Lightyear Disney Plus release date and time — how to watch online right now

Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Chris Evans) stars at a screen in Lightyear
(Image credit: Disney/Pixar via Twitter)

To infinity, Disney Plus and beyond! You can now watch Lightyear online as Pixar's Toy Story spinoff arrives on the streaming service after first playing in theaters. The animated movie centers on Buzz Lightyear — not the toy, but a space ranger. The premise of Lightyear can be explained by the short title card that runs at the beginning of the movie: "In 1995 Andy got a toy. That toy was based on a movie. This is that movie."

Lightyear streaming details

Lightyear is streaming on Disney Plus, having come out at 3 a.m. ET on Wednesday, August 3. 

Lightyear opened June 17 and was the first first Pixar film to be released in theaters worldwide since the start of the pandemic. While it is considered a box office failure, having only earned $219 million against a $200 million production budget, Lightyear received a 75 percent Rotten Tomatoes critics' rating and a 84 percent audience score.

The story follows Buzz (voiced by Chris Evans) as he embarks on an intergalactic adventure. After he's marooned on a hostile planet with commanding officer and best friend, Alisha Hawthorne (Uzo Aduba), he must find a way back home. But every attempt costs him precious time and he must team up with new crewmates to complete the mission.

Here's everything you need to watch Lightyear on Disney Plus. Check out the trailer below:

When does Lightyear come out on Disney Plus?

Lightyear is streaming on Disney Plus right now. It arrived on Wednesday, August 3 at 3 a.m. ET. 

Lightyear has a run time of 1 hour 40 minutes and is rated PG. 

Disney Plus
$7.99 at Disney+

Disney Plus gives you access to the entire Disney vault of classics like Frozen, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast as well as newer hits like The Mandalorian, Loki and more. Get the most value with the $13.99 bundle that throws in Hulu and ESPN Plus.

How to watch Lightyear internationally

Disney Plus is available in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mauritius, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, so it's not going to be tough to get access to Lightyear.

Lightyear cast

The voice cast of Lightyear is led by Chris Evans as Buzz Lightyear, a space ranger and test pilot.

He is joined by:

  • Peter Sohn as Sox, a robotic cat and Buzz's companion
  • Uzo Aduba as Alisha Hawthorne, Buzz's best friend and commanding officer
  • Keke Palmer as Izzy Hawthorne, Alisha's granddaughter
  • Taika Waititi as Mo Morrison, a new recruit in the colonial defense forces
  • Dale Soules as Darby Steel, an elderly paroled convict conscripted as a soldier
  • Isiah Whitlock Jr. as Commander Burnside, Alisha's successor
  • Bill Hader as Featheringhamstan / The Rookie, a new recruit partnered with Buzz and Alisha.

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Kelly Woo
Streaming Editor

Kelly is the streaming channel editor for Tom’s Guide, so basically, she watches TV for a living. Previously, she was a freelance entertainment writer for Yahoo, Vulture, TV Guide and other outlets. When she’s not watching TV and movies for work, she’s watching them for fun, seeing live music, writing songs, knitting and gardening.