There is a lot of buzz on social media about whether political ideology led to Disney-subsidiary Pixar replacing Tim Allen as the voice actor in the new Buzz Lightyear movie. Others insist it’s actually a different role.
Actor/comedian and self-described fiscal conservative Allen, 68, who starred in the very successful “Home Improvement’ and “Last Man Standing” sitcoms, voiced the Lightyear character in the popular Toy Story franchise starting in 1995. In the new film, Chris “Captain America” Evans, 40, has the speaking part.
At the time, there was much speculation that Disney-owned ABC abruptly canceled “Last Man Standing” in 2017 because of politics and despite its avid viewership.
LMS was one of the few sitcoms that humorously put both liberal and conservative views on an equal footing. Fox subsequently picked up the show, which ended its run after 194 total episodes and nine seasons earlier this year, but it will live on indefinitely in rerun syndication/streaming.
As ‘Last Man Standing’ wraps up, Tim Allen posts heartfelt video for his fans https://t.co/RNsAbNNg2Q pic.twitter.com/wkRCAoVXak
— Conservative News (@BIZPACReview) May 23, 2021
Allen was the voice of Lightyear in the latter’s toy form, while Evans’s off-screen portrayal is the astronaut character as a “real” person in the sci-fi “Lightyear” prequel, although still presented in an animated format.
“While the difference between the characters themselves is subtle, fans of the films have taken note of the recasting – particularly the political differences between the two actors, with Evans being known for liberal ideals while Allen is among Hollywood’s outspoken conservatives,” Fox News claimed.
Whether politics was in play at Pixar, Disney has developed a reputation as a very woke corporation.
Disney+, for example, parted ways with “Mandalorian” star Gina Carano after she expressed right-of-center views on social media, and Hollywood, in its general sense, typically frowns on any departure from pro-Democrat, liberal presumptions, even indirectly.
During a March 2021 podcast, Allen said that “I literally don’t preach anything. I’m not telling anybody else how to live. Once I realized that the last president p***ed people off, I kind of liked that. So it was fun to just not say anything, [I] didn’t join into the lynching crowd.”
Most of those in the entertainment sector who have publicly articulated conservative-leaning views are far enough along in their careers that the possibility of losing job opportunities becomes much less of an issue.
The TMZ celebrity gossip news website also weighed in:
“As you know, Tim’s a proud conservative, and in recent years he’s had to deal with some backlash in largely liberal Hollywood for it — especially in the Trump era. So it makes ya wonder … if Tim was a liberal, would people be so happy to discard him??? There’s another take, which is the flick captures Buzz’s younger years, so it makes sense he’d have a slightly different, younger-sounding voice — so, it might not be a political cheap shot at all.”
Twitter users aren’t shy about expressing their opinions about whether the Allen-to-Evans switch is an improvement, as it were. Here is a selection:
Tim Allen is the only person capable of being Buzz Lightyear.
Did Disney cancel him for being a Republican?
— Brigitte Gabriel (@ACTBrigitte) October 27, 2021
It certainly is suspicious that they dropped one of the few remaining major Hollywood conservatives to pick one of the most outspoken wokes even if the characters are technically different (toy vs man)
— Paolo (@PaoloPaolo330) October 28, 2021
So wait…Chris Evans is playing Tim Allen? pic.twitter.com/c92sU1eBmY
— Margarine-spoo/k/y (@TheUnaButters) October 28, 2021
So glad Tim Allen isn’t voicing Buzz Lightyear. His political beliefs will negatively influence children who watch the film and he sounds like he’s 90-years-old anyways. Sorry, not sorry. Chris Evans is the perfect fit. #buzzlightyear
— Snake (@BigOlSushi) October 27, 2021
The Buzz Lightyear that Tim Allen played was a toy not the actual guy, that was the whole joke of the his character in Toy Story, Chris Evans is paying the actual Buzz Lightyear, so not the same character – not everything is political.
— Phillydude (@Fairwinds10) October 27, 2021
Chris Evans voicing Buzz Lightyear instead of Tim Allen is an upgrade. Sorry, not sorry.
— Rob M. | Tokkan (@tokkanram) October 27, 2021
Good morning to everyone who’s happy to have Chris Evans voicing Buzz Lightyear instead of Trumper Tim Allen.
— Amy Lynn👣❤ (@AmyAThatcher) October 27, 2021
– – – Trump supporter and cocaine dealing snitch, Tim Allen, isn’t worthy of being Buzz Lightyear. https://t.co/LmBqA3urYg
— The Trucker Vote (@TruckersVote) October 28, 2021
BREAKING: Chris Evans stars in new Buzz Lightyear origin story as young, idealistic, liberal cuck who grows into “fiscally conservative,” out of touch, Republican dinosaur played by Tim Allen.
— Feodor Chin 🇺🇸❄️ (@FeoChin) October 27, 2021
I’ve been boggling my mind trying to figure out why Pixar took such a complicated path to make a Buzz Lightyear movie. They literally could have expanded upon the opening scene from the second movie. The only answer that makes sense is that they wanted to cut ties with Tim Allen.
— 💀👻 Wyatt Pumpkin 🧛🏻🎃 (@WyattDuncan) October 27, 2021
Tim Allen got ‘canceled’ for wrong-think. A sad thing really.
— JaroTheDragon 🇵🇱 (@DragonJaro) October 28, 2021
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