Taylor Swift’s involvement in Toy Story 5 was kept tightly under wraps through an unusual strategy involving secret versions of the film shown during early screenings.
According to VFX supervisor Thomas Jordan – who spoke at SXSW London on June 5 – the pop star recorded an original song titled “I Knew It, I Knew You” for the upcoming Pixar film after privately viewing an early cut of the movie.
Swift, who has long described herself as a fan of the Toy Story franchise, reportedly asked to see the unfinished version before it was completed and later offered to contribute a song inspired by the character Jessie.
“She actually saw an early version of the film… and then wrote the song and asked us if we wanted it,” Jordan said, adding that the studio immediately agreed to include it.
To keep the collaboration secret, Pixar and Disney used a decoy version of the film during early screenings, meaning most viewers, and even many crew members, were unaware the Swift track was part of the final cut. Jordan revealed that only a very small group within the production team knew about the song for months.
Taylor Swift later confirmed the collaboration on social media. Toy Story 5 will feature returning voices Tom Hanks as Woody and Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear. The film is scheduled for release on June 19.