Updated

Updated · abcnews.com · Jun 19

Taylor Swift Says Jessie’s New Arc Inspired 'Toy Story 5' Song Ahead of June 19 Release

Updated

Updated · abcnews.com · Jun 19

Taylor Swift Says Jessie’s New Arc Inspired 'Toy Story 5' Song Ahead of June 19 Release

Q: After a historic No. 1 debut, is an Oscar for Taylor Swift's Toy Story song now an inevitability?

No. Taylor Swift’s “I Knew It, I Knew You” looks like a serious Best Original Song contender, but an Oscar is far from guaranteed. The case for her is strong. The song debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, a historic first for a Pixar film song, and it arrives attached to one of Hollywood’s most respected franchises. It is also closely tied to the film’s emotional core, drawing directly from Jessie’s storyline, which is the kind of narrative connection the Academy often values in this category. Swift’s star power, Disney’s campaign muscle and the goodwill around her duet with Randy Newman only add to the momentum. But Oscar voting does not simply follow chart success. The Academy’s music branch has a long record of resisting celebrity-driven assumptions, and Swift herself has never been nominated despite multiple high-profile film songs, including “Safe & Sound,” “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” and “Carolina,” which only made the shortlist. That history is a reminder that popularity and awards recognition are not the same thing. There is also the calendar. The 2027 Oscars race is only beginning, with submissions still months away and other contenders yet to fully emerge. Early buzz matters, but it rarely settles the category in June. Swift has put herself in a very strong position, and this may be her best Oscar shot yet. Still, “inevitability” overstates it. Right now, the smarter view is that she is a frontrunner, not a lock.

3 articles · Updated · abcnews.com · Jun 19

An early screening of "Toy Story 5" led Taylor Swift to write "I Knew It, I Knew You," with the singer saying Jessie’s new emotional arc gave her a clear direction for the song.
Jessie’s story in the new film revisits heartbreak from "Toy Story 2" but turns differently this time, Swift said, shaping a country-leaning ballad about friendship, memory and reconnecting later in life.
Jack Antonoff joined Swift after she called him immediately following the screening, and she said their shared childhood attachment to the franchise helped drive the writing process.
June 19 marks the film’s theatrical release, with Swift having already performed the song at the premiere and joined longtime franchise composer Randy Newman for "You’ve Got a Friend in Me."