The original voice of Buzz Lightyear, Tim Allen, has spoken about Disney Pixar’s latest variation of the character for the first time.
Allen, 69, said he had so made a conscious effort to avoid talking about Lightyear, after voicing the iconic space ranger throughout the Toy Story franchise that inspired the new film.
But on Thursday he said the Buzz in Lightyear – voiced by Captain America Chris Evans – had “nothing to do” with the original character.
“This is a whole new team that really had nothing to do with the first movies,” he told Extra.
“The short answer is I’ve stayed out of this ’cause it has nothing to do [with the toy].”
The Buzz Lightyear voice actor said that while the new movie had “a wonderful story, it just doesn’t seem to have any connection to the toy”.
“I wish there was a better connection,” Allen said.
“There’s really no Toy Story Buzz without Woody.”
The actor revealed he thought the new film would be a live-action movie with “real humans”, and “not an animated thing”.
Lightyear, released in June, is posed as a prequel to Toy Story, delving into Buzz’s early adventures as a space ranger.
Before and after the film’s release, fans of the original films called out Disney for replacing Allen as the voice of Buzz. Among the critics was Everybody Loves Raymond star and friend of Allen, Patricia Heaton.
“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,” she tweeted in June.
“Tim Allen in the role that he originated, the role that he owns. Tim IS Buzz! Why would they completely castrate this iconic, beloved character?”
Meanwhile, Evans has previously gushed over Allen’s portrayals of the character, saying the original voice actor is synonymous with Lightyear.
“Look, Tim Allen is Buzz Lightyear,” he told Good Morning America in June.
“What he did in those movies is so iconic and so loved, and I’d be a fool not to incorporate some of his choices into this role.
“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.
Evans continued: “What Tim Allen did was pretty untouchable.”
