The original Buzz Lightyear has some thoughts about Disney’s Lightyear…
During an interview with Extra (via Deadline) the 69-year-old Toy Story star says he wishes the sci-fi family flick had better connections to his version of Buzz.
“It’s a wonderful story,” he said. “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.”
Lightyear tells the story of Buzz Lightyear – no, not that one.
It’s essentially the movie that Andy saw in the original animated film, with his Buzz Lightyear action figure based on the Buzz we see in Lightyear. It’s a little convoluted, but basically, it’s the movie from within the movie.
So, you can see why Tim Allen might be a bit confused about its connection to Toy Story.
And while the new movie has proved to be a controversial take on the classic Toy Story hero, it’s for this reason that Tim Allen hasn’t chosen to wade in on the debate.
“The short answer is I’ve stayed out of this ’cause it has nothing to do [with my Buzz Lightyear],” he said.
It looks as though Disney has faced an uphill battle to convince audiences, too, with the film debuting to a meager $51 million at the domestic box office.
“I think it's funny to hear people ask things like 'how is this compared to Toy Story?' because when you see the movie, you realize it's its own thing," said director Angus MacLane. “I think it would be even harder if it were the Toy Story Buzz going off into this movie, you know? Then you'd be like 'where's Woody?!' Because that's what makes [Toy Story Buzz] work. I could see a different version of this movie that's maybe a bit closer to the Buzz Lightyear: Star Command TV show. But I think that works much better for a shorter format.”
Still, the film does have some fans. Exploring the origins of the legendary space ranger Buzz Lightyear, the movie is kept afloat by "strong performances and attractive visuals” according to IGN's review of Lightyear, “but the story isn't the quality you'd expect from Pixar.”
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.