Tom Hanks is questioning why Pixar replaced Tim Allen as the voice of Buzz Lightyear in the new film "Lightyear."
Allen first voiced the beloved character in the first "Toy Story" film in 1995 and returned for three sequels in 1999, 2010, and 2019. So, many were surprised when it was announced that it would be Chris Evans, and not Allen, who would be lending his voice to Buzz in the "Toy Story" spinoff. Hanks, who is known as the voice of Woody, was among those wondering about Pixar's decision.
When asked if it was "strange to be in theatres opposite a Buzz Lightyear film," he told CinemaBlend: "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."
When it was commented that it was Evans in the role, he 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," he said. "That's what I want to do and, going to see a movie with [Allen] – I'm looking forward to that."
Last month Allen addressed why he was not voicing Buzz in "Lightyear" with Extra, saying that the idea of the spinoff was discussed with him in the past, but it never came to fruition.
"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," he said.
"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," Allen continued. He also criticized the film for not having a Woody character.
"Really, Hanks and I, well, there's really no 'Toy Story' Buzz without Woody," he said.
Evans meanwhile, has defended his role while praising Allen during an interview with USA Today.
"The reason we're doing this movie is because Tim Allen made such an iconic impact," Evans told the outlet shortly before the June 17 premiere of "Lightyear." "Not only would you be a fool to not take his interpretation because it worked so well, but the truth is this character is in fact the human version of that toy, so there does need to be overlap in terms of their cadence and nature."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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