In what could be a preview of issues to come back this awards season, Toy Story 5, the most recent installment in Disney/Pixar’s beloved 31-year-old animated movie franchise, was the toast of Hollywood on Tuesday night on the Dolby Theatre, the house of the Oscars.
A-listers starting from the Duffer brothers to Teyana Taylor to Jimmy Kimmel (and their youngsters) convened for the world premiere of what proved to be a sensible, humorous and transferring movie about screens displacing toys within the lives of younger youngsters. And attendees of all ages have been ecstatic when the movie was adopted by a shock dwell efficiency, by Taylor Swift, the largest pop star on the planet, of its end-credits unique music “I Knew It, I Knew You” (which Swift co-wrote with Jack Antonoff), after which a Swift and Randy Newman duet of Newman’s traditional tune from the primary Toy Story, “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.”
On the premiere’s after-party exterior of the Dolby on a closed-down, festively-decorated Hollywood Blvd., trade insiders — together with Academy members — gushed to me about each the movie and the music, and remarked upon the clear dedication by all concerned to provide the movie a giant push, each into theatrical launch nationwide on June 19 and into the awards season. “They really pulled out all the stops for this,” remarked one.
Certainly, come awards season, Toy Story 5 will probably be laborious to cease in all races for finest animated function and finest unique music, and will additionally issue into finest image and finest tailored screenplay competitions. Except for being immensely entertaining, the movie additionally has one thing profound to say in regards to the world at the moment. And this can be very effectively made, which is unsurprising provided that it’s a manufacturing of Pixar and was co-written and directed by Andrew Stanton, who was additionally a author on the 4 prior Toy Story movies and directed 2003’s Discovering Nemo and 2008’s WALL-E, each of which have been awarded the very best animated function Oscar.
As for Swift and her frequent collaborator Antonoff’s unique tune? It’s a wistful, country-infused love music that evokes Swift classics like “Our Song” and “betty,” and in my humble opinion it will match proper in and maintain its personal on a Swift live performance setlist. Simply as importantly, when it comes to its awards prospects, Swift — who’s 36 and grew up with the Toy Story movies — appears genuinely enthusiastic about, invested in, and prepared to assist this movie and music.
Certainly, she walked the crimson carpet; posed for images with the movie’s forged and crew, in addition to Disney and Pixar execs; sat by way of a lot of the movie earlier than heading backstage; after which, when the curtain got here up on her, didn’t simply sing, however gushed. “It means the world to me to be a small part of the universe of these films,” she declared following her efficiency of “I Knew It, I Knew You.” “And Toy Story 5 is my favorite of all of the Toy Storys. I’m so lucky that I get to be a part of this. And I want to thank all of the creators at Disney and Pixar for all the work they put into this film. It’s insanely beautiful, it’s a masterpiece, we’re so lucky to get to have this film out, your work is amazing, and I hope you’re all so proud of yourselves — if you’re in this room and you worked on this film, thank you so much!”
She continued, “I would like to say that Joan Cusack has done such an extraordinary job as Jessie [the two-time Oscar nominee voiced the film’s central character]… I’m very lucky that I got to write for this film, and that’s all thanks to Andrew Stanton and Kenna Harris… who thought of me and reached out to me and let me to get to experience it and be inspired by it. But I’m also lucky enough to be here because of someone else who is the architect of the Toy Story musical universe. He is the king of making us feel the absolute most and pulling at our heartstrings and making us laugh and making us feel like he’s one of our friends. I’m talking about Randy Newman.”
One other curtain then got here as much as reveal Newman seated at a piano, to which Swift walked over. She mentioned, “Hey, Randy!” He replied, “Hey! That’s very kind of you, thanks for the kind words,” earlier than cracking, “I deserve them!” After the viewers’s laughter subsided, he shortly added, “No, I don’t deserve them. You do a hell of a song.” She replied, “Oh, thank you so much!” He emphasised, “It was really nice.” And he or she blushed, “This feels like a really good day, just personally!” They then traded verses of “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.”
No animated movie franchise has loved larger success on the Academy Awards than the Toy Story movie franchise. 1995’s unique Toy Story, which preceded by six years the introduction of the very best animated function Oscar class, was Oscar-nominated for finest unique screenplay, finest unique rating and finest unique music (“You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” music and lyrics by Newman). A particular achievement award was additionally introduced to Pixar’s chief on the time: “To John Lasseter, for his inspired leadership of the Pixar Toy Story team, resulting in the first feature-length computer-animated film.”
1999’s Toy Story 2 was nominated for simply the very best unique music Oscar (“When She Loved Me,” music and lyrics by Newman). However 2010’s Toy Story 3 soared to Oscar noms for finest image — it was simply the third animated movie to be named a finalist within the total high class, after 1991’s Magnificence and the Beast and 2009’s Up — in addition to finest tailored screenplay, finest animated function, finest unique music (“We Belong Together,” music and lyrics by Newman) and finest sound enhancing. It gained finest animated function and finest unique music.
2019’s Toy Story 4, in the meantime, was nominated for finest animated function and finest unique music (“I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,” music and lyrics by Newman), and gained finest animated function.
In brief, all 4 prior Toy Story movies have been nominated for the very best unique music Oscar, and each Toy Story movies that have been launched after the institution of the very best animated function Oscar have been nominated for and gained that award.
Given the standard of Toy Story 5 and the comparatively skinny subject of animated options this 12 months (others to look out for embody Disney/Pixar’s Hoppers and Netflix’s Cannes acquisition In Waves), it appears virtually sure that this newest installment may also be nominated for — and fairly presumably win — finest animated function.
And though “I Knew It, I Knew You” is the primary unique music Oscar contender for a Toy Story movie that was not written by Newman, Swift actually appears well-positioned to land the primary Oscar nomination of her illustrious profession (on the heels of two buzzed-about tunes from lower-profile movies that didn’t fairly pan out, “Only the Young” from 2020’s Miss Americana and “Carolina” from 2022’s The place the Crawdads Sing).
Consider simply how extremely regarded she is by her friends (she has acquired 58 Grammy nominations and gained 14 Grammys, together with album of the 12 months 4 occasions, one thing no different artist has ever carried out) and by critics (the New York Instances simply included her — and, oddly sufficient, not Newman — on its list of the 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters).
And bear in mind the Academy’s latest historical past of recognizing fashionable younger singer/songwriters, together with Adele (Oscar for 2012’s “Skyfall”), Pharrell (Oscar nom for 2013’s “Happy”), Widespread and John Legend (Oscar for 2014’s “Glory”), Sam Smith (Oscar for 2015’s “Writing’s on the Wall”), Justin Timberlake (Oscar nom for 2016’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”), Woman Gaga (Oscar for 2018’s “Shallow”), SZA (Oscar nom for 2018’s “All the Stars”), H.E.R. (Oscar for 2021’s “Fight for You”) and Billie Eilish (Oscars for 2021’s “No Time to Die” and 2023’s “What Was I Made For”). A tune like “I Knew It, I Knew You” featured in a movie like Toy Story 5 would definitely not look misplaced on this firm.
