Taylor Swift pens original song for ‘Toy Story 5’, says she’s dreamed of writing for beloved characters

WASHINGTON: Global pop superstar Taylor Swift has announced that she has written and recorded an original song for Pixar’s upcoming animated feature ‘Toy Story 5’, according to Billboard.

The singer revealed that her new track, titled ‘I Knew It, I Knew You,’ will be featured on the soundtrack of the highly anticipated fifth installment of the beloved franchise. The song is set to be released on June 19, the same day the film arrives in theatres.

Sharing the news with fans on Instagram, Swift expressed her longtime affection for the iconic characters. “I’ve always dreamed of getting to write for these characters who I’ve adored since I was a 5 year old kid watching the first Toy Story movie,” Swift wrote, according to Billboard.

It’s a *Toy* Story
You knew it! My new original song “I Knew It, I Knew You” for Disney and @Pixar’s @toystory 5 will be yours on June 5th. I’ve always dreamed of getting to write for these characters who I’ve adored since I was a 5 year old kid watching the first Toy Story… pic.twitter.com/CRdhM5eLBt

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) June 1, 2026

The singer said she was inspired to write the song immediately after getting an early look at the film. “I fell instantly in love with Toy Story 5 when I was lucky enough to see it in its early stages, and I wrote this song as soon as I got home from the screening,” she continued, according to Billboard. “Sometimes you just know, right?” she added.

Physical copies of ‘I Knew It, I Knew You,’ along with acoustic and piano versions, are currently available for purchase through Swift’s official website.

The announcement followed a Toy Story-themed countdown on Swift’s website, which featured fan-favourite cowgirl Jessie waving from the corner of the screen. The countdown also showcased a “TS” billboard, matching real-life blue-and-yellow signs that recently appeared in various locations around the world.

Pixar had also been teasing Swift’s involvement ahead of the official reveal. The studio shared images of the billboards and a video of Jessie dancing beside one of the signs. Fans quickly pointed out that the billboard design featured 13 clouds, a likely nod to Swift’s lucky number.

In a social media post shared on May 30, Pixar referenced Swift’s hit song ‘Shake It Off,’ writing, “She’s making those moves up as she goes!”

The collaboration could potentially earn Swift her first Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. Composer-songwriter Randy Newman received Oscar nominations for songs from each of the first four Toy Story films. He earned nominations for ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me’ from the original 1995 film, ‘When She Loved Me’ from ‘Toy Story 2,’ won the Oscar for ‘We Belong Together’ from ‘Toy Story 3,’ and was nominated again for ‘I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away’ from ‘Toy Story 4.’

‘Toy Story 5’ will see Tom Hanks and Tim Allen reprise their iconic roles as Woody and Buzz Lightyear. The film follows the beloved group of toys as they face competition for children’s attention from a new tablet called Lilypad.

This marks Swift’s latest contribution to a film soundtrack. Over the years, she has recorded songs for several movies, including ‘Sweeter Than Fiction’ for ‘One Chance’ and ‘Carolina’ for ‘Where the Crawdads Sing.’ She also previously lent her voice to the animated film ‘The Lorax’ in 2012, where she voiced the character Audrey, according to Billboard.

Swift’s most recent album, ‘The Life of a Showgirl,’ spent 12 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and featured the hit single ‘The Fate of Ophelia,’ which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 weeks. (ANI)