Admittedly, Lightyear hasn't been the easiest sell. Namely, the Pixar spin-off has had trouble explaining to general audiences that the Buzz Lightyear featured at the front of this animated blockbuster isn't the toy, voiced by Tim Allen, that we all grew to love in the Toy Story series but rather the main character at the center of Lightyear, Andy's favorite film from 1995.
Having Chris Evans lend his voice to the role was Pixar's way of differentiating the two Buzz Lightyears. But the A-list casting change has ultimately caused more uproar and confusion than anticipated, resulting in an animated feature that hasn't earned praise nor widespread attendance — as made evident by its lackluster critical reception and box office receipts.
To add insult to injury, both Allen and now Tom Hanks, who voiced Woody, have spoken out against the recent movie, claiming that they don't really understand why the former wasn't invited back into the voice booth. As Hanks noted during a recent CinemaBlend interview, he was confused, like many people, as to why Evans was playing the part of Buzz Lightyear over Allen and joked that he was excited to go head-to-head with Allen with his own summer blockbuster, Elvis, which premiered this past June, before this casting change derailed plans. Though Hanks maintains his casual, conversational attitude in this interview, it is the first time that Hanks has addressed the roster change that occurred with this Toy Story-adjacent feature, and it doesn't sound like he's all that enthused with the direction they decided to take.
'Lightyear' Wouldn't Have Worked With Tim Allen As Buzz
Nevertheless, as Hanks noted shortly thereafter, he isn't too upset as long as people are still going back to theaters, and the award-winning actor is looking forward to the day that Allen can be at the center of a big movie again. But, alas, despite his gentle competitive ribbing of Allen, Hanks is affectionate towards his frequent collaborator and doesn't comprehend the thought process behind Lightyear's big switch-up.
Here's what Hanks said:
How about that? I actually wanted to go head-to-head with Tim Allen and then they didn’t let Tim Allen do it. I don’t understand that ... Here’s the thing: I want to go back in the theater with a bunch of strangers and leave with something in common. That’s what I want to do and, going to see a movie with [Allen] — I’m looking forward to that.
Along with Hanks speaking out about Lightyear's semi-controversial casting change, Allen also recently addressed this decision. Per his admission, the Last Man Standing lead actor opted to stay "out of this [movie] 'cause it has nothing to do" with his version of Buzz Lightyear. Allen says that this is something that they talked about "many years ago," as it came up in "one of the sessions." While Allen admitted that it would be "a fun movie," he also noted that the "brass that did the first four movies," likely referring to John Lasseter, wouldn't be involved. Rather, it was "a whole new team that really had nothing to do with the first movies." He also confessed that he thought Lightyear would be live-action, not animated, hence it wouldn't directly involve him. The comic also later noted that "there's no Toy Story's Buzz without" Tom Hanks' Woody. Allen also admitted that, while it had a "wonderful story," it has "no relation" to his Buzz.
Here's Allen's quote to Extra:
The short answer is I've stayed out of this 'cause it has nothing to do [with my Buzz Lightyear]... We talked about this many years ago. It came up in one of the sessions. I said, 'What a fun movie that would be.' And we spoke about it. But the brass that did the first four movies ... it's a whole new team that had nothing to do with the first movies... There's really no Toy Story's Buzz without [Tom] Hanks.... I'm a plot guy, and this was done in 1997. It would seem to be a big adventure story, and as I see it, it's not a big adventure story. It's a wonderful story; it just doesn't seem to have any connection to the toy. So, I dunno ... It has no relation to Buzz. It has no connection. I wish it had a better connection.
While Lightyear hasn't been derided in, say, a Cars 2 way, it's apparent that audiences aren't responding to this newly-released Toy Story spin-off, resulting in its underwhelming critical/commercial reception. Fingers will always be pointed in different directions, but when it comes down to it, this isn't the Buzz that audiences grew up with — even though it's the one that Andy saw and loved on the big screen. As Hanks and Allen have both noted above, this Buzz had big space boots to fill. I guess one can say that there are ultimately some major limits when it comes to "infinity and beyond."
Lightyear is currently playing in theaters.