Pixar's Excuse For Replacing Tim Allen's Buzz Is Also Why Lightyear Fails

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Pixar Animation Studios decided to replace Tim Allen as the titular character for Lightyear, and their excuse for doing so explains why the movie is failing to connect with audiences as readily as other Toy Story films. Changing anything, no matter how big or small, about a beloved pop culture icon is always a tricky prospect. As Lightyear director Angus MacLane states in the behind-the-scenes documentary Beyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear, "the stakes are even higher when you're taking a beloved character like Buzz Lightyear, and you're reimagining him."

Much has been made about how Lightyear is meant to be the big-budget blockbuster that inspired the Buzz Lightyear action figure from the original Toy Story. This idea certainly fed into recasting Buzz Lightyear according to Lightyear director Angus MacLane, who remains adamant that Evans was his one and only choice to play Buzz due to Lightyear being a spin-off Toy Story movie and not technically a prequel or direct continuation of the franchise that Allen's Buzz existed in. MacLane likely felt compelled to provide his reasons for replacing Tim Allen's Buzz after many fans were quick to theorize that Buzz Lightyear was recast in Lightyear due to Tim Allen's recent political stances and controversies.

Related: Lightyear's Zurg Twist Repeats Disney's Worst Movie Villain Cliché

However, MacLane clearly explains (via Vanity Fair) that Pixar wanted a more grounded take on Buzz for the film: «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's serious and ambitious and funny, but not in a goofy way that would undercut the drama. Chris Evans has the gravitas and that