Toy Story 5 premiered in Los Angeles last night, and the Pixar sequel is already generating some serious Oscar buzz. However, it's not just the movie itself that's eyeing one of those coveted golden statues, as Taylor Swift is in the mix for her end-credits original song "I Knew It, I Knew You."
Swift was on the red carpet last night, where she posed with the movie's cast after getting them to sign her original VHS copy of 1995's Toy Story.
When Toy Story 5 ended, the singer/songwriter was revealed as a surprise "mid-credits scene," and arrived on stage to perform the song. Later, she and Randy Newman sang a duet of his iconic Toy Story tune, "You've Got a Friend in Me."
According to The Hollywood Reporter, "At the premiere’s after-party outside of the Dolby on a closed-down, festively-decorated Hollywood Blvd., industry insiders — including Academy members — gushed to me about both the film and the song, and remarked upon the clear commitment by all involved to give the film a big push, both into theatrical release nationwide on June 19 and into the awards season."
Crucially, it seems Swift is ready and willing to support Toy Story 5 on the awards circuit, where she's quickly emerging as a favourite for Best Original Song at the Oscars. The Toy Story franchise is no stranger to award success, of course, and has won in that category before.
Addressing the packed-out theater last night, Swift said, "It means the world to me to be a small part of the universe of these films. And Toy Story 5 is my favourite of all of the Toy Storys. I’m so lucky that I get to be a part of this. And I want to thank all of the creators at Disney and Pixar for all the work they put into this film."
"It’s insanely beautiful, it’s a masterpiece, we’re so lucky to get to have this film out, your work is amazing, and I hope you’re all so proud of yourselves — if you’re in this room and you worked on this film, thank you so much!"
"I would like to say that Joan Cusack has done such an extraordinary job as Jessie. I’m very lucky that I got to write for this film, and that’s all thanks to Andrew Stanton and Kenna Harris, who thought of me and reached out to me and let me to get to experience it and be inspired by it," she added.
The toys are back in Disney and Pixar's Toy Story 5, and this time it’s Toy meets Tech. Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack) and the rest of the gang's jobs are challenged when they come face-to-face with Lilypad (Greta Lee), a brand-new tablet device that arrives with her own disruptive ideas about what is best for their kid, Bonnie. Will playtime ever be the same?
The movie is directed by Academy Award winner Andrew Stanton, co-directed by Kenna Harris, produced by Lindsey Collins, p.g.a., and written by Stanton and Harris from a story by Stanton.
The film features an original score by Oscar-winning Randy Newman, who returns to the franchise with Toy Story 5. The movie arrives in theaters on June 19, and you can watch Swift and Newman's performances below.