Lightyear: Tom Hanks doesn’t understand why Tim Allen wasn’t brought back for the Toy Story spinoff

Add Tom Hanks to the list of people that don’t understand why Tim Allen wasn’t asked to return to voice the titular character in the Toy Story spinoff, Lightyear. Fans don’t seem to be responding to the film as its box office continues to tumble faster than other Pixar efforts and Patricia Heaton recently voiced her frustration as well. Hanks, who voiced Woody in four Toy Story films alongside Tim Allen, also seems perplexed about the exclusion.

During a chat with CinemaBlend, Hanks spoke on how his current film Elvis and Lightyear are both playing in theaters. Hanks says he would’ve liked a little friendly competition with Tim Allen had he been asked to return for Lightyear. While the actor doesn’t understand the voice swap, he is happy that people are simply returning to the movies again:

“How about that? Actually, I wanted to go head-to-head with Tim Allen and then they didn’t let Tim Allen do it. I don’t understand that. Here’s the thing – just as long as people come back to the motion picture theater. I want to go back in the theatre with a bunch of strangers and leave with something in common. That’s what I want to do and, going to see a movie with him [Allen] – I’m looking forward to that.”

The Buzz in Lightyear is a different character than the one featured in the Toy Story franchise. Tim Allen’s take on the character is that of a toy that belongs to Andy and is based on the action hero, now voiced by Chris Evans, of a fictional movie that Andy saw as a kid which made him want the toy. Director Angus MacLane explained it by saying, “Tim’s version of Buzz is a little goofier and is a little dumber, and so he is the comic relief. 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.”

Tim Allen himself spoke out about this just recently and he said he talked with the Toy Story team about making a movie similar to Lightyear many years ago but he wasn’t a part of the official discussions for what the spinoff eventually turned into. The actor said he wasn’t really upset about the recasting of the role but he did wish that it had a better connection to the Toy Story franchise. The actor said, “There’s really no Toy Story Buzz without Woody, so I’m not sure what would be the idea. I’m a plot guy… It’s a wonderful story. It just doesn’t seem to have any connection to the toy. It has no relationship to Buzz. It’s just no connection, I wish there was a better connection.”

Do YOU think Tim Allen should’ve been brought back for Lightyear like maybe Tom Hanks does?