Lightyear: Not Pixar's BEST, but a fun dive into Buzz's backstory!

Okay, so I finally got around to watching Lightyear. I know it came out a while ago, but I'm all about catching up on director's complete filmographies (even if it's not a director I'm super familiar with, gotta do my due diligence!). In this case, I wasn't particularly blown away by Angus MacLane's direction, but the underlying story was good enough. I'll have to look more into his earlier work... Let's be real, it's not Toy Story level, but it's a fun origin story for the Buzz we know and love. I really appreciated the sci-fi elements and the classic space opera vibes. Sox was definitely a highlight – that cat robot stole every scene he was in. I love that they explored the concept of time dilation in such a (relatively) accessible way for a kids' movie, even if it did lead to some slightly confusing plot points at times. The Zurg reveal was pretty cool, although I kinda wish they'd leaned even harder into the whole 'Buzz is his own villain' concept. That could have been really interesting. The animation, as expected from Pixar, was top-notch. Some of the space battle sequences were genuinely thrilling. I did feel a little bit disconnected to the new characters, though. Aside from Sox, of course. I didn't particularly care for Alisha Hawthorne. I think they tried to put too much into her character and it just ended up feeling bland. Overall, its worth a watch, especially if you are a Toy Story fan, but I don't think it's one I'll be rewatching a ton (mostly because I just rewatch the original Toy Story instead). Anyone else feel the same way? What are your thoughts on Angus MacLane as a director...worth following his filmography further or should I stick to the big names at Pixar (like Pete Docter or Andrew Stanton)? Help a cinephile out!