‘Toy Story 5’ Team Reportedly Created Secret Alternate Cut to Conceal Taylor Swift’s Involvement
The creative team behind Toy Story 5 went to unusual lengths to keep one of the film’s biggest surprises under wraps, according to visual effects supervisor Thomas Jordan, who revealed that Pixar produced a “decoy version” of the movie to conceal Taylor Swift’s involvement until the official announcement earlier this month.
Speaking during a panel at SXSW London on Friday, Jordan said that only a small number of people working on the highly anticipated sequel were aware that Swift had contributed an original song to the film. To prevent details from leaking, Pixar reportedly maintained an alternate version of Toy Story 5 that excluded the track and was used for internal screenings, preview presentations, and other early viewings.
According to Jordan, secrecy surrounding the project was so extensive that even many members of the film’s production crew remained unaware of Swift’s participation until shortly before the public reveal. He explained that the alternate cut was specifically designed to protect the surprise and ensure that details about the song did not emerge ahead of schedule.
“The crew that made Toy Story 5 did not know about this secret until last week,” Jordan said during the discussion. He added that an alternate version of the movie, which did not include Swift’s contribution, was shown to members of the press as well as Disney and Pixar employees while work on the final version continued behind the scenes.
Jordan also shared how Swift’s involvement came together. According to the visual effects supervisor, the singer has long been a fan of the Toy Story franchise and requested an opportunity to view an unfinished version of the film. After watching an early screening, Swift was reportedly inspired by the story and quickly began developing a song that would ultimately become part of the movie.
“Turns out Taylor Swift is a huge Toy Story fan like many of us,” Jordan said. “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.”
The song, titled I Knew It, I Knew You, was officially announced on June 1 and released on June 5. The track marks Swift’s first major soundtrack contribution in several years and has attracted attention for its return to the country-inspired songwriting style that helped launch her career.
Following the announcement, Swift shared her enthusiasm for the project on social media, describing her lifelong connection to the franchise. The singer explained that she had loved the Toy Story films since childhood and was immediately inspired after viewing an early cut of the sequel. According to Swift, the song came together almost immediately after the screening because she felt an instant emotional connection to the story and its characters.
The track was co-written and produced alongside longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff, continuing one of modern pop music’s most successful creative partnerships. The project marks the pair’s first collaboration since Swift’s 2024 album The Tortured Poets Department.
The song is expected to play a significant role in the film’s emotional core, particularly in relation to Jessie, the beloved cowgirl character introduced in Toy Story 2. Director Andrew Stanton praised Swift’s contribution, saying her understanding of the character’s emotional journey made the collaboration feel natural from the beginning.
In a statement, Stanton described Swift’s connection to Jessie as immediate and genuine. He noted that the song felt deeply intertwined with the world of Toy Story from the moment the creative team first heard it, comparing it to something that had always belonged within the franchise’s musical identity.
