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While Toy Story is officially over, Buzz Lightyear’s story is just getting started—and fans of the legendary Space Ranger will probably want to know how to watch Lightyear online after its theatrical run. Luckily, there is a way to watch the Pixar film online. And yes, that includes a free option for fans looking to save!
Lightyear, which marks Pixar’s 26th animated feature, is the first spin-off of the Toy Story franchise. Fans of the original films will already be familiar with the toy version of the new film’s titular character, only in this iteration, viewers will get to know the real Buzz who inspired the toy. In this way, Lightyear serves as something of an origin story for the intergalactic traveler, who finds himself stranded on a hostile planet millions of light-years away from Earth when the movie kicks off. Buzz is joined by his ambitious crew and his lovable robot cat, Sox, as he attempts to find his way back home across space and time. But the arrival of Zurg, an intimidating villain with an army of vicious robots, complicates matters and threatens their return mission.
To experience the Space Ranger in action, you’ll have to know how to watch Lightyear in the first place. Whether you’re catching the film in theaters first or waiting until it lands on streaming services, we have all the details you need to know about how to watch Lightyear online for free, below.
When did Lightyear come out?
Lightyear premiered in theaters on Friday, June 17, 2022, and is available to screen in RealD 3D, 4DX, Dolby Cinema and IMAX. Dolby Cinema, which includes the vivid colors of Dolby Vision and the immersive sound of Dolby Atmos, is especially designed to unlock the full experience of films like Lightyear and more. You can find tickets to a local showing here.
Image: Disney Media.
So how can fans watch Lightyear online? Lightyear became available to stream on Disney+ on August 3, 2022, which is 47 days after its theatrical release. The movie follows the same timeline as other past movies by Pixar and Disney, which have landed on Disney+ between 30 to 45 days after their theatrical release. Disney Plus, which costs $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year (paying for the full year will save you around $16 compared to paying month-to-month.)
You can also find Disney Plus as part of The Disney Bundle, which includes Hulu, Disney Plus and ESPN Plus for $13.99 per month for Hulu with commercials and $19.99 per month for Hulu without commercials. It’s a worthwhile subscription, especially when considering what you stand to save. Given that Disney Plus costs $7.99 per month, Hulu starts at $6.99 per month and ESPN Plus costs $6.99 per month, you’d be paying a total of $21.97 compared to The Disney Bundle’s $13.99 per month price. All in all, this bundle comes in at around 25 percent less than paying for each streamer individually.
Image: Disney Media.
Now that Lightyear is on Disney Plus, you may be wondering if there’s a way to watch Lightyear online for free on the streamer. Well, the good news is, there are some ways to snag a free Disney+ subscription to watch Lightyear online for free. Check out our tips up ahead.
Here’s one of the best hacks for watching Lightyear online for free: If you’re a Verizon customer (or know someone who is), Verizon offers a free Disney Plus subscription with its Unlimited plans (a.k.a. Get More Unlimited, Play More Unlimited, Verizon Plan Unlimited, Go Unlimited, Beyond Unlimited and Above Unlimited.) If you have one of these plans, you can sign-up for a free six-month Disney+ subscription (which saves you about $42.)
Lest we forget, customers with Get More Unlimited and Play More Unlimited plans are also eligible for the aforementioned Disney Bundle, which offers not only a free Disney Plus subscription for as long as you have your Verizon plan, but also free Hulu and ESPN+ subscriptions too, which saves viewers about $12.99 per month. You can check out Verizon’s FAQ here to find out how to sign up for its free Disney+ subscription and watch Lightyear online for free.
How long is Lightyear?
Lightyear is one hour and 45 minutes long.
Who’s in the Lightyear cast?
The Lightyear cast stars Chris Evans as the titular Buzz Lightyear, a legendary Space Ranger who ends up stranded on a hostile planet 4.2 million light-years away from Earth. Other voice cast members include Keke Palmer, Taika Waititi, Uzo Aduba and Bill Hader, among others. Check out the full Lightyear cast below.
- Chris Evans as Buzz Lightyear
- Keke Palmer as Izzy Hawthorne
- Keira Hairston as a young Izzy
- Peter Sohn as Sox, a robotic cat and Buzz’s companion.
- James Brolin as Emperor Zurg
- Taika Waititi as Mo Morrison
- Dale Soules as Darby Steel
- Uzo Aduba as Alisha Hawthorne
- Mary McDonald-Lewis as I.V.A.N.
- Efren Ramirez as Airman Diaz
- Isiah Whitlock Jr. as Commander Burnside
- Tim Peake as “Tim from Mission Control”
- Bill Hader as Featheringhamstan
Lightyear is available to stream on Disney Plus. Here’s how to watch it for free.
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