Taylor Swift duetted with Randy Newman on You’ve Got A Friend In Me at the Toy Story 5 premiere.
The 36-year-old pop megastar made a surprise appearance at Tuesday’s (09.06.26) screening of the new Disney-Pixar sequel, which will feature her new song I Knew It, I Knew You.
After walking the red carpet, Taylor later re-emerged after the credits to perform two songs.
First, she treated fans to a rendition of the new track, before bringing out Toy Story legend Newman.
They sang the franchise’s theme song You’ve Got A Friend In Me together.
I Knew It, I Knew You – which is written from the perspective of cowgirl Jessie and takes Taylor back to her country roots – especially for the film, but even the cast and crew on the production were kept in the dark about her involvement.
Speaking at a SXSW London panel, VFX supervisor Thomas Jordan admitted only a “very small group” knew about the song because Disney and Pixar “create a decoy version” to show staff Toy Story 5 without I Knew It, I Knew You.
According to Variety, he said: “The crew that made Toy Story 5 did not know about this secret until last week.”
Thomas revealed Taylor herself had approached producers about giving them a song she had written.
He said: “Turns out, Taylor Swift is a huge Toy Story fan like many of us.
“She actually saw an early version of the film, she requested to see it before it was finished and she wrote the song and then asked us if we wanted it. And we said, ‘Uh, yes! Yes we do.’ That was in February, so we’ve had to keep it a secret ever since then.”
When the song was announced, Taylor admitted on social media she had “always dreamed” of working on the Toy Story soundtrack.
She wrote alongside a video of herself dressed as Jessie as a child: “I’ve always dreamed of getting to write for these characters who I’ve adored since I was a five year old kid watching the first Toy Story movie.
“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. Sometimes you just know, right?
“Writing this song felt like a musical departure and coming home at the same time.
“Creating something for Jessie was a new challenge and also felt like second nature all at once. And being a @toystory kid from the age of five til now… is an adventure I plan to be on, to infinity and beyond.”
I Knew It, I Knew You was written and produced with long-time collaborator Jack Antonoff and Taylor has launched three exclusive CD editions through her official website, each featuring a different version of the song – the film version, an acoustic take, and a piano rendition – all with alternate vocals and production.
