She could have commissioned a solid gold Woody figurine or arrived with a Grammy as a handbag. Instead, Taylor Swift turned up to the Toy Story 5 world premiere at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre on Tuesday clutching the most relatable accessory imaginable — her original 1995 Toy Story VHS tape, lovingly kept safe for three decades, and asked Tom Hanks to sign it.
Hanks, visibly caught off guard, reportedly stood open-mouthed as Swift handed over the cardboard-sleeved cassette. He inscribed it with the franchise's most cherished phrase — To infinity + beyond — and later joked to USA Today that it deserved a proper home.
"I didn't get a selfie, but I did sign her original VHS of the first Toy Story," Hanks said. "I told her she should have brought an original VHS machine and we could have signed it. And that could go in the Smithsonian as well."
The rest of the voice cast appeared to add their signatures too, and Swift was photographed holding the tape aloft in group shots like the prized possession it clearly is. For a woman who could buy almost anything, it was the kind of gesture that reminded everyone exactly why they love her.
A Night Built on Childhood Magic
Swift, who was five years old when the original Toy Story landed in cinemas in 1995, has spoken openly about her deep connection to the franchise. When her new song for the film — the country-tinged I Knew It, I Knew You, co-written with Jack Antonoff — was released earlier this month, she posted a vintage home video of herself as a little girl in a red cowgirl hat and a shirt embroidered with boots. Pure Jessie energy, as it turns out, decades before she would ever write Jessie's song.
In a post to Instagram ahead of the premiere, Swift described the experience of writing the track as something deeply personal.
"Writing this song felt like a musical departure and coming home at the same time. Creating something for Jessie was a new challenge and also felt like second nature all at once. And being a Toy Story kid from the age of 5 til now… is an adventure I plan to be on, to infinity and beyond."
The Performance That Stopped the Room
The VHS moment was just the beginning. Later in the evening, Swift took to the Dolby Theatre stage in a floor-length yellow gown — a change from her earlier red carpet look — sat down at a grand piano and performed I Knew It, I Knew You live for the very first time. She then introduced a very special guest: Randy Newman, the Academy Award-winning composer behind the franchise's beloved score.
The pair performed a duet of You've Got a Friend in Me, the iconic song from the 1995 original, with Newman taking over the piano as Swift sang. Addressing the audience, she called the film "a masterpiece."
"It means the world to me to be a small part of the universe of these films," she told the crowd.
What She Wore
Fashion fans will want to know the details. On the red carpet, Swift was styled by Joseph Cassell in a mini dress from Erdem's Fall/Winter 2026 collection, paired with Aleví Milano heels, Le Vian earrings, a Miraki Jewel bracelet and a ring from Selim Mouzannar. She later swapped into the floor-length yellow gown for her performance.
Toy Story 5, released by Pixar Animation Studios, opens on 19 June — which also happens to mark the 20th anniversary of Swift's debut single, Tim McGraw. Coincidence? Almost certainly not.
Whether it's the signed VHS, the surprise duet or simply the image of one of the world's biggest pop stars queuing up for cast autographs like any other devoted fan from the nineties, Tuesday night was a reminder that Swift's greatest superpower has always been making the extraordinary feel completely, wonderfully ordinary.
