Lightyear: Taika Waititi Relies on Brave Inner Child for Creative Work

Lightyear taps Taika Waititi to bring Pixar's Mo Morrison character to life, one who is anything but a Space Ranger at the start of the film but ultimately gets pushed to find the courage to explore alongside Chris Evans' Buzz Lightyear. For Waititi, voicing the animated character calls on every bit of creativity as directing films like the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder, with much of the creative inspiration going back to his childhood. Like Andy in the first Toy Story movie who loved his Buzz Lightyear toy, Waititi told ComicBook.com that his creative processes call for tapping into that inner child to deliver every bit of magic. 

"I think it's all I've got," Waititi said. "I think they're all I've got is my inner child. I mean, I think that's, if you look at any of my work, I mean, if you look even just hang out with me for more than five minutes, then, you know, you'll know I'm not the most mature person. But what is maturity? What does that even mean? You know, I think maturity's stupid."

That child, however, becomes a brave little one each time Waititi takes on a new project. Waititi's Mo Morrison is introduced in Lightyear as a "Quitter." The characters around him expect Mo to give up when things get difficult or scary. It's actually something Waititi finds himself relating to when a big new project gets underway and he is running the show. "That's every single day of my life is that," Waititi said. It's 'I wish that this would stop.' I remember, I think every pre-production meeting I go into, I remember distinctly on my, maybe my first or second film, I was in a pre-production meeting and all the crew were in there and we were going through the pages and the script, and I had no idea what I was doing and I prayed in my head that a truck or a plane or anything would crash into the building and kill us all so I did not have to do the movie because I didn't know what I was doing."

Waititi's films have been successful, despite his fears. His resumé now consists of Marvel films like Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder but also Jojo Rabbit, What We Do in the Shadows, and Hunt for the Wilderpeople. "I think if you ask any, any director, there are moments for all of us that are like that, where you'll say, 'Oh, wish, like I just wish someone would come in and kidnap me and throw me the trunk of a car so no one would ever find me,'" Waititi said with an only half-joking tone. "And that would be a great excuse to not have to work and do this movie because I'm too freaked out."

Fortunately for the actor and director, his films are often popular amongst critics and fans. His work on Lightyear is no exception. The first reactions called Pixar's new title a "masterpiece," and it is on its way to a successful opening at the box office.

Are you excited for Lightyear? Share your thoughts in the comment section or send them my way on Twitter! ComicBook.com's full interview with Waititi can be seen in the video above. Lightyear is now playing in theaters.

(Photo by Mike Marsland/WireImage)