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Lightyear is the latest film in Disney‘s Toy Story franchise. The movie boasts a cast of award-winning actors. And after hearing the voice of Mo Morrison, some fans may wonder why he sounds so familiar. 

So who plays Mo Morrison in ‘Lightyear’? 

Chris Evans, Keke Palmer, Major Tim Peake, and Taika Waititi attend the Lightyear UK Premiere
Lightyear stars Chris Evans, Keke Palmer, Major Tim Peake, and Taika Waititi | Dave J Hogan/Getty Images

Taika Waititi plays Mo Morrison in Lightyear. The New Zealand actor, director, and filmmaker is connected to dozens of blockbuster projects. 

Waititi rose to fame in 2003, when he landed an Academy Award nomination for his film, Two Cars, One Night. In 2017, he made his Marvel Cinematic Universe directorial debut with Thor: Ragnarok and appeared in the film as Korg. He went on to direct Thor: Love and Thunder. His character, Korg, was also featured in Avengers: Endgame. 

Outside of the MCU, Waititi directed the Academy Award-winning movie, Jojo Rabbit. For the comedy-drama war film, he also portrayed Adolf Hitler and picked up an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.

He also directed and starred in the Star Wars spinoff series, The Mandalorian. His performance as IG-11 earned him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance. 

Waititi has appeared in several popular projects over the years as an actor. Some of his more recent work includes Free Guy, The Suicide Squad, and Our Flag Means Death. 

Who is Taika Waititi’s ‘Lightyear’ character, Mo Morrison? 

In Lightyear, Waititi is Mo Morrison, a Junior Zap Patrol recruit who works alongside Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear (Chris Evans). The character, who is a new addition to the Toy Story franchise, is ambitious but cautious. 

But after inadvertently being thrown into battle, Mo learns to overcome his fears. And he joins Buzz, Izzy (Keke Palmer), and Darby (Dale Soules) in defeating Zurg and his evil army of robots. 

Taika Waititi admits he was confused about ‘Lightyear’ 

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Lightyear tells the story of Buzz Lightyear, but not the one from the Toy Story movies. The original Buzz is a toy, and this new one is supposed to be the hero Space Ranger Andy admired enough to buy the toy. 

Admittedly, the premise was confusing for Waititi at first. But eventually, he felt the film turned out great. 

“I was honored to be asked,” Waititi told Cinema Blend. “It didn’t take much to convince me except just hearing the word ‘Lightyear’ and knowing that Chris was going to do it. And they were wonderful.”

“Again, I went in and I knew nothing,” he recalled. “I was reading scenes and then halfway through trying to figure out, still, what was going on. What the scene was following. Despite that, you know, it all works, and it’s a great film.”

When talking about how he got into the character of Mo Morrison, Waititi told Comicbook.com that he relied on his inner kid. “I think it’s all I’ve got,” he said. “I think they’re all I’ve got is my inner child.” 

The 46-year-old explained, “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.”

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