Patricia Heaton Blasts Disney For Not Casting Tim Allen As Buzz Lightyear

Patricia Heaton of “Everybody Loves Raymond” fame took to Twitter on Tuesday to slam Disney and Pixar for not casting him in the role of Buzz Lightyear in the new movie Lightyear, which you can check out a trailer for below.

Allen Gets Recast

Though Allen originated the role of Buzz Lightyear in the classic Pixar movie Toy Story, Chris Evans was cast in the role in this new movie. Coincidentally, Evans is 28 years younger than Allen to the day, with each of them celebrating birthdays yesterday. 

Heaton Sounds Off

Heaton did not take the recasting well, and she let her feelings be known on Twitter today. 

“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,” she wrote. “Tim IS Buzz! Why would they completely castrate this iconic, beloved character?”

Here’s Why Allen Was Recast

Last week, Lightyear director Angus MacLane explained that casting Evans instead of Allen was intentional on the part of the filmmakers. 

“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 told Vanity Fair. “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,” MacLane added.

Related: Tim Allen Punctuates Anti-Russia Rant With ‘F-Putin’ – Calls For Prayers For Ukraine

Evans Discusses Allen

Evans himself was quick to praise Allen for his original portrayal of the role, saying that he used “Allen as a guideline”.

“I’d be a fool not to acknowledge the work he did,” he said. “But I couldn’t just do a shameless impression. I had to somehow create my own understanding of the character, and try to make some fresh tracks in the snow while paying homage to the great work that he did.”

“Eventually I felt comfortable enough to make my own interpretation, and part of that was lowering the tone of my voice,” Evans continued. “I basically have to lower the register of my voice in everything that I do.”

Related: Tim Allen Teaches Liberals A Brutal Lesson About Capitalism On ‘Last Man Standing’

Evans doubled down in another interview, saying that Allen “is Buzz Lightyear to me too – I grew up on these movies.”

“So, you certainly want to use it as a template…And he did such a good job, I would be a fool to not absorb some of the choices,” he continued, according to Daily Mail. “But at the same time you have to kind of make some kind of fresh track in the snow.”

Disney And Pixar Hit With Backlash

Unfortunately for Evans, Disney, and Pixar, however, many fans agree with Heaton on this situation.

Allen has long been open about his conservative views, which likely didn’t sit well with the “woke” executives over at Disney and Pixar. With backlash over his recasting only growing online, however, they should not be surprised if Lightyear ends up being a massive flop.