Taylor Swift has been a Toy Story fan since she was five years old. On Tuesday night, standing on stage at the film’s Los Angeles premiere in a plunging lemon yellow Oscar de la Renta gown embroidered with flowers, she performed her original song for Toy Story 5 in front of the people who made it — and received a standing ovation. The film hits cinemas on June 19th.
The song, I Knew It, I Knew You, was written with collaborator Jack Antonoff and inspired specifically by Jessie — the cowgirl ragdoll whose arc across the franchise Swift described as one of the most emotionally complete in animated film. “We have seen her go through such heartbreak and such triumphs and loss and we learned her back story,” Swift told reporters in an interview. “But in Toy Story 5 we see such character development and, really, lessons that I could relate to as she’s grown up.”
She added: “Just the feeling that sometimes people’s paths diverge, and that doesn’t mean that’s the last time that you get to feel those memories or know that person.” The song’s lyrics — All you said was ‘Hi’ / And I remembered I loved you — capture exactly that sentiment.
Swift also performed You’ve Got a Friend in Me alongside Randy Newman, the songwriter who has defined the franchise’s musical identity across five films. The duet was a moment that brought together two generations of the Toy Story universe in one unexpected performance.
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The VHS Tape Tom Hanks Signed — and What He Said About It
Swift arrived at the Dolby Theatre red carpet in a strapless, crystal-embellished Erdem minidress with strappy heels and an Easter egg detail — a horseshoe-shaped diamond pendant, a quiet nod to Jessie’s cowgirl identity. She was carrying something that drew equal attention: her original VHS copy of the 1995 Toy Story.
She asked Tom Hanks and Tim Allen to sign it. Hanks confirmed he did exactly that, and added with a laugh that Swift should have brought the VHS player too — “because that could go into the Smithsonian Institute as well.” The cast, according to Hanks, had no idea Swift was involved in the film until the song dropped publicly. “It was top secret,” he said. “We did not know until literally when the moment came.”
Swift’s own description of the project carried the warmth of someone for whom this was genuinely personal. “I watched Toy Story when I was 5 and I’ve watched every single one of the films so many times,” she said. “To be able to be welcomed into something that has welcomed me, unknowingly, its entire existence, just as a fan, feels very poignant for me and for my family.”
She also described Toy Story 5 in terms that went beyond promotional enthusiasm. “It’s insanely beautiful. It’s a masterpiece.”
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