Taylor Swift grew up with the ‘Toy Story’ films, and now she’s part of one. The global superstar has lent her voice to the ‘Toy Story 5’ soundtrack with an original song, “I Knew It, I Knew You,” and she’s telling the story behind it in an exclusive ABC sit-down as part of a new special.
‘Toy Story 30 Years and Beyond – A Special Edition of 20/20’ airs Friday, June 12 from 8-9 pm ET/PT on ABC and streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. The hour charts Pixar’s rise from making shorts and TV commercials to becoming an animation superpower, told by the people who lived it.
A longtime admirer of composer Randy Newman, Swift says the movie’s message hit her so personally that it inspired a song bringing her back to her country roots. She channels her inner Jessie on the track, joining the long line of fans who can’t picture these films without Newman’s iconic music.
The two turned the LA premiere into a moment. Swift and Newman surprised the audience by performing after the end credits, with Swift playing “I Knew It, I Knew You” and joining Newman for a duet of the classic “You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” the song that opened the very first film back in 1995.
The special digs into how the original ‘Toy Story,’ voiced by Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, was so challenging it almost wasn’t made, and how that first full-length computer-animated feature paired technical innovation with real storytelling heart. It also looks ahead to ‘Toy Story 5,’ with exclusive footage and a behind-the-scenes look at Pixar’s Emeryville campus.
The lineup of voices is deep. Interviews include Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear, Joan Cusack as Jessie, Greta Lee as Lilypad, Tony Hale as Forky, Ernie Hudson as Combat Carl, Craig Robinson as Atlas, Blake Clark as Slinky Dog, Jeff Bergman as Mr. Potato Head, and Wallace Shawn as Rex, plus Pixar chief creative officer Pete Docter, director Andrew Stanton, and co-director Kenna Harris.