When Lightyear came out, Chris Evans became the voice of Buzz Lightyear—a space ranger, a fictional astronaut presented as the character who inspired Andy to get the toy version. However, the film made Toy Story fans think that the iconic Tim Allen, who voiced the toy version in the beloved franchise, was being sidelined. That wasn’t the case, as he is set to return as Buzz inToy Story 5, and in a recent interview, Pixar director Andrew Stanton addressed the drama surrounding the IP spin-off.
Lightyear has no bearing on Buzz, the toy, says Stanton
Pixar’s 2022 film Lightyear did not feature Allen as Buzz Lightyear, and some fans were left confused and angry when Chris Evans voiced the real space ranger, who was the inspiration for the toy in Toy Story. “In 1995, a boy named Andy got a Buzz Lightyear toy for his birthday. It was from his favorite movie. This is that movie,” the title card of Lightyear read.
Allen said after the film’s release that it lacked a clear connection to the toy Buzz he played with for decades. Now, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Stanton, who is directing Toy Story 5, addressed the narrative head-on, saying that conversations with Allen were “never that uncomfortable.” He added that Allen handled it professionally.
“We talked early on. There was the talk before Lightyear was made, there was a talk after Lightyear was made, and he was way more professional about it than people probably would assume,” Pixar’s Vice President of Creative and a member of the studio’s Brain Trust said.
According to Stanton, Allen understood the creative distinction between the two versions of Buzz Lightyear and recognized that things change in the industry, with studios experimenting with new interpretations. From Pixar’s perspective, Lightyear had no bearing on Buzz, the toy, meaning Allen was never being replaced, and the 2022 film functioned as a standalone spin-off.
“He’d been in the business a long time, and he knows that things change, people try things. We were always clear that this has no bearing on Buzz, the toy. It will always be you until we can’t make it you, which, hopefully, we will always find a way that’s to your liking. So, no, it was never that uncomfortable, thank God,” he said.
Since Toy Story debuted in 1995, Tim Allen has been the voice behind Buzz Lightyear, the toy, and will return once again in Toy Story 5, which is set to hit theaters on June 19.
