Better for them to have done this as a standalone movie with a new character at a lower budget. I Ben if it failed, they would have lost a lot less $$ and not punched a hole in their Toy Story franchise.

“We asked too much of the audience” reeks of condescension: it’s not our fault you didn’t want to buy tickets to our movie. Toy story is the gold standard of Pixar and Disney animated franchises. Lightyear was an ok movie, but they chose to cut ties with Buzz Lightyear, a character they’d spent decades building. For a beloved animated character, altering the look and replacing the voice is guaranteed to throw an audience. Nothing against Chris Evans, but imagine replacing Tom Hanks with him for Woody with similar changes. It’s just not Woody any more. Yes, Pixar says this is the movie Andy watched, but they’re not fooling anyone.

Pixar has made some of the best animated films ever. I hope they get their mojo back.