called XR, who is offered to Buzz as a partner as he can be repaired after any damage. They then get a telepathic message about Zurg's attack on their homeworld.
When Buzz and XR arrive on the L.G.M. planet, Agent Z confronts them and destroys XR while Zurg steals the Uni-Mind. Unable to think clearly, the L.G.M. rebuild XR, but end up giving him a mind of his own.
Commander Nebula decides to launch a full-scale assault on Planet Z, despite Mira's argument that a solo ranger could go to stop Zurg with the prototype Alpha-One.
Zurg corrupts the Uni-Mind with his own evil thoughts and installs it into the "Mega-Ray" to bend everyone to Zurg's will.
Mira steals the Alpha-One prototype spacecraft to fight Zurg, and Buzz, who wanted to follow her plan, pursues Mira in his own craft, unaware Booster and XR have stowed away.
Eventually, Buzz catches Mira and stores Alpha-One in his spaceship's cargo bay; Booster and XR are then discovered.
Zurg's Mega-Ray subverts several planets in quick succession before turning it on Star Command. Buzz, Mira, Booster, and XR discover all of the staff, including Nebula, have been suborned by Zurg; they flee in Buzz's Star Cruiser.
Now its up to Buzz, Mira, Booster, and XR to take the fight to Zurg themselves and save the galaxy.

The story is pretty decently written and does go by at a solid pace, and even though it is a pretty generic and predictable space adventure, it is also a very fun space adventure. There's plenty of over-the-top and awesome action with some decent humor and suspense, and even a bit of heart with a good message about teamwork. And while it can be pretty corny, the movie embraces it.
The action scenes are pretty thrilling and do provide plenty of excitement and even a bit of suspense like Buzz and Warp fighting the Crater-Viper-Slag-Monster-Mutant, them rescuing the L.G.M.s from Zurg, the rookie training session, the attack on the L.G.M. homeworld,
The humor is surprisingly pretty solid for the most part, and this does lead to some pretty humorous moments and bits like the witty banter and dialogue between the characters like the nose ring discussion, the gags like the shenanigans Booster and XR get into, and the one-liners like Zurg targeting the planet of widows and orphans with his Mega-Ray.
The movie also has a decent amount of heart mostly revolving around the friendship that develops between Buzz, Mira, Booster, and XR.
The animation is obviously not up to bat with some of their other direct-to-video movies. In fact this is really TV quality animation, but it is pretty solid and looks much better than something like "Belle's Magical World". The characters all have pretty solid designs and decent movements, the backgrounds are pretty neat and nicely painted and detailed, and there are some solid effects like the lasers and explosions.
The characters may be more on the one-note side, but they are pretty likable and do have some very solid chemistry.
Buzz is a pretty likable protagonist as even though he can be very stubborn and a bit of a goofball, his heart is always in the right place and is a very competent and likable hero.
Mira is also very likable as she's very clever and spunky, and can be just as stubborn as Buzz. Not to mention she's possibly the post powerful member of the team with her powers.
Booster is likably timid but eager as even though he's just a janitor, he really wants to be a Space Ranger so he can enforce justice across the galaxy with his fellow Rangers.
XR starts off like a regular robot, but after some modifications, he becomes very snarky and witty, and does deliver on some of the funny one-liners and quips.
The L.G.M.s are also pretty likable as they do also provide some decent humor like their lack of their productive hivemind when they're rebuilding XR.
Commander Nebula may come off as the hot-headed boss, but he is also decently likable and funny with how he berates people, and he is a pretty competent leader.
Zurg is a very fun villain as even though he is very intimidating and does pose a legitimate threat, he is also very funny with some of his lines, and not to mention he just enjoys being evil. He might be the funniest and giddiest Disney villain since Ratigan from "The Great Mouse Detective".
Agent Z is a pretty decent secondary villain as he does pose a threat,and does provide some funny lines. But it is kinda obvious who it is right from the get-go. So yes, he does count as a surprise villain, and while he's not really one of the best ones, he is better than someone like Future Buzz from "Lightyear".
The voice acting is very solid and does deliver some great performances like Tim Allen as Buzz, Nicole Sullivan as Mira, Stephen Furst as Booster, Larry Miller as XR, Wayne Knight as Zurg, Adam Carolla as Commander Nebula, Patrick Warburton as the L.G.M.s, Diedrich Badar as Warp a.k.a. Agent Z, and more.
The music is very well done as the score really captures the film's fun and action-packed tone, and there's the song "To Infinity And Beyond" which plays during the end credits which is performed by William Shatner of all people. But it is decently written and well performed.

