WHAT IF BUZZ LIGHTYEAR WAS REAL? 3D artist RAONI NERY of Seagulls Fly Studio in Rio de Janeiro has untooned the little toy that aspires to infinity. Really neat idea and execution, though we’ve seen this before with Pixeloo’s artwork (Homer Simpson, Jessica Rabbit, Stewie and Mario).

The artistic style reminds me of Half-Life 2 renderings, though Nery himself says he was inspired more by the Terran units in Starcraft. They do share similarities–especially in regard to their armor design, never mind the fatty cheeks and Leno-esque jaw–don’t they?

So it got me thinking. Toy Story was released in 1995, and Starcraft in 1998. Could it be…that Blizzard’s lead designer Chris Metzen was in fact INFLUENCED BY PIXAR’S CUDDLY TALE OF PLAYTHING FRIENDSHIP?!?!? That, and Starship Troopers, obviously. Or, to be even more conspiratory, perhaps Starcraft is in fact an unspoken SEQUEL to Toy Story. Whoa.

I mean, what do we really know about Buzz, really? He was placed in hypersleep before embarking on his mission, which is left unexplained. And to whom does he report? The Intergalactic Alliance. That sort of diction isn’t too far off from “United Earth Directorate”. That’s right, you remember now — the hardline international Terran government in Starcraft which decided to solve Mother Earth’s issue of overpopulation by creating a space colonization program. UED as the IA’s future variant — following some incident of interspecial disagreement, perhaps? The plot thickens.

Imperialist bastards — we’ve learned of Buzz’s real colors. But his bravery, courage and displays of genuine friendship in Toy Story  suggest he is of better character than any Terran bigwig. Clearly he hasn’t been subject to the harsh realities of the neo-colonial initiative yet — the wanton slaughter, the drone of a Protoss blade, the scythed air by a Zergling claw. Buzz is still green, merely a pawn in a larger political game.

But don’t take my word for it. I present my gloriously edited image of a Marine unit in Starcraft II, currently in beta testing:

A paintjob and a couple of Zerg-infested skirmishes ought to do it. I rest my case.

Check out more of Nery’s work at CGSociety. As for my fabulous editing work — well, as always, you can find that right here, yours truly, sealed with a kiss.

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