Taylor Swift’s Toy Story 5 mystery is no longer a fan theory.
After weeks of countdowns, cloud imagery, Jessie clues, and “TS” billboards, Swift confirmed that she has written and recorded a new original song for Disney and Pixar’s upcoming sequel. The track, titled “I Knew It, I Knew You,” will be released June 5 and featured on the Toy Story 5 soundtrack when the film opens in theaters June 19.
Disney announced that the song was written and produced by Swift and Jack Antonoff. People reported that Swift confirmed the news on Instagram after a countdown appeared on her official website.
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The Countdown Led to a Song
The reveal answered the biggest question around Swift’s recent Toy Story clues.
The announcement was for a new original song, not a confirmed voice role. Swift wrote on Instagram that her new song for Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 5 will be available June 5.
Disney said pre-sales began on Swift’s website for three exclusive CD editions. The editions include the version from the film, a special acoustic version, and a special piano version, each with unique vocals and production.
Jessie Is the Focus
Disney said “I Knew It, I Knew You” was inspired by Jessie’s ongoing journey in Toy Story 5, continuing the character arc that began in Toy Story 2.
The company also described the track as a return to Swift’s country roots, blending styles connected to her early career with the story Pixar is telling in the new film.
Director and screenwriter Andrew Stanton praised Swift’s connection to Jessie, saying her understanding of the character’s emotional place in the movie was immediate. Disney quoted Stanton as saying the song felt like it had “always belonged there.”
Swift Wrote It After Seeing an Early Version of the Film
Swift framed the song as a personal project tied to a franchise she has loved since childhood.
People reported that Swift wrote on Instagram that she had always dreamed of writing for characters she had adored since watching the first Toy Story movie as a 5-year-old. She said she saw Toy Story 5 in its early stages and wrote the song as soon as she got home from the screening.
The title, “I Knew It, I Knew You,” now reads as a direct fit for a Pixar story built around recognition, memory, and attachment rather than a random Swift phrase.
The Clues Were Pointing to Pixar
Swift fans had been tracking the Toy Story 5 trail before the announcement.
People reported that a countdown appeared on Swift’s official site on June 1 with Jessie imagery and a billboard resembling the “TS” billboards that had appeared in multiple cities. The billboards used the shared initials of Taylor Swift and Toy Story, along with cloud imagery tied to the Pixar franchise.
Disney said billboards appeared in Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, Toronto, Mexico City, and London, with additional billboards in New York and Los Angeles before the official announcement.
The clues did not point to a new album, a re-recording, or a movie role. They led to Swift’s first original song for the Toy Story franchise.
Toy Story 5 Opens June 19
Toy Story 5 opens in theaters June 19.
People reported that the sequel brings back Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and Jessie, with Andrew Stanton directing and Kenna Harris co-directing. The new story follows the toys as they face a threat to playtime from children becoming more absorbed in technology.
The song arrives two weeks before the film, giving fans time to hear Swift’s Jessie-inspired track before the full soundtrack and movie arrive on June 19.