Overall, this is a pretty solid pilot to a pretty decent TV series(which i will get to), and i would definitely recommend this. Especially to Buzz Lightyear fans. And you'll more than likely have a more fun time with this than "Lightyear".

Cast:
Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear
Wayne Knight as Evil Emperor Zurg
Stephen Furst as Booster
Nicole Sullivan as Mira Nova
Larry Miller as XR
Adam Carolla as Commander Nebula
Patrick Warburton as the L.G.M.s
Diedrich Bader as Warp Darkmatter/Agent Z
Kevin Michael Richardson as Space Ranger
Charles Kimbrough as Brain Pod #29
Cindy Warden as Technician and Computer Voice
Frank Welker as Grubs, Self Destruct, Ranger #1, Rhizomian Man, and Cadet Flarn
Sean Hayes as Brain Pod #13
Jennifer Bailey as Rhizomian Woman
Jim Hanks as Woody
Wallace Shawn as Rex
R. Lee Ermey as Sarge
Andrew Stanton as Hamm
Joe Ranft as Wheezy

Crew:
Directed by Tad Stones
Written by Mark McCorkle, Bob Schooley, Bill Motz, and Bob Roth
Produced by Mark McCorkle, Bob Schooley, and Tad Stones
Music by Adam Berry

Misc.
Based on Characters created by John Lasseter, Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton, and Joe Ranft
Production companies: Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Television Animation
Distributed by Walt Disney Home Video
Release date: August 8, 2000
Running time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Description
"Not today, Zurg!"

Lets continue our Disney/Warner Bros. 100th Anniversary celebration with this direct-to-video movie pilot to the hit TV series where Buzz Lightyear and a ragtag team of rookies battle the evil emperor Zurg to stop him from dominating the galaxy; Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins.

Buzz Lightyear and his partner Warp Darkmatter are searching for three missing L.G.M.s, a noosphere-dwelling race working as scientists for Star Command's Universe Protection Unit.
They discover the lost L.G.M.s in a hidden lab belonging to an organization led by the evil Emperor Zurg. Buzz and Warp break in and rescue the L.G.M., keeping Zurg's robots busy while they escape.
However, Zurg triggers the self-destruct mechanism; Warp gets pinned under debris and forces Buzz to leave just before the explosion happens, apparently killing Warp.
Stricken with survivor guilt over Warp's death, Buzz refuses to have another partner, fearing that Zurg would kill them as well.
He then meets up with Commander Nebula, who introduces him to Mira Nova, a prodigy ranger and the princess of the planet Tangea, which Buzz saved from Zurg a while back, and offers her to Buzz as his new partner. With the power of "ghosting", Nova is nearly invincible, but Buzz is still reluctant.
Afterwards Buzz later prevents a well-meaning janitor named Booster, who dreams of becoming a space ranger himself one day, from being fired.
Meanwhile, in Zurg's fortress, a new henchman called Agent Z arrives with a multi-weapon robotic arm. Zurg learns of a huge orb on the L.G.M. homeworld called the Uni-Mind, responsible for the telepathic link between them; he sends his new agent to capture it.
The L.G.M.s on Star Command build a new robot soldier called XR, who is offered to Buzz as a partner as he can be repaired after any damage. They then get a telepathic message about Zurg's attack on their homeworld.
When Buzz and XR arrive on the L.G.M. planet, Agent Z confronts them and destroys XR while Zurg steals the Uni-Mind. Unable to think clearly, the L.G.M. rebuild XR, but end up giving him a mind of his own.
Commander Nebula decides to launch a full-scale assault on Planet Z, despite Mira's argument that a solo ranger could go to stop Zurg with the prototype Alpha-One.
Zurg corrupts the Uni-Mind with his own evil thoughts and installs it into the "Mega-Ray" to bend everyone to Zurg's will.
Mira steals the Alpha-One prototype spacecraft to fight Zurg, and Buzz, who wanted to follow her plan, pursues Mira in his own craft, unaware Booster and XR have stowed away.
Eventually, Buzz catches Mira and stores Alpha-One in his spaceship's cargo bay; Booster and XR are then discovered.
Zurg's Mega-Ray subverts several planets in quick succession before turning it on Star Command. Buzz, Mira, Booster, and XR discover all of the staff, including Nebula, have been suborned by Zurg; they flee in Buzz's Star Cruiser.
Now its up to Buzz, Mira, Booster, and XR to take the fight to Zurg themselves and save the galaxy.

