# Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins
**Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins** is a 2000 direct-to-video animated film in which the Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear, voiced by [Tim Allen](https://www.edgepedia.org/tim-allen), battles the Evil Emperor Zurg with the help of three rookie partners, and which served as the pilot for the television series *Buzz Lightyear of Star Command*.[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/buzz-lightyear-of-star-command-the-adventure-begins-film/) It was released on August 8, 2000, runs 70 minutes, and was a joint project of Walt Disney Home Video, Walt Disney Television Animation, and Pixar Animation Studios.[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/buzz-lightyear-of-star-command-the-adventure-begins-film/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | Direct-to-video, August 8, 2000 (United States); France, February 1, 2001[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/buzz-lightyear-of-star-command-the-adventure-begins-film/) • [2](https://www.disneypixar.fr/films/2-buzz-l-eclair-le-film-le-debut-des-aventures) |
| Runtime | 70 minutes[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/buzz-lightyear-of-star-command-the-adventure-begins-film/) |
| Director | Tad Stones[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/buzz-lightyear-of-star-command-the-adventure-begins-film/) |
| Lead voices | Tim Allen (Buzz Lightyear), Nicole Sullivan (Mira Nova), Larry Miller (XR), Stephen Furst (Booster), Wayne Knight (Zurg)[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/buzz-lightyear-of-star-command-the-adventure-begins-film/) |
| Animation | Pixar produced only the CGI opening sequence; the rest is traditional animation by Walt Disney Television Animation[3](https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/buzz-lightyear-tops-stack-of-kid-stuff-new-2744237.php) |
| Purpose | Pilot for the *Buzz Lightyear of Star Command* television series, which launched on ABC and UPN two months after the video[4](https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/app/uploads/2015/10/2000-Annual-Report.pdf) |
| Sales | 3 million combined VHS and DVD units sold in 2000[4](https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/app/uploads/2015/10/2000-Annual-Report.pdf) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
The Evil Emperor Zurg captures a group of Little Green Men to uncover the secret of their Uni-mind, the device that lets them think as one.[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/buzz-lightyear-of-star-command-the-adventure-begins-film/) He attacks their planet, steals the Uni-mind, turns its force from good to evil, and zaps the galaxy with a device that places almost everyone under his control.[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/buzz-lightyear-of-star-command-the-adventure-begins-film/) • [5](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-aug-10-ca-1883-story.html) When Zurg unleashes his henchman, Agent Z, Buzz Lightyear works with three intergalactic crime-fighting rookies, Mira Nova, Booster, and XR, to save the galaxy.[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/buzz-lightyear-of-star-command-the-adventure-begins-film/)
The film also gives Buzz a personal arc. Early in the story he loses his longtime partner, Warp Darkmatter, in an explosion, and vows never to jeopardize another person's life again, refusing to take a new partner.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/buzz_lightyear_of_star_command_the_adventure_begins) • [7](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/an-awesome-toy-story-spinoff-more-people-need-to-see-but-really-hard-to-find) His commander, Nebula, assigns him Princess Mira Nova anyway, and the Little Green Men offer him XR, a robot built so that Buzz can have a partner who cannot die.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/buzz_lightyear_of_star_command_the_adventure_begins) • [7](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/an-awesome-toy-story-spinoff-more-people-need-to-see-but-really-hard-to-find)
## Production and animation
The film mixes two animation techniques. Pixar Animation Studios created only the computer-animated opening sequence, in which the *Toy Story* characters, including Woody (voiced by [Jim Hanks](https://www.edgepedia.org/jim-hanks), filling in for his brother [Tom Hanks](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-hanks)), gather in Andy's room to watch the very video the audience is watching.[3](https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/buzz-lightyear-tops-stack-of-kid-stuff-new-2744237.php) • [8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181196/) The rest of the film is traditional drawn and painted animation by Walt Disney Television Animation.[3](https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/buzz-lightyear-tops-stack-of-kid-stuff-new-2744237.php)
