^{Credit: Toy Story 5 (Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Motion Pictures), Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor Swift Productions)}

In late April, rumors started circulating that Taylor Swift would be working on an original song for Toy Story 5. Earlier this week, it was officially confirmed that Swift would perform the song “I Knew It, I Knew You” for the upcoming sequel. Swift also serves as the songwriter with Jack Antonoff. The song has now been released as a single ahead of the film’s release on June 19. Like “When She Loved Me” from Toy Story 2, “I Knew It, I Knew You” is sung from the perspective of Jessie the Cowgirl. While time will only tell how it’ll function in the film’s context, the upbeat tempo and nostalgic lyrics suggest a country song about the love at first sight between a toy and a kid, which might not be built to last. The song harkens back to Swift’s musical roots, which is appropriate for a franchise about the fleeting nature of childhood. With the song exceeding one million views on YouTube in under 24 hours, could “I Knew It, I Knew You” bring Swift her first Oscar nomination? 

The previous Toy Story films all scored Oscar nominations for Best Original Song. The franchise’s flagship song, “You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” lost to “Colors of the Wind” from Pocahontas. Four years later, “When She Loved Me” brought Toy Story back into the race, only for another Disney song to win: “You’ll Be in My Heart” from Tarzan. Toy Story finally pulled off a victory with “We Belong Together” from the Best Picture-nominated third installment. Most recently, Toy Story 4 was nominated for “I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away,” losing to "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" from Rocketman.

Whether or not “I Knew It, I Knew You” continues the franchise’s hot streak, it stands out from the four aforementioned songs. The previous songs were all written by Randy Newman. While Newman returned for Toy Story 5 as the film’s composer, it’s unclear if he wrote a new song for this entry. If so, multiple songs could potentially split votes. Assuming Toy Story 5 only has one song, though, it would be a clear path for “I Knew It, I Knew You.” Swift’s voice wouldn’t feel out of place in a Toy Story movie. Although Newman wrote “When She Loved Me,” Sarah McLachlan performed it in Toy Story 2. “I Knew It, I Knew You” seems to be aiming for a similar vibe, albeit not as tear-jerking.

While Swift has won fourteen Grammys, the Oscars have yet to recognize her. Swift entered the Oscar conversation with "Safe & Sound" from The Hunger Games, “Sweeter than Fiction” from One Chance, "Beautiful Ghosts" from Cats, and "Carolina" from Where the Crawdads Sing, which all got Golden Globe nominations. None of them could crack the Oscar five, however. "Carolina" came the closest, making the Oscar shortlist in 2022. Although the Music Branch has repeatedly passed over Swift, they aren’t above awarding pop stars like Billie Eilish and Lady Gaga. It could just be that the films Swift has attached herself to haven’t been the most Academy-friendly. We all remember what happened with Cats, but Toy Story 5 may be another… story. 

With Toy Story 5 expected to be a Best Animated Feature player, it’d make sense for the film to pick up a Best Original Song nomination, too. Andrew Stanton, the film’s director and screenwriter, said, “It’s incredible just how meaningful it’s been having Taylor write and perform this song. Her connection to Jessie and the immediate way she understood what the character was going through was undeniable. The song is so deeply connected to Toy Story. So much so that on first listen, it instantly felt like it had always belonged there, like a long-lost family member. It was kismet.” Speaking of kismet, Toy Story and Taylor Swift share the same initials, as a certain billboard teased. An Oscar nomination may be written in the clouds. 

Nick Spake is the Author of Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Volumes 1, 2, and 3. Available Now!