Pixar’s Lightyear gets a PS1 makeover and now we miss classic movie tie-in games

Buzz and Sox in Lightyear
(Image credit: Disney/Pixar)

Pixar’s Lightyear has received a PS1 makeover, so now we really wish movie tie-in games were as popular now as they were back in the early 2000s. 

3D artist and Twitter user @Hoolopee has taken scenes from Pixar’s latest film Lightyear and reimagined them as a PS1 game. Designed similarly to the officially licened Disney games from the late 90s and early 2000s such as Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue, Monsters Inc Scare Island (aka Scream Team), and more, the creation is teeming with nostalgia as each frame contains a tonne of polygons and bare bones effects.  

According to comments underneath Hoolopee's YouTube video, the whole process only took around a week to complete, but this was sped up due to the artist starting on some of the video’s assets late last year. One of the highlights of the project though has to be the Toy Story 2 reference towards the end of the video which sees Rex pick up a copy of the Lightyear game on PS1 in Al’s Toy Barn. 

Hoolopee is no stranger to PS1 demakes either, although they’ve said this is the first non-game-related demake they’ve done, their YouTube channel is full of video game demakes from Elden Ring on PS1, to Resident Evil Village on PS1, and even Death Stranding on the classic PlayStation console. All of which look as blocky and choppy as they would have been back in the day. 

Did you enjoy Lightyear? Find out where it placed on our best Pixar movies list. 

Hope Bellingham
News Writer

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training.  My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.  

Read more
A Series of Unfortunate Events PS2 screenshot
I'm replaying my favorite obscure PS2 game and now I miss when movie tie-ins were the norm
Mara Forest walks in front of the Crow Country ticket booth in a piece of key art that retains the game's rounded low-poly visual style, but smashes together other elements of the theme park - such as a crow statue, gore puddles, dead trees, and explosive barrels - together in a way that isn't true of the actual space in-game, but conveys what to expect therein
Indie devs discuss why low-poly works so well for horror: "I actually think those limitations encourage weird, unique compromises"
Hand holding PS1 Mini console with red and green lights in backdrop
I spent the PlayStation 30th anniversary using a mini PS1 that nobody liked, but modding has turned it into something special
Europa
This indie mashup of Zelda and Studio Ghibli is gorgeous, though its creator didn't want to "mimic" the iconic animation studio, but to "find out what makes it special, and recreate those watercolor movies in a game"
The Legend of Dragoon
Beloved PS1 JRPG Legend of Dragoon wasn't meant to be a Final Fantasy 7 killer, Super Mario RPG's battle designer just said "I want to make a new RPG"
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing Yasuke kneeling and praying while wearing a traditional purple robe
Assassin's Creed Shadows is shown running on a Nintendo 3DS in an impressive bit of fan homebrew
Latest in Adventure
A screenshot shows Pokemon Legends: Z-A protagonists standing in a city at night.
Pokemon is a stealth game now: Pokemon Legends Z-A wants you to sneak attack trainers during its nighttime battle royale
Pokemon Legends: Z-A screenshot
Pokemon Legends: Z-A will allegedly introduce 27 new Mega Evolutions, leakers claim, and we can only hope Flygon gets its chance this time
Minecraft Vibrant Visuals
16 years after Minecraft first released it's getting a modern visual upgrade with a retro lighting trick that Mojang hasn't seen "in any other game"
Minecraft movie image of Jack Black as steve
Don't expect Minecraft to go free-to-play anytime soon, as Mojang says "It doesn't really work with the way we built it"
Putting cigarettes in fish mouths in Thank Goodness You're Here
Thank Goodness You're Here's developer says it was trying to design a game normally before realizing "we're s**t at video game design"
Shiny cards in Pokemon TCG Pocket
How to get Shiny Pokemon in Pokemon TCG Pocket
Latest in News
Everybody's Golf Hot Shots
The surprise theme of today's Nintendo Direct was classic PlayStation franchises getting a comeback without Sony's involvement
Hogwarts Legacy how many spells
Unannounced Hogwarts Legacy DLC reportedly canceled, partly because the studio wasn't sure it'd be worth players' money
Ultimate X-Men #14
Ultimate X-Men #14 pays homage to a classic Wolverine moment as the Shadow King returns
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing Yasuke kneeling and praying while wearing a traditional purple robe
Ubisoft reaches deal with Tencent to create $4.3 billion mini-Ubisoft subsidiary to "spearhead development" on new Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six games
Kaitlyn Dever as Abby in The Last Of Us season 2
The Last of Us showrunner says he isn't worried about fan reaction to season 2: "The best way we could respect our fans and honor them is to not worry about them"
Black Myth: Wukong
English is no longer the biggest language on Steam as Chinese gamers embrace PC gaming even harder after Black Myth: Wukong