The screenplay is credited to Mark McCorkle, Bob Schooley, Bill Motz, and Bob Roth, with Mark McCorkle, Robert Schooley, and Tad Stones producing.[9](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181196/fullcredits/) • [6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/buzz_lightyear_of_star_command_the_adventure_begins) The film was released at $24.99 for the VHS cassette and $29.99 for the DVD.[3](https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/buzz-lightyear-tops-stack-of-kid-stuff-new-2744237.php)
## Relationship to Toy Story and the series
In the *Toy Story* films, the [Buzz Lightyear](https://www.edgepedia.org/buzz-lightyear) toy is based on a character from a children's animated television show; this film presents that show within the fiction.[10](https://thedisneycompletist.com/buzzlightyearofstarcommand.htm) The opening sequence places the movie after the events of *Toy Story 2*, with the toys watching a VHS copy of the film.[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181196/) • [11](https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Buzz_Lightyear_of_Star_Command%3A_The_Adventure_Begins)
The film was made as a pilot for the daily television series *Buzz Lightyear of Star Command*, which launched on ABC and Buena Vista Television's *[Disney's One Too](https://www.edgepedia.org/disneys-one-too)* lineup on UPN two months after the video's release.[4](https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/app/uploads/2015/10/2000-Annual-Report.pdf) When the film was serialized into episodes for television, Tim Allen's lines as Buzz were replaced with the vocal tracks of [Patrick Warburton](https://www.edgepedia.org/patrick-warburton), who voiced Buzz in the series.[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181196/)
## Reception and availability
On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a Tomatometer of 53% from four critic reviews, with more than 10,000 audience ratings.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/buzz_lightyear_of_star_command_the_adventure_begins) The Los Angeles Times, reviewing the release at the time, called it a cut above the norm for made-for-video animated features and credited much of its success to Tim Allen's return as the voice of Buzz.[5](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-aug-10-ca-1883-story.html)
Under the closing credits, [William Shatner](https://www.edgepedia.org/william-shatner) performs the spoken-word song "To Infinity and Beyond" with the Star Command chorus.[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/buzz-lightyear-of-star-command-the-adventure-begins-film/) The film sold 3 million combined VHS and DVD units in 2000, according to Disney's annual report.[4](https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/app/uploads/2015/10/2000-Annual-Report.pdf) As of a September 2026 availability check, the film was not available to stream on any of 366 tracked services, and viewers seeking it rely on physical copies.[12](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/buzz-lightyear-of-star-command-the-adventure-begins)
## References
1. [Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins (film), D23 (Disney A to Z)](https://d23.com/a-to-z/buzz-lightyear-of-star-command-the-adventure-begins-film/)
2. [Buzz l'Eclair - Le film : le début des aventures, DisneyPixar.fr](https://www.disneypixar.fr/films/2-buzz-l-eclair-le-film-le-debut-des-aventures)
3. [Buzz Lightyear Tops Stack of Kid Stuff, San Francisco Chronicle (August 13, 2000)](https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/buzz-lightyear-tops-stack-of-kid-stuff-new-2744237.php)
4. [The Walt Disney Company 2000 Annual Report](https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/app/uploads/2015/10/2000-Annual-Report.pdf)
5. [Buzz Is Back, Los Angeles Times (August 10, 2000)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-aug-10-ca-1883-story.html)
6. [Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/buzz_lightyear_of_star_command_the_adventure_begins)
7. [There's An Awesome Toy Story Spinoff More People Need To See, CinemaBlend (July 12, 2025)](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/an-awesome-toy-story-spinoff-more-people-need-to-see-but-really-hard-to-find)
8. [Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins (Video 2000), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181196/)
9. [Full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181196/fullcredits/)
10. [Buzz Lightyear Of Star Command: The Adventure Begins, The Disney Completist](https://thedisneycompletist.com/buzzlightyearofstarcommand.htm)
11. [Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins, Disney Wiki](https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Buzz_Lightyear_of_Star_Command%3A_The_Adventure_Begins)
12. [Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/buzz-lightyear-of-star-command-the-adventure-begins)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works › Animated and family franchise film entries › Science fiction and action entries*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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