The story is pretty decently written and does go by at a solid pace, and even though it is a pretty generic and predictable space adventure, it is also a very fun space adventure. There's plenty of over-the-top and awesome action with some decent humor and suspense, and even a bit of heart with a good message about teamwork. And while it can be pretty corny, the movie embraces it.
The action scenes are pretty thrilling and do provide plenty of excitement and even a bit of suspense like Buzz and Warp fighting the Crater-Viper-Slag-Monster-Mutant, them rescuing the L.G.M.s from Zurg, the rookie training session, the attack on the L.G.M. homeworld,
The humor is surprisingly pretty solid for the most part, and this does lead to some pretty humorous moments and bits like the witty banter and dialogue between the characters like the nose ring discussion, the gags like the shenanigans Booster and XR get into, and the one-liners like Zurg targeting the planet of widows and orphans with his Mega-Ray.
The movie also has a decent amount of heart mostly revolving around the friendship that develops between Buzz, Mira, Booster, and XR.
The animation is obviously not up to bat with some of their other direct-to-video movies. In fact this is really TV quality animation, but it is pretty solid and looks much better than something like "Belle's Magical World". The characters all have pretty solid designs and decent movements, the backgrounds are pretty neat and nicely painted and detailed, and there are some solid effects like the lasers and explosions.
The characters may be more on the one-note side, but they are pretty likable and do have some very solid chemistry.
Buzz is a pretty likable protagonist as even though he can be very stubborn and a bit of a goofball, his heart is always in the right place and is a very competent and likable hero.
Mira is also very likable as she's very clever and spunky, and can be just as stubborn as Buzz. Not to mention she's possibly the post powerful member of the team with her powers.
Booster is likably timid but eager as even though he's just a janitor, he really wants to be a Space Ranger so he can enforce justice across the galaxy with his fellow Rangers.
XR starts off like a regular robot, but after some modifications, he becomes very snarky and witty, and does deliver on some of the funny one-liners and quips.
The L.G.M.s are also pretty likable as they do also provide some decent humor like their lack of their productive hivemind when they're rebuilding XR.
Commander Nebula may come off as the hot-headed boss, but he is also decently likable and funny with how he berates people, and he is a pretty competent leader.
Zurg is a very fun villain as even though he is very intimidating and does pose a legitimate threat, he is also very funny with some of his lines, and not to mention he just enjoys being evil. He might be the funniest and giddiest Disney villain since Ratigan from "The Great Mouse Detective".
Agent Z is a pretty decent secondary villain as he does pose a threat,and does provide some funny lines. But it is kinda obvious who it is right from the get-go. So yes, he does count as a surprise villain, and while he's not really one of the best ones, he is better than someone like Future Buzz from "Lightyear".
The voice acting is very solid and does deliver some great performances like Tim Allen as Buzz, Nicole Sullivan as Mira, Stephen Furst as Booster, Larry Miller as XR, Wayne Knight as Zurg, Adam Carolla as Commander Nebula, Patrick Warburton as the L.G.M.s, Diedrich Badar as Warp a.k.a. Agent Z, and more.
The music is very well done as the score really captures the film's fun and action-packed tone, and there's the song "To Infinity And Beyond" which plays during the end credits which is performed by William Shatner of all people. But it is decently written and well performed.

Overall, this is a pretty solid pilot to a pretty decent TV series(which i will get to), and i would definitely recommend this. Especially to Buzz Lightyear fans. And you'll more than likely have a more fun time with this than "Lightyear".

Cast:
Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear
Wayne Knight as Evil Emperor Zurg
Stephen Furst as Booster
Nicole Sullivan as Mira Nova
Larry Miller as XR
Adam Carolla as Commander Nebula
Patrick Warburton as the L.G.M.s
Diedrich Bader as Warp Darkmatter/Agent Z
Kevin Michael Richardson as Space Ranger
Charles Kimbrough as Brain Pod #29
Cindy Warden as Technician and Computer Voice
Frank Welker as Grubs, Self Destruct, Ranger #1, Rhizomian Man, and Cadet Flarn
Sean Hayes as Brain Pod #13
Jennifer Bailey as Rhizomian Woman
Jim Hanks as Woody
Wallace Shawn as Rex
R. Lee Ermey as Sarge
Andrew Stanton as Hamm
Joe Ranft as Wheezy

Crew:
Directed by Tad Stones
Written by Mark McCorkle, Bob Schooley, Bill Motz, and Bob Roth
Produced by Mark McCorkle, Bob Schooley, and Tad Stones
Music by Adam Berry

Misc.
Based on Characters created by John Lasseter, Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton, and Joe Ranft
Production companies: Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Television Animation
Distributed by Walt Disney Home Video
Release date: August 8, 2000
Running time: 1 hour, 10 minutes