How Early Screenings of “Toy Story 5” Are Still Keeping Taylor Swift's Song a Secret
How Early Screenings of “Toy Story 5” Are Still Keeping Taylor Swift's Song a Secret
Angel SaundersFri, June 5, 2026 at 10:34 PM UTC
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Taylor Swift; Jessie (Toy Story 5)Credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty; Pixar/YouTube -
A Toy Story 5 VFX supervisor shared how execs were able to keep a superstar's involvement secret
Taylor Swift's "I Knew It, I Knew You" was green-lit for the Disney Pixar film in February, but released just weeks before the movie's debut
"The crew that made Toy Story 5 did not know about this secret until last week," Thomas Jordan said
Toy Story execs knew all too well what they were doing during a secret collaboration with Taylor Swift.
Thomas Jordan, a VFX supervisor for the fifth installment of the Disney Pixar fan favorite film, revealed at SXSW London on Friday, June 5, that the 36-year-old pop star was part of Toy Story 5 for months — and only a handful of people knew, even with early screenings!
"Turns out, Taylor Swift is a huge Toy Story fan like many of us," Jordan said of the Grammy winner recording the song "I Knew It, I Knew You" for the animated movie, Variety reported.
Taylor Swift at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards on March 26, 2026 in Los AngelesCredit: Phillip Faraone/Getty
"She actually saw an early version of the film, she requested to see it before it was finished and she wrote the song and then asked us if we wanted it," he said. "And we said, 'Uh, yes! Yes we do.' That was in February, so we've had to keep it a secret ever since then."
According to Jordan, only "a very small group" of people who worked on Toy Story 5 knew the song existed thanks to "a decoy version" that staff and press got to see before the movie's June 19 release.
In fact, "The crew that made Toy Story 5 did not know about this secret until last week," he said.
The big reveal came from both Jordan and Swift this week as the "Shake It Off" singer also shared news on social media about the new track on Friday.
"Writing this song felt like a musical departure and coming home at the same time. Creating something for Jessie was a new challenge and also felt like second nature all at once," Swift wrote of the song created with the help of her frequent collaborator and friend, Jack Antonoff. "And being a @toystory kid from the age of 5 til now… is an adventure I plan to be on, to infinity and beyond."
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Her caption accompanied a video of herself as a child, paying homage to her country roots in a Western costume.
Prior to releasing the audio, on Monday, June 1, following weeks of rumors, Swift shared the cover art for the song and embraced her curls with a boho look.
Toy Story 5 will see Tim Allen and Tom Hanks reprise their roles as Buzz Lightyear and Woody, respectively.
Bullseye and Jessie (voiced by Joan Cusack) in Disney and Pixar's TOY STORY 5Credit: Disney/Pixar
The storyline will reportedly focus more on Jessie (Joan Cusack), according to Allen, who spoke with WIVB in April 2025.
"I can tell you that it's a lot about Jessie," he told the news outlet at the time. "Tom [Hanks] and I do — Woody and I — do realign. And there's an unbelievable opening scene with Buzz Lightyear. I can give you that, but I can't give you much more."
Newcomers to the franchise include Greta Lee as the voice of Lilypad, a new high-tech, frog-shaped smart tablet, and Alan Cumming as Evil Bullseye, the alter ego of Woody's horse, Bullseye.
Disney also announced in May that Bad Bunny was cast as an "effortlessly cool and mysterious" Pizza with Sunglasses.
Toy Story 5 is in theaters June 19.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
