The Pixar Legend You Likely Didn't Know Voiced Sox In Lightyear
As the first Pixar movie to premiere in theaters since the start of the pandemic, fans are understandably hyped to see "Lightyear" when it hits theaters on June 17. Raising the buzz even further is the film's relation to a beloved Pixar classic, "Toy Story." "Lightyear" will follow the rise of Buzz Lightyear, the heroic Space Ranger who would later be immortalized as a children's toy.
Additional excitement stems from the movie's star-studded cast, which includes Keke Palmer, Taika Waititi, and Chris Evans as Buzz Lightyear himself. In addition to tapping A-listers for lead roles, the animation studio continues to employ a deep roster of seasoned voice actors, as well as some unlikely cast members. In the role of Sox, Buzz's robotic feline companion, Pixar looked to one of its longtime collaborators, who is known not only for his expressive voice work. For longtime Pixar fans, the actor who voiced Sox might ring a bell.
Pixar animator Peter Sohn voices Sox
Sox is played by Peter Sohn, who has worked for Pixar Animation Studios since 2003, although he didn't start contributing voice work until later. Sohn is trained as an animator and storyboard artist and lent his technical craft to "Finding Nemo," "The Incredibles," "Ratatouille," "Wall-E," "Up," and "Toy Story 3." Sohn eventually grew into directing and producing roles at Pixar, helming his first feature "The Good Dinosaur" in 2015 and serving as an executive producer for "Luca" in 2021.
Sohn first began voicing characters for Pixar in 2004, when, per his IMDb, he contributed additional voices to "The Incredibles." Since then, he's voiced Emile in "Ratatouille" and Squishy in "Monsters University." Sox, however, marks his most prominent voice acting role to date.
The Pixar veteran was an easy choice when it came to casting Sox, says "Lightyear" director Angus MacLane. "He was our scratch voice, or temporary voice, for the character," MacLane told Beyond The Trailer. But Sohn won over the producers with his performance, as well as his warm demeanor as a collaborator. "He's so funny and so endearing. The way that everybody feels about Sox is the way that we feel about Peter."
MacLane went on to share that Sohn was the inspiration behind Russell in "Up," though playing the youngster would have presented its share of problems. Says MacLane, Sohn would have voiced Russell "if he didn't sound like a 35-year-old dude." Luckily, Sohn's voice works just fine for a robot cat.