Taylor Swift fans have been hoping that Disney/Pixar would “just say yes” to confirming the long-standing rumor that the pop superstar was somehow involved in Toy Story 5. It hasn’t happened yet…yet. But on Friday, hopes for that possibility rose even further with the unveiling of a sign that any reasonable person would suspect was either (a) hinting at an upcoming announcement that Swift would star in the film, or (b) that the company would be crucified by Swift if the whole thing turns out to be a false tease.
The sign features giant letters “TS,” which is clearly an acronym for both Swift’s name and the film series. The Toy Story movies have never been summed up in two words, but there’s no denying that there’s a connection there, since there’s a first time for everything.
However, the billboard displays 13 cartoon clouds…this applies to both horizontal and vertical versions of the ad. With the singer’s favorite number featured in a new advertising campaign, any denials will no longer be valid.
Of course, no one is denying it at this point. Representatives for both Disney and Swift had no comment Friday when asked about the billboards.
There is still a lot of speculation about her involvement. It could be a speaking voice role within the cast. It could be a song embedded in the body of the film, written or co-written and/or sung by Swift. But we encourage you to think outside the toy box. As anyone outside the cone of silence knows, it could be a live picture-in-picture simulcast of Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding embedded in the opening night screening.
The only thing we can be sure of is that Swift will do the end title theme. Producers strictly denied that possibility in an oft-quoted interview last week, but they were oddly specific about what exactly they were denying.
In a video interview released Wednesday, the filmmakers were asked about rumors that Swift contributed music for the film, but the filmmakers remained mum. “The chatter surprised us, and we’re very honored,” said coach Andrew Stanton. “The sad truth is, we saw the movie being mixed last week and the song that played at the end was not a Taylor Swift song.” This was hardly clear to anyone wanting to know if the artist had a song somewhere in the film.
The rumor started a few months ago, when a mysterious countdown clock with cloud patterns briefly appeared on Swift’s website, which eagle-eyed fans recognized as looking exactly like wallpaper from the Toy Story series. The clock disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared, and nothing seemed to be happening at the time the ticker was pointing to. But there are very few mishaps in Swiftland, especially those that seem to be a random evocation of Disney’s visual IP.
Fans also noted that Toy Story 5’s June 19 release date coincides with the anniversary of the release of Swift’s first single, “Tim McGraw.” And the singer said he has a “Taylor’s Version” version of his debut album in a can and plans to release it someday. So some theory is that they are somehow connected…but how? Will she air “Taylor Swift (TV)” that day? Will she record a new version of “Tim McGraw” with Buzz and Woody-themed lyrics? Will the film be a period drama set in 2006, where all the human and inanimate characters become obsessed with the debut album of a 16-year-old country singer from Tennessee? Will she and series music master Randy Newman team up to re-edit “Short People” as an homage to the ultimate short people: action figures? (Or maybe a duet of “Jesse” to the tune of “Marie”?)
All of these theories may be outlandish, but assuming the teasing is real, they may not be as crazy as reality would suggest. Unless it turns out to just be a product tie-in, it’s rare that a Swift Easter egg cracks and shows up that doesn’t fit on the griddle.
Barring any leaks, fans will most likely find out if this faith pays off on June 9th, when Toy Story 5 premieres. Assuming the celebratory announcement doesn’t already leave a “TBA” gap as to where Swift’s contributions will be delivered on the June 19th release date, an unlikely scenario, something strange happened. And if a cigar was just a cigar, an acronym was just an acronym, and a cloud just looked better with a baker’s dozen set, we could all wipe Easter eggs from our faces.
