Taylor Swift has long been a fan of Toy Story, and her enthusiasm reached new heights with the opportunity to create an original song for the series’ fifth installment.
During the Toy Story: 30 Years and Beyond special on 20/20, which aired on Friday, June 12, Swift, 36, discussed her participation and shared a particularly touching moment from the experience.
Swift composed “I Knew It, I Knew You” to enhance the backstory of the cowgirl character Jessie, played by Joan Cusack.
In the 20/20 special, Swift mentioned a line from the song that deeply resonated with her emotions.
“For Jessie, the line, ‘I watched you drive around the bend for what I thought would be the last time I saw my friend,’ really strikes a chord with me because that film broke my heart,” Swift explained. “I’m thrilled to provide her with a joyous moment.”
Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, the voices of Woody and Buzz Lightyear respectively, recounted the secrecy surrounding Swift’s involvement.
“They literally ushered us into a room and instructed us to ‘Shut the door,’” Hanks, 69, recalled. Allen, 73, added, “I thought they were about to reveal, ‘Aliens are real.’”
In the special, Swift expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to contribute music to the latest Toy Story film.
“It was wonderful to have Randy [Newman]’s approval to write for this movie, being the first songwriter to join the Toy Story universe beyond Randy,” Swift remarked in a preview for the 20/20 interview. “The movie captivated me entirely. It’s my preferred Toy Story film. Don’t mind me, I just really loved it.”
Taylor Swift. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for for TAS Rights Management)
Swift recently partnered with Newman, 82, for a duet of his song “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” during the Los Angeles premiere on Tuesday, June 9. The 14-time Grammy winner also performed “I Knew It, I Knew You” for the first time at the screening.
As a lifelong Toy Story fan, Swift collaborated with Jack Antonoff on this new track.
“It’s a *Toy* Story,” Swift shared on Instagram on June 1, introducing the single. “I’ve always dreamed of writing for these characters I’ve loved since I was five, watching the original Toy Story. I instantly adored Toy Story 5 upon seeing it early on and penned this song immediately after. Sometimes you just know, right?”
A few days later, Swift shared on Instagram that her songwriting experience felt like both a “musical departure and a return home.”
“Crafting something for Jessie was both a novel challenge and felt instinctive,” the pop star reflected in a June 5 post. “Being a @toystory fan from age 5 to now is an adventure I intend to continue, to infinity and beyond. Thank you to the brilliant Andrew Stanton for envisioning me for this role years ago when you wrote the latest film. Thanks to the incomparable @randynewmanofficial for the beautiful musical landscape you’ve crafted over the years. You created the Toy Story musical realm, and we are fortunate to experience it.”
Swift concluded, “By ‘we,’ I mean myself and my friend @jackantonoff. We wrote this with great affection for these characters who made us laugh, taught us lessons, and encouraged us to think beyond the backyard during our childhoods.”
Toy Story 5 is set to release in theaters on Friday, June 19.
