The first official spin-off in a long while from the Toy Story universe, the first Toy Story related film since 2019’s Toy Story 4; and based on arguably the most popular character from the original quartet of films, Lightyear follows the origin story of everyone’s favorite space ranger action toy, Buzz Lightyear. The film was officially announced all the way back in 2020 (with the film being in development since 2016, after Finding Dory), along with a mini teaser trailer to accompany it. The film follows the namesake of the toy space ranger, Buzz Lightyear, as he and his crew try to make it back to Earth after getting stranded on an alien planet over four million light years away, while battling all sorts of different foes and creatures, including the ever-popular Zurg (played by Josh Brolin). A science fiction-inspired action flick, Lightyear will be an emotional tale for the character, along with providing nostalgia for older audiences and a new hero for a new generation.
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One of the biggest differences the Lightyear film is going to make, is having Captain America star Chris Evans voice the titular role, instead of original voice actor Tim Allen (The Santa Clause, Home Improvement). After Tim Allen said in an interview after the premiere of Toy Story 4 that he would like to come back and voice the character for a solo film, confusion ensued when it was revealed that Chris Evans would take over the role. But why did Chris Evans replace Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear? There seem to be a couple different reasons.
Directorial Decisions
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Given that the Buzz Lightyear of the Lightyear film is a completely different character than the Buzz Lightyear of the Toy Story franchise (Being completely human; while the former was a toy action figure), this is actor Chris Evans’ theory on why he was chosen for the role of Buzz Lightyear over Tim Allen. This allowed for director Angus Maclane (director of many popular Disney Pixar animated shorts) to make his own interpretation of the beloved space hero. Maclane has been on record saying that Chris Evans was always the one and only choice for the character for his upcoming film, and that he chose the actor based on “If they could play them in a live-action Lightyear movie".
Considering Chris Evans is in his prime at the young age of just forty years old, and Tim Allen is reaching sixty-eight years old, it’s not that far-fetched of casting criteria. Along with Chris Evans’ popularity, coming off a ten year stretch playing Marvel Studios Captain America, it should help the film gain a bigger audience, with having a universally enjoyed, big name star in the lead role.
Reasons from the Producer
ABC Studios
In an interview with Screenrant, producer Gayln Susman gave audiences a few different reasons for the recast of Evans over Allen. In that interview, Susman stated that Pixar wanted a “new voice” for Buzz Lightyear, one that had a “nice, rich sound, able to be both dramatic and comedic - and most importantly, he needed to be heroic without coming off as arrogant or dense.” This immediately led producers to contact Chris Evans, who had the qualifications to play that new voice, with his experience playing the superhero Captain America; the outspoken and caring leader of Marvel’s Avengers. Evans also had experience already in voice acting (Robot Chicken), which was another factor producers and executives wanted for the Lightyear film, and one that led them back to Chris Evans.
Initially, reactions were mixed and split when Chris Evans was announced to play Buzz Lightyear, rather than the iconic Tim Allen. One of the more viral tweets even used a classic Lightyear saying to criticize the studios move: “Hold the phone… there’s a Buzz Lightyear movie coming out and @ofctimallen isn’t Buzz?!?! ‘There seems to be no sign of intelligent life anywhere.’” (@KayAmity on Twitter). Another tweet said: “There’s only one Buzz Lightyear, and that’s Tim Allen”. But, as the film has gotten closer and closer to its release date, and the casting decision having had time to settle the dust around its landing, fans and everyone alike have warmed up to the sentiment of a new, younger, exciting voice playing the action hero. Especially with rumors that Tim Allen could return to voice the Lightyear action figure in a potential Toy Story 5 movie.
Disney Pixar Studios’ Lightyear premieres this Summer on June 17th, 2022. Directed by Angus Maclane, starring Chris Evans as Buzz Lightyear, Josh Brolin as Zurg, Keke Palmer as Izzy Hawthorne, as part of a huge star-studded cast. Lightyear is a prequel movie following the exploits of Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear, on whom the action figure is based. With aliens, emotions, and more; Lightyear should be a critical and commercial success for Disney Pixar Studios.
