The latest installment in the Disney & Pixar animated film series "Toy Story," "Toy Story 5" (directed by Andrew Stanton and co-directed by Kenna Harris), will be released in Japan on July 3rd. Ahead of its US release on June 19th, it was announced that a new song written by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, "I Knew It, I Knew You," will be used in the film.
◇A "TS" connection? A tag team
Prior to this announcement, large billboards and digital signs displaying only the letters "TS" suddenly appeared across the United States. Speculation abounded on social media, with people wondering if it stood for "Toy Story" or "Taylor Swift," and it became a hot topic among fans worldwide. Now, it has been revealed that the letters "TS" indicated a collaboration between Taylor Swift and "Toy Story 5."
The song announced this time is "I Knew It, I Knew You," a new song co-written, composed, and produced by 14-time Grammy Award-winning artist Swift and Jack Antonoff.
Inspired by the adventures of the cowgirl doll Jessie in "Toy Story 5," "I Knew It, I Knew You" symbolizes Swift's return to her roots in country music and is a song that brilliantly blends the various styles that have characterized her record-breaking career as a songwriter and artist.
Swift commented on her social media, "It's a dream come true to be able to write a song for these characters, whom I've admired ever since I saw the first 'Toy Story' when I was five years old. I was lucky enough to see 'Toy Story 5' in its early stages of production and was instantly captivated by its charm. As soon as I got home, I wrote this song. That's how you feel about fate, isn't it?"
Regarding the new song sung by Taylor Swift, the diva at the pinnacle of modern pop music, director Stanton praised it, saying, "It was truly wonderful that Taylor wrote and sang this song. There was no doubt about the bond between her and Jessie, and how she instantly understood the character's feelings. This song is deeply connected to 'Toy Story.' It's so deeply connected that the moment I first heard it, it felt like a member of the family that had been missing for a long time, as if it had always been there. It was truly a fateful encounter."
"I Knew It, I Knew You" will be released as a single on June 5th and will be available for streaming on various music platforms. Furthermore, it will be included on the "Toy Story 5" soundtrack, which will be released on June 19th. Anticipation is high to find out what kind of song it is and where it will appear in the film.
◇Cowgirl doll Jessie takes center stage
"Toy Story" was Disney & Pixar's first feature film, with the first installment produced in 1995 and released in Japan in 1996. The story of a boy named Andy's toys coming to life and going on adventures when humans aren't looking, and the full CGI that brought toys like Woody and Buzz Lightyear to life, became a worldwide hit. The second installment was released in 1999 (2000 in Japan), the third in 2010, and the fourth in 2019. Throughout the series, actor Toshiaki Karasawa voices Woody in the Japanese version, and entertainer George Tokoro voices Buzz Lightyear.
In the latest installment, "Toy Story 5," Woody leaves Bonnie's room and works with his friends to help abandoned toys. Jessie, a cowgirl doll, takes over as the "sheriff" of Bonnie's room and leads the toys, watching over the imaginative and shy Bonnie as she grows up. Jessie struggles to make friends because the other kids are moving on from toys and are engrossed in tablets, leaving her with no one to talk to. Concerned about Bonnie, her parents present her with a state-of-the-art tablet, the "LilyPad," and Bonnie and her friends' daily lives are turned upside down.
Seeing Bonnie engrossed in the screen like other children, Jessie worries that the smile that shone brightly during playtime is fading, and she asks Woody for help. Teaming up again with Woody and Buzz, Jessie rises to the challenge of winning back Bonnie's spirit... As Jessie and the other toys begin to question their own existence, wondering, "Are toys no longer needed?", the dynamic duo of Woody and Buzz Lightyear join forces once more to confront the threat of "digital."
In the Japanese version, Jessie's voice will be provided by Yumi Kusaka, the new character Smarty Pants will be voiced by Hayato Sano Sano of "M!LK", and Forky will be voiced by Ryo Ryusei. "Toy Story 5" will be released nationwide on July 3rd.
