‘Lightyear’ Causes Political Debate Over Recasting [Video]

Toy Story’s character Buzz Lightyear is getting his own stand-alone movie. Within days of the trailer being released, some are wondering why Tim Allen appears to have been replaced as the voice of the fan-favorite character.

The trailer for the film was released Wednesday. As of Friday, Oct. 29, 2021, the trailer has racked up eight million-plus views on YouTube. The animated prequel follows a real-life Buzz before he was the toy that audiences know and love. This Buzz and his space adventures will be the main focus of the film, according to Variety. He is the real-life inspiration for the toy seen in the Toy Story film series.

The trailer opens with a shot of a launchpad, the ship about to lift off into space. Viewers see Lightyear suit up and readying himself for another mission into unknown territory. David Bowie’s “Starman” can be heard in the trailer as Buzz travels to alien planets. He is joined by a robot companion as they learn about the new environments on his mission. There is even a moment where he sets his eyes upon the iconic green and white Buzz Lightyear suit near the end. The trailer reignited some vigor in fans of the Toy Story franchise, but it was not the only topic of discussion around the film.

Confusion Over Buzz’ Casting

Buzz only spoke once throughout the duration of the trailer. The voice sounded noticeably different to some fans. This led many to believe that Allen, the voice of Buzz for the previous four films, was replaced. It turns out that the misunderstanding is the identity of the main character in the “Lightyear.” Allen played the toy character from the earlier films and Disney’s Pixar has announced his departure as of the time of this writing. Chris Evans, known for his role as Captain America in Marvel films, is not replacing him. He is set to play the real-life Buzz.

Evans confirmed this on Twitter last year. He tweeted “just to be clear, this is not Buzz Lightyear the toy,” according to the Independent. He also added that “this is the origin story of the human Buzz Lightyear that the toy is based on.”

“Lightyear” was first announced in 2020 and is set to be released on June 17, 2022. Angus MacLane is slated to be directing. Pixar has yet to reveal more of the cast as of the time of this writing.

Written by Chiagozie Onyewuchi
Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware

Sources:

Variety: Buzz Lightyear Gets an Origin Story With Chris Evans in Pixar’s ‘Lightyear’ Trailer; by Jordan Moreau
The Independent: Chris Evans responds to Buzz Lightyear confusion over ‘replacing’ Tim Allen in Toy Story spin-off; by Adam White

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Gage Skidmore’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Eddie~S’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License