Major news, Swifties: Taylor Swift has announced “I Knew It, I Knew You,” a brand-new original song for Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 5. The track, written and produced by Swift and Jack Antonoff, will be released on 5 June ahead of the film’s cinema release on 19 June. It will also feature on the official Toy Story 5 soundtrack when the film arrives in cinemas later this month.
The announcement follows days of fan speculation after a series of “TS” billboards appeared, with the initials playing on both Toy Story and Taylor Swift. A themed countdown also appeared on Swift’s official website, prompting fans to start piecing together the clues before the news was officially confirmed.
According to Disney, “I Knew It, I Knew You” is inspired by Jessie’s journey in Toy Story 5, continuing the character’s story from Toy Story 2. The song is also described as a return to Swift’s country roots, blending that earlier sound with the songwriting style that has defined much of her career.
Swift shared her excitement about writing for the franchise, saying she had dreamed of creating something for the characters since watching the first Toy Story as a child. She also revealed that she wrote the song after seeing an early version of the film, adding: “Sometimes you just know, right?”
Toy Story 5 director and screenwriter Andrew Stanton praised Swift’s connection to Jessie, saying the song felt deeply tied to the film and calling the collaboration “kismet.”
For CultureCues, this announcement is major. We are huge Toy Story fans and huge Taylor Swift fans, so putting the two together? Naturally, we are seated. We cannot wait to hear “I Knew It, I Knew You,” and we have a feeling plenty of fans are already right there with us, ready for Pixar to break our hearts all over again.
It’s a Toy Story, baby, just say yes.
Toy Story 5 is due in cinemas on 19 June.
Nikki Murray is a UK-based writer, screenwriter and founder & editor of CultureCues, covering film, television, music and pop culture. Her work focuses on storytelling and the moments shaping modern entertainment.