Tom Hanks finally speaks about Tim Allen's exclusion from ‘Lightyear’
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - JUNE 08: In this Handout provided by Disney Resorts, Stars from DisneyPixars Toy Story 4 Woody (in costume), Tom Hanks (2nd-L), Tim Allen (2nd-R) and Buzz Lightyear (in costume) appear with characters from the film inside Toy Story Land at Disneys Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort on June 8, 2019 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (Photo by Matt Stroshane/Disney Resorts via Getty Images)
When news broke that Captain America star Chris Evans would be replacing Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear in Pixar’s new prequel-spinoff Lightyear movie, fans of the long-running franchise didn’t understand why.
It turns out Tom Hanks, who has voiced the main character Woody in the franchise since the first film in 1995, doesn’t understand why either.
Speaking with CinemaBlend, Tom first remarked on how Lightyear is playing opposite Elvis (in which he stars as Col. Tom Parker) and how it would have been interesting for him and Tim Allen to have competing movies.
“How about that?” Hanks said. “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.”
When asked about the Knives Out actor replacing the Home Improvement star, Tom said, “Yeah, yeah, I know. Here’s the thing: I want to go back in the theatre 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 him — I’m looking forward to that.”
For his part, Tim Allen seems to understand somewhat the thinking behind the recast. He told Extra on June 29, "The brass that did the first four movies is not (involved). This is a whole new team that really had nothing to do with the first movies."
"I thought it was live-action. When they said they were doing a live-action, that it would mean real humans, not an animated thing," The Santa Clause star continued.
He also criticized the new incarnation for not involving Tom Hanks’ Woody. "Really, Hanks and I, well, there's really no Toy Story, no Buzz without Woody," he said.
“(Lightyear) is not a big adventure story. It's a wonderful story, it just doesn't seem to have any connection to the toy It's just no connection. I wish there was a better connection," he concluded.
For his part, Chris Evans has been very clear from the start that he is not replacing Tim Allen- rather that he is voicing the origin story behind the toy, not the actual toy.
In 2020 when the prequel spinoff was announced, he tweeted, “And just to be clear, this isn’t Buzz Lightyear the toy. This is the origin story of the human Buzz Lightyear that the toy is based on.”
Back in June, he appeared on Good Morning America to further praise his Buzz predecessor. “Look, Tim Allen is Buzz Lightyear. What he did in those movies is so iconic and so loved, and I’d be a fool not to incorporate some of his choices into this role,” he said.
“The character in this movie is the human version that the toy is based off of, so it makes sense to have a little bit of overlap, luckily for me,” he continued. “What Tim Allen did was pretty untouchable.”
Some in Hollywood have not taken the news too kindly. Everybody Loves Raymond star Patricia Heaton, who is friends with Allen, tweeted, “Saw the trailer for Buzz Lightyear and all I can say is Disney/Pixar made a HUGE mistake in not casting my pal @ofctimallen Tim Allen in the role that he originated, the role that he owns. Tim IS Buzz! Why would they completely castrate this iconic, beloved character?”
She then added, “The reason the character became so beloved is because of what [Allen] created. Why remove the one element that makes us want to see it? #stupidHollywooddecisions.”
Lightyear is in theatres now.
