Taylor Swift’s website posted a countdown clock June 1, with the time set to hit 00:00:00:00 at 2 p.m. ET June 1.
The homepage of her site shows a drawing of a home and a barn, with Jessie from “Toy Story” inside the latter. It also has a billboard atop a hill with Swift’s “TS” initials combined with the “Toy Story” franchise’s famed blue sky and clouds.
So, what is Swift doing with the upcoming “Toy Story 5” film?
Here’s what we know.
Taylor Swift website countdown
Taylor Swift’s website posted a countdown clock June 1, with the time set to hit 00:00:00:00 at 2 p.m. ET June 1. The homepage of her site shows a drawing of a home and a barn, with Jessie from “Toy Story” inside the latter. It also has a billboard atop a hill with Swift’s “TS” initials combined with the “Toy Story” franchise’s famed blue sky and clouds.
Taylor Swift’s ‘Toy Story’ speculation, explained
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, 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 from USA TODAY.
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.
“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.
A couple days later, 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” included the caption referencing one of the singer’s biggest hits: “She’s making those moves up as she goes!”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why does Taylor Swift’s website have a countdown? ‘Toy Story’ speculation, explained
Reporting by David Wysong and Bryan West, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
