Chris Evans Responds To 'Lightyear' Criticism, Says 'Tim Allen Is Buzz Lightyear'

Ever since Disney revealed that Marvel actor Chris Evans is the voice of animated character Buzz Lightyear in the film "Lightyear," there have been endless controversies concerning his casting. Most of the criticism stemmed from the fact that some fans felt the original voice of Buzz, Tim Allen, should have been cast for the new movie.

69-year-old Allen famously voiced the Buzz Lightyear character in all four "Toy Story" films, from 1995 to 2019. Many fans expected that he would voice Buzz in the new movie or at least be involved with the project. Despite all the criticism, Evans has made it clear that he loves and admires Allen and his work.

Regardless, many fans and critics, like actress Patricia Heaton have shared their criticism of Disney's choices for the film on social media. Their opinion is that Disney "castrated" Allen by skipping over him. Read on to find out more.

During a recent "Good Morning America" interview, Evans spoke about what it has been like to voice Buzz. He said, "My younger version would have just been pinching himself. The "Captain America" actor stressed that he had been a fan of all Disney and Pixar films since he was a kid and also said he was a fan of the "untouchable" Allen.

Evans also admitted that before he agreed to take on the "Lightyear" role, he thoroughly studied Allen's work on all four "Toy Story" films to get a deeper idea of the character. He said, "Look, Tim Allen is Buzz Lightyear. What he did in those movies is so iconic and loved, and I'd be a fool not to incorporate some of his choices into this role."

The "Knives Out" actor also spoke about the difference between his version of Buzz and Allen's version. 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. What Tim Allen did was pretty untouchable.

When the criticism heightened, the film's executives also clarified the difference in the Buzz characters. According to Yahoo, "Lightyear" producer Galyn Susman said, "Tim Allen is Buzz Lightyear the toy. We weren't making a 'Toy Story' movie. We're making Buzz Lightyear's movie."

Director Angus MacLane also explained further during an interview with Vanity Fair. He said, "In this film, Buzz is the action hero. He's serious and ambitious and funny, but not in a goofy way that would undercut the drama. Chris Evans has the gravitas and that movie-star quality that our character needed to separate him and the movie from Tim's version of the toy in 'Toy Story.'"

https://twitter.com/PatriciaHeaton/status/1536737444804034561?s=20&t=7fATOUYzZb-Ln4k5PTg4hg

Heaton made it clear she thought Disney was very wrong for not casting Allen or involving him in the project. On Tuesday, she tweeted at the studio and wrote, "Saw the trailer for Buzz Lightyear and all I can say is Disney/Pixar made a HUGE mistake in not casting my pal Tim Allen in the role that he originated, the role that he owns." 

The Emmy winner continued, "Tim IS Buzz! Why would they completely castrate this iconic, beloved character?" Some of her fans supported her statements and insisted that Disney snubbed Allen because of his popular conservative views.

One such comment read, "Disney makes ALL decisions with political implications in mind. Tim Allen is conservative so no longer suitable for hire in a Disney production. Stop with the 'this is not the toy' or other spin. You know and I know why Allen didn't voice Buzz."

After a lot of replies defending Disney for picking Evans and pointing out the difference in the Buzz characters, Heaton posted a follow-up tweet. She wrote, "OK, so the current Buzz Lightyear movie is an origin story — but the reason the character became so beloved is because of what [Tim Allen] created. Why remove the one element that makes us want to see it?"

Heaton's initial tweet quickly went viral and generated a lot of responses and thoughts about the Allen/Evans controversy. One commenter wrote, "Do people not pay attention? Tim Allen's Buzz is a toy based off of a person. Chris Evan's Buzz is the real person that inspired the toy. The movie is about Buzz Lightyear the Person, not Andy's toy."

New York Times Writer Wajahat Ali also shared his opinion under Heaton's tweet and said, "Tim Allen is a multi-millionaire with a Disney+ project in the works. Life is very good for him. All shall be well."