OpEd: Disney was Right to not Cast Tim Allen as Buzz in ‘Lightyear’

Over the past few days, it seems that social media is still up in arms about the casting choice for Disney/Pixar’s Lightyear. Tim Allen, the legendary actor/comedian, brought everybody’s favorite Space Ranger, Buzz Lightyear, to life in Pixar’s first computer-animated feature film, Toy Story, and he has been the voice of Buzz in all subsequent movie appearances. That is, until now.

For over a year, fans have known that Disney and Pixar Animation Studios cast Marvel star Chris Evans to play Buzz Lightyear in the character’s origin story. But, it appears that on the eve of the film’s theatrical release, there is another push to stand by Tim Allen spearheaded by actress Patricia Heaton who said,

Saw the trailer for Buzz Lightyear and all I can say is Disney/Pixar made a HUGE mistake in not casting my pal @ofctimallen 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?

Saw the trailer for Buzz Lightyear and all I can say is Disney/Pixar made a HUGE mistake in not casting my pal @ofctimallen 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?

— Patricia Heaton (@PatriciaHeaton) June 14, 2022

She is right that Tim Allen is Buzz Lightyear, but he is Buzz Lightyear, the action figure. Tim Allen is the toy. Chris Evans is playing the actor.

Despite it being WAY too “modern” of a story to actually pass as an action movie from the early 90s (there’s no way we would have seen any LGBTQ+ content in a kid-friendly movie back then), Pixar has framed Lightyear as a movie Andy from Toy Story saw as a kid. It was his fascination with the movie that inspired his mom to get him the toy for his birthday in 1995.

Anybody who grew up in the 80s, and 90s, would remember that it was not the norm for the actual actors to play the role outside of the movie. That is a relatively new thing! The character was almost always recast for any television spinoff, and a sound-alike voice would do the action figures. And even if the producers got the original actor to do the voice for the toys, the sound systems back then were not that clear and came off sounding like someone else.

Disney/Pixar’s Lightyear is already packed with points of debate. But, from where I am sitting and viewing the movie in the context it is supposedly meant to be seen, recasting Buzz Lightyear is one of the few things that makes sense.

Related: Speculation: Were ‘Little Green Men’ too ‘Problematic’ for Pixar’s ‘Lightyear’?

Disney/Pixar’s Lightyear debuts in theaters on Friday, June 17.

Disclaimer: The opinions in this article are the writer’s and may not reflect the sentiments of Disney Fanatic as a whole.