I don’t think anyone can deny that Tim Allen’s voice as Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story is iconic. As soon as you hear “To infinity and beyond,” you immediately think of him. So why is Tim Allen not the voice of Buzz in Lightyear? It’s simple. They are two different characters.
We always see Buzz in Toy Story as a toy. In Lightyear, Buzz is a human being who is a Space Ranger. This is the movie that Andy watched.
Director Angus MacLane said the idea for Lightyear “came to me as I’ve always wanted to tell or know about the backstory of the Space Rangers and Star Command and Buzz Lightyear.” After making Dory, he wanted to do another fun film. He thought, “why don’t we just make that movie like a cool sci-fi movie. And I pitched it just like that. What was the movie that Andy saw that made him want a Buzz Lightyear figure? Why don’t we just make that movie, just make something awesome and simple like that, with all of the nerdy, geeky, like sci-fi goodness that we want to see in the movie, just make the Buzz Lightyear Movie.”
That’s where Chris Evans comes in. It’s no disrespect to Tim Allen. In fact, Evans is a huge Disney fan. Chris Evans is the real Space Ranger whereas Tim Allen is the voice of the toy. They are two separate characters. MacLane even confirmed that the movie Andy saw is a live-action movie, not an animated one.
Pixar’s Lightyear even breaks it down on Twitter.
In 1995, Andy got a toy from his favorite movie…
…this is that movie.See #Lightyear only in theaters beginning Friday. pic.twitter.com/CRtqMIiKVJ
— Pixar’s Lightyear (@PixarsLightyear) June 14, 2022
Why is Chris Evans the Voice of Lightyear?
Producer Galyn Susman explains, “Tim Allen is Buzz Lightyear the toy, and he’s the embodiment of Buzz Lightyear the toy. We weren’t making a Toy Story movie. We’re making Buzz Lightyear’s movie, the Lightyear movie. And so first and foremost, we just needed to have a different person playing that Lightyear, separate from the toy. And then you’re looking at taking a side character and making them the protagonist of his own movie. So you need somebody who’s going to be very well-rounded. You need somebody who can do drama and comedy, comedy that doesn’t undercut the stakes of the character.”
And naturally that was Chris Evans.
Chris Evans does an outstanding job in Lightyear, allowing Buzz to be a more complex character. If you’re wondering about age recommendations for the film, check out this Lightyear Parents Guide.
And after you watch the film, enjoy these free Lightyear Coloring Pages for the kiddos to color!
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