Even Tom Hanks Doesn’t Understand Why Disney Replaced Tim Allen In ‘Lightyear’

The Academy Award-winning star Tom Hanks is just as confused as the rest of America is over Disney not casting Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear in the new movie Lightyear, which has since flopped at the box office with Chris Evans in the titular role.

Full Story: Tim Allen Gets The Last Laugh As ‘Lightyear’ Flops Without Him

Hanks Sounds Off

Hanks and Allen starred together was Woody and Buzz Lightyear in the 1995 movie Toy Story, and they continued to play these roles in the three sequels. When it came time to make Lightyear, however, Disney chose to cast the “woke” leftwing actor Evans as Buzz instead of the oftentimes openly conservative Allen.

“How about that?” Hanks lamented while appearing on CinemaBlend’s ReelBlend podcast. 

“Actually, I wanted to go head-to-head with Tim Allen [at the box office with Elvis] and then they didn’t let Tim Allen do it. I don’t understand that,” he continued. 

Hanks went on to talk about how grateful he is that after years of COVID-19 protocols, people can finally see movies in theaters again.

“I want to go back in the theater with a bunch of strangers and leave with something in common,’ Hanks said. “That’s what I want to do and, going to see a movie with [Tim Allen] – I’m looking forward to that.”

Related: Tom Hanks Loses It When Fan Knocks Over His Wife – ‘Back The F**k Off!’

Check out Hanks’ full comments on this below.

Allen Discusses ‘Lightyear’

Daily Mail reported that Allen, who is one of the few stars in Hollywood these days who openly voices conservative views, said that he was approached about doing a standalone Buzz Lightyear movie “many years ago” while taking part in a voiceover session. 

“But the brass from the first four movies is not this. This is a whole new team that really had nothing to do with the first movies,” Allen explained to Extra.

“I thought it was a live action thing with real humans – not an animated thing,” he added. “And really, it’s Hanks and I. There’s really no Toy Story, Buzz without Woody. I’m not sure what the idea… I’m a plot guy.”

“If this was done in 1997 it would seem to be a big adventure story,” Allen continued. “And as I see, it’s not a big adventure story. It’s a wonderful story, but 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.”

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

Watch Allen talk more about this in the video below.

Evans Responds To Backlash

Many have suspected that Disney recast Allen’s role because of his conservative views, something that is now taboo in this “woke” company. While promoting Lightyear, Evans attempted to respond to the backlash over the recasting by giving Allen credit at times.

“[Tim Allen] is Buzz Lightyear to me too – I grew up on these movies, so you certainly want to use it as a template,” Evans said. “And he did such a good job, I would be a fool to not absorb some of the choices. But at the same time you have to kind of make some kind of fresh track in the snow.”

Unfortunately for Evans and Disney, however, the public has shown little interest in this “fresh track in the snow.” The New York Post reported that Lightyear failed miserably at the box office, with audiences making it clear that they don’t want to see someone else other than Allen playing Buzz Lightyear. 

In the end, Hanks is right that it’s hard to understand why Disney would ever think that recasting this beloved role of Allen’s was a good idea. This should be a lesson to Disney that when you go woke, you just end up going broke.