Although Lightyear is technically the fifth movie in the long-running Toy Story franchise, only one voice actor returned for Pixar's spacefaring adventure. The latest in the venerable film series has made headlines for controversially replacing Tim Allen with Chris Evans in the titular role of Buzz Lightyear. This decision has proven to be more divisive than Pixar could've ever dreamed, with Allen publicly voicing his displeasure. That said, it's not as if the rest of the movie's cast was filled with voice actors from prior films.
Lightyear is unlike any other movie in the Toy Story series. Instead of being just another sequel, the adventure film is meant to be a movie in the Toy Story universe that inspired the Buzz Lightyear line of action figures. This means none of the other Toy Story characters appear in Lightyear. Andy, the young child from the first Toy Story, saw Lightyear in theaters before asking his mom for the Buzz Lightyear toy. While both Buzz and Emperor Zurg appear in Lightyear, these are the characters the toys were based on, not the toys themselves.
Bill Hader, the Saturday Night Live alum who has transitioned into a diverse acting career, is the only voice actor in Lightyear who has previously appeared in another Toy Story film. After voicing Axel the Carnie in Toy Story 4, Hader plays Featheringhamstan, a rookie space ranger, in Lightyear. Other Pixar voice-acting mainstays also lend their talents to the affair. Pixar often brings back people they like for multiple projects, but Lightyear's creative ties to Toy Story are few and far between. Angus MacLane, director of Lightyear, has voiced various characters in different Toy Story short films. Isiah Whitlock Jr. voices Commander Burnside in Lightyear, and his voice was also heard in Cars 3. Longtime Pixar employee Peter Sohn, who voices Sox in Lightyear, continues his lengthy run of appearing in the company's films that began back in 2007 with Ratatouille. Outside of these actors, one might not even notice Lightyear is a Pixar film, let alone one in the Toy Story universe.
Why Lightyear Didn't Feature More Returning Toy Story Voice Actors
Even though Bill Hader voiced a human in Toy Story 4, he plays a different character in Lightyear. It wouldn't make sense for an earthbound carnival employee to appear in Lightyear. That same reasoning stops every other beloved Toy Story character from showing up as well. Woody the Cowboy and Wheezy the Singing Penguin simply wouldn't be in space. Appearances from licensed series staples like Barbie and Mr. Potato Head would be even more of a head-scratcher. If the Little Green Men aliens didn't make the cut, there was no way any of Andy's other toys were going to.
Lightyear has failed to meet the typical Toy Story box office standards. That likely comes down to the fact that Lightyear isn't really a typical Toy Story movie. It doesn't feature any of the franchise's main characters outside of Buzz, and he isn't even voiced by Tim Allen. It's easy to see why more returning Toy Story voice actors weren't featured. The lack of returning characters highlights the fact that Lightyear probably shouldn't have been a Toy Story movie at all.