Industry bible VARIETY features a lengthy article about LIGHTYEAR's underwhelming performance in which Rebecca Rubin uses a lot of words but can't use the important ones.
Stan wrote about the film on Saturday and noted that not only was he underwhelmed but so were his nephews (the reason he was seeing the film to begin with). Rubin notes the premise is confusing but doesn't note how pathetic the execution is.
She also refuses to address the fact that Chris Evans is a weak choice for a voice actor. Stan is right, there is nothing that screams about his voice. This is an animated kid's film. It needs a voice that delights and is one of a kind. Instead, kids are getting the equivalent of Tom Cruise in CAPTAIN PLANET and, no, that children's film did not go on to become a classic. As Stan notes, stand up comics tend to be the best voices to be cast in animated films:
His voice alone should have prevented him from being cast. He does not
have a distinctive voice. Joan Cusack, Tom Hanks, Tim Allen -- they
were perfect in TOY STORY movies because they have distinctive voices.
Same with Ellen DeGeneres as Dory in the Nemo and Dory movies or James
Earl Jones as Mustafa in LION KING or Holly Hunter (THE INCREDIBLES).
The best ones are usually comedians -- they have a distinctive voice and
usually a sense of comedy -- think Ellen, of course, and Tim Allen but
also Whoopi Goldberg (THE LION KING, TOY STORY 3), Roseanne Barr (LOOK
WHO'S TALKING TOO), Robin Williams (ALADDIN), Janeane Garofalo
(RATATOUILLE), Woody Allen (ANTZ), Joan Rivers (SHREK 2, robot in live
action SPACEBALLS), Jennifer Saunders (MINIONS and SHREK 2), Eddie
Murphy (MULAN, SHREK films), Mike Myers (SHREK), Ray Romano (ICE AGE
films), Kevin Hart (THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS), Chris Rock (MADAGASCAR
movies, BEE MOVIE), Billy Crystal (the MONSTES INC movies), Kristen Wiig
(ICE AGE 2, SAUSAGE PARTY, the HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON films, the
DESPICABLE ME films), and Craig Robinson (THE BAD GUYS, SAUSAGE PARTY)
to name just a few.
More to the point, the film emerged with a huge backlash.
The character of Buzz Lightyear has always been voiced by Tim Allen.
The actor has not passed away. But he has been replaced.
That angered TOY STORY fans just because it is Tim's role.
It angered a significant number of parents who fear that DISNEY replaced Tim as Lightyear because Tim is a Republican. DISNEY has fired Roseanne Barr for her support for Donald Trump and it cancelled Tim's LAST MAN STANDING when it was ABC's highest sitcom. It has repeatedly targeted Republican performers.
If they wanted to replace Tim after their own bad history, it was incumbent upon them to sale the whys of that action to parents. They didn't. They just ignored it until it finally flared up on social media late last week. They ignored it and VARIETY allows Rubin to ignore it.
She shouldn't have. You can't analyze the film's lack of success without acknowledging the fact that they drove off a significant number of potential parents by refusing to sell their supposed need to replace Tim Allen.