KUALA LUMPUR: Toy Story's adventurous space hero Buzz Lightyear, best known for saying "to infinity and beyond" is giving Malaysian audiences a miss this time.
His latest animated film Lightyear, which was scheduled to debut on June 16, will not be playing in Malaysian cinemas as a result of a controversial LGBT scene.
Even though there has been no official statement from the film's distributor Walt Disney Company Malaysia, it is learnt that Lightyear's inclusion of a kiss between a same-sex couple has resulted in its banning from several countries such as Egypt and China.
In March, the film's producer Pixar came under fire for censoring that controversial scene. However, it was soon restored after a backlash from employees.
Lightyear tells the "real" origin story of Buzz (voiced by Avengers star Chris Evans), and depicts him as a young astronaut who is marooned on a hostile planet with his space crew, and confronts several threats to the universe before emerging as a hero.
Directed by Angus MacLane it also features the voiceover talents of James Brolin, Taika Waititi and Keke Palmer.
Buzz, who was originally voiced by Tim Allen has appeared in four films in the Toy Story series namely Toy Story (1995), Toy Story 2 (1999), Toy Story 3 (2010), and Toy Story 4 (2019).
