Disney and Pixar rolled out new billboards on Friday featuring giant letters reading “TS” and 13 cartoon clouds, and the display immediately set off a new round of speculation that Taylor Swift may be tied to Toy Story 5. Reps for both Disney and Swift had no comment on the campaign.
The timing mattered because fans had already spent months reading Swift clues into the film, and this one looked tailored to them. A countdown clock briefly appeared on her website earlier this year, carrying a cloud pattern that Swift fans linked to the wallpaper in the Toy Story series. The clock disappeared quickly, and nothing seemed to happen when it reached the time it pointed to, but the theory never fully died.
The new billboards gave that speculation fresh fuel. Fans pointed to the “TS” as a possible nod to Taylor Swift, while the 13 clouds matched the kind of detail her audience tends to treat as a signal. Some also noted that Toy Story 5 is scheduled for release on June 19, the anniversary of Swift’s first single, “Tim McGraw,” a date that only deepened the chatter around the sequel. Swift has also said a “Taylor’s Version” edition of her debut album is already finished, which has kept her name moving through pop culture conversations even when she is not the subject of a new release.
Still, the most direct comment so far cuts against the theory. In a video interview with the filmmakers published on Wednesday, director Andrew Stanton said, “The sad truth is, we watched the movie being mixed last week, done, and the song on the end of that was not Taylor Swift’s song.” He also said the team would be “frickin’ honored” if Swift were involved, but that was a wish, not a confirmation.
That leaves the billboards as a tease without an answer. Disney and Swift stayed silent on Friday, Stanton dampened one of the louder rumors, and the question of whether Swift has any role in Toy Story 5 remains open even as the release date approaches.
