Even Tom Hanks didn’t know that Taylor Swift recorded an original song for “Toy Story 5” until hours before it dropped.
“It was top secret,” Hanks told Variety at the Los Angeles premiere of “Toy Story 5” on Wednesday night. “We did not know until, literally, when the moment came. They ushered us into a soundproof room and said, ‘Tonight at 9 p.m., the true end titles song is going to drop, and it’s by Taylor Swift.’ And I was like, ‘You guys kept this from us all?’ And we saw the movie without [the song], we had some dummy thing in there.”
Hanks added that it was a “delight” to have a global superstar like Swift involved with the film.
Hanks said, “That’s like saying, ‘By the way, Judy Garland is singing “Over the Rainbow” at the beginning of this.’ That kind of thing.”
Although Disney dropped plenty of hints at Swift’s involvement in “Toy Story 5,” her track, “I Knew It, I Knew You,” wasn’t officially unveiled until June 1. The reveal was ushered by a “Toy Story” themed countdown clock that appeared on the popstar’s website that same day.
“Toy Story 5” sees Woody, Jessie and Buzz face off against a new technological threat to their precious playtime with their kid, Bonnie. Joan Cusack and Tim Allen return to the voice cast along with Hanks. New cast members include Greta Lee, Keanu Reeves, Craig Robinson, Alan Cumming, Conan O’Brien and Bad Bunny.
At the beginning of “Toy Story 5,” Woody is away from his pals while saving toys that were discarded by their owners. The wear and tear of his adventures left him with a bald spot under his cowboy hat. Hanks said when he learned Woody was going bald, it felt like a natural part of the toy’s life cycle.
“That hat goes on, that hat goes on, that hat goes on and off,” Hanks said. “It’s a hard rubber hat, and eventually… hey, man, a little of the right color Sharpie will make that bald spot go away. And the stuffing seems to need to be pushed up every now and again, but it is an organic material in there. It’s physics, man, it’s physics.”
“Toy Story 5” hits theaters on June 19.
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