Why Tom Hanks Was Upset Over Tim Allen’s Buzz ‘Lightyear’ Snub

Actor Tim Allen’s absence from the “Lightyear” movie left many “Toy Story” fans disappointed, including his former co-star Tom Hanks.

Allen voiced the character of astronaut Buzz Lightyear alongside Hanks, who voiced a cowboy named Woody, in the previous four “Toy Story” films.

However, when Pixar decided to use “Lightyear” as an origin film about what inspired the popular toy, the studio tapped Chris Evans to voice the character rather than having Allen reprise his role.

Hanks recently addressed Allen’s absence from the animated film in an interview with CinemaBlend. Although the interview took place last week, Hanks’ response began circulating online Wednesday.

During the conversation, Hanks was asked how he felt about the release of his film “Elvis” competing against “Lightyear” in theaters.

“How about that?” Hanks said, appearing confused about the circumstances. “Actually, I wanted to go head-to-head with Tim Allen, and then they didn’t let Tim Allen do it. I don’t understand that.”

When the interviewer reminded him that Evans was a popular actor, Hanks acknowledged his star power and reflected on the experience of watching films in theaters.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know,” Hanks replied. “But here’s the thing: Just as long as people come back to the motion picture theater. I want to go back into the theater with a bunch of strangers and leave with something in common. That’s what I want to do.”

Last week, Allen also spoke out about his absence from the “Lightyear” during an interview with entertainment news show "Extra." “The short answer is I’ve stayed out of this ’cause it has nothing to do [with my Buzz Lightyear],” Allen said at the time.

The sitcom star also noted that the new film tells the story of a human rather than the beloved toy that he first voiced in the 1995 film.

“It’s a wonderful story,” Allen explained. “It just doesn’t seem to have any connection to the toy, and it’s a little…I don’t know. It just has no relationship to Buzz. It’s just no connection. I wish there was a better connection.”