Is Taylor Swift in 'Toy Story 5'? New 'TS' billboards spark theories

Call it a Tay Story.

Just days after Pixar attempted to calm speculation about a possible Taylor Swift connection to "Toy Story 5," the movie's production company released an Instagram Reel directly tying the singer to the fifth installment in the franchise.

The post featuring fan-favorite cowgirl Jessie dancing to Swift's "Shake It Off" includes the caption referencing one of the singer's biggest hits: "She's making those moves up as she goes!"

The video arrived two days after "Toy Story 5" director Andrew Stanton addressed the rumors during an interview at Pixar headquarters. Stanton, along with co-director McKenna Harris and producer Lindsey Collins, was asked about fan speculation linking Swift to the film.

"It surprised us. What a freakin' honor," Stanton said of the online speculation sparked by Swift's website countdown and the Toy Story-style imagery.

Collins added, "It would be pretty amazing."

Stanton then pushed back on one of the biggest theories, saying Swift is not performing the film's ending song.

"The sad truth is we watched the movie being mixed last week and the song on the end was not Taylor Swift," he said.

Notably, while Stanton specifically addressed the theory that Swift performs the movie's ending song, he did not comment on broader speculation about a potential collaboration.

'TS' billboards and a website glitch

Exactly one month ago, on April 30, Swift's website briefly displayed a countdown featuring Toy Story-style clouds and a yellow countdown clock.

The countdown, which remained live for roughly 10 minutes before disappearing, featured the same "Toy Story"-style blue skies and white clouds. A yellow countdown clock pointed to May 2, fueling speculation that some kind of announcement was coming.

No announcement ever materialized, and Swift's team did not respond to emails requesting comment.

On May 29, Swifties spotted billboards in Chicago, London and Dallas featuring the franchise's signature blue-sky backdrop and the letters "TS" — initials shared by both Taylor Swift and "Toy Story." The background featured 13 white clouds, a number long associated with Swift.

Swift's movie moves

Although the involvement of Swift and Toy Story 5 has not been officially announced, a film collaboration fits in line with the singer's partnership with Disney.

Disney+ has served as the streaming home for "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor's Version)," "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour | The Final Show" and "Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions." She also partnered with the platform on a six-part Eras Tour docuseries featuring behind-the-scenes footage, rehearsals and interviews with Swift, her mother Andrea Swift and fiancé Travis Kelce.

A movie tie-in would also continue a career-long connection between Swift and Hollywood projects. She recorded "Crazier" for "Hannah Montana: The Movie," "Today Was a Fairytale" for "Valentine's Day," "Safe & Sound" and "Eyes Open" for "The Hunger Games," "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" for "Fifty Shades Darker," "Beautiful Ghosts" for Cats and "Carolina" for "Where the Crawdads Sing."

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