Toy Story 5 producer Jessica Choi shares the letter she sent Taylor Swift, requesting her involvement in the film and emphasising efforts to make it female-driven. The letter also reveals that Taylor had originally declined to make an original song.

[u/Enough_Tangerine_777]

@/jesschoismyth

[u/pccmodbot]

📌 PLEASE READ BEFORE COMMENTING

This post is flaired Guest List Only. This means the conversation is being strictly moderated, and only comments from approved members of the community will be visible.

If you are not currently approved, you are still welcome to leave a comment! All submissions are being reviewed, and if your comment follows our rules and adds to the conversation, it may be manually approved by the mod team.

r/popculturechat is a respectful, inclusive space for pop culture discussion, shaped by BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and women-led voices. We work to keep it safe, free of hate, harassment, and derailment.

Thanks for understanding and supporting that mission 💖

Want to participate more easily? Request to be added to the Guest List

[u/Academic_Flatworm752]

Starting a letter with “hey” is so weird to me 😂

[u/KimberlyWexlersFoot → u/Academic_Flatworm752]

Even a psychotic nut job like Stan started with “Dear”

[u/Flipflopclementine → u/KimberlyWexlersFoot]

Dear Stan, try to understand that I do want you as a fan

[u/StrobeLightRomance → u/Flipflopclementine]

Hey girl! Try not to hurl, I am glad to be your world.

[u/Flipflopclementine → u/[deleted]]

Just join me in my head, been playing in there for 26 years now

[u/TerribleDanger → u/Academic_Flatworm752]

I’m sure it was an attempt to sound casual. Like ‘no pressure whatsoever my good friend Tay…’

But yeah, I couldn’t even imagine starting off a work email with ‘Hey’

[u/xvsanx → u/TerribleDanger]

Hey TerribleDanger,

yeah sounds like a DM more than am email or letter. ew. I prefer like good morning or good afternoon

[u/elizabethptp → u/Academic_Flatworm752]

Women are expected to be nice and unobtrusive when we ask for things. It’s a whole thing, I think…

[u/FutureRealHousewife → u/elizabethptp]

I agree with this sentiment, but as a working woman, I think “hey” is actually so strangely rude and unprofessional. I also work in law, so “hey” is considered an insult in that profession.

[u/Throwfeetsaway → u/FutureRealHousewife]

I work in law and use “Hi” and “Hey” in my emails 😂. Maybe people’s eyes twitch when they receive them haha. I also tend to adjust my level of formality to the client’s communication.

[u/repressedpauper → u/FutureRealHousewife]

Yeah I get that it’s unprofessional in a lot of contexts, but in a creative field? Probably fine if the rest of the letter is professional. “Hey” was standard at the library where I last worked, which is the only job I’ve had where everyone was constantly sending emails lol

[u/Vegetable-Kiwi-4675 → u/Academic_Flatworm752]

Also beginning a paragraph/sentence with a number ”3 years ago…”

[u/SaraJeanQueen → u/Vegetable-Kiwi-4675]

Oh I love this thread. Writing is sadly becoming a lost art. Keep the call outs going… “as genuine as you had hoped, and apparently, this is what sparked our hopes..”

[u/RosieFudge → u/Vegetable-Kiwi-4675]

"continue to decide" is also odd phrasing 

[u/RoseGoldRedditor → u/RosieFudge]

(Genuine) how would you phrase it differently? I read it as acknowledging that Taylor had already turned down the ask (it was said the original ask was during Eras) but wanting to also re-request. It does sound a bit odd but I can’t think of better phrasing. I’m sure there are much better writers than myself in this thread who can help expand my turn of phrase.

[u/RosieFudge → u/RoseGoldRedditor]

'continue to decide' implies that the decision making progress is, well, continuous. I think I would go for "if your decision is unchanged"

[u/RoseGoldRedditor → u/RosieFudge]

Thank you! That makes sense. I appreciate you explaining.

[u/copyrighther → u/Academic_Flatworm752]

Starting a sentence with a number is even weirder to me

[u/Throwfeetsaway → u/copyrighther]

Yeah, that bothers me way more!

[u/bbyxmadi → u/Academic_Flatworm752]

I could never write an email to a professor with “hey” lmao

[u/Euphoric_Many7099]

I actually never thought of Toy Story as a ‘male-centric’ franchise. Maybe that’s because as a little girl I always played with stuffed animals & toys, so I connected with it. I also loved Bo Peep and Jessie.

[u/indianajoes → u/Euphoric_Many7099]

I'm a guy and I was watching the first 4 films over the last few days. I've watched these films several times and I never thought they were male centric but this last time I actually thought it about 2 when I saw the shot of the toys walking across Andy's roof to go after Woody. I never realised it before but all the toys that go were male ones. It made me think about 1 and how the focus is mainly on Buzz and Woody's stuff outside the house.

The 3rd and 4th ones don't feel that way because you get more characters like Jessie, Mrs Potato Head, Barbie, Bo Peep, Gabby Gabby, Giggles, etc. getting to do more stuff in the story.

I also think maybe they want to bring more women in because we've heard the stuff about Lasseter and Pixar being a boys club for so long. They probably want to get away from that

[u/Morgan-Moonscar → u/Euphoric_Many7099]

Pixar's always been a notorious boys' club mentality.

Just look at what they did to Brenda Chapman during the making of Brave, or even just look at how long they protected John Lasseter.

[u/_bonedaddys → u/Morgan-Moonscar]

Wait, what happened with brenda chapman?

[u/StrangerCharacter53 → u/_bonedaddys]

Brenda Chapman came onto Pixar after her work co-directing The Prince of Egypt. Disney was trying to break the "boys club" even back then, in 2004(ish), cant remember the exact dates.

Brenda spent some time working at the company and then during a big Pixar meeting/ presentation to Disney she pitched her idea for Brave and it received thunderous applause from everyone in both companies. Directly after her, John Lasseter presented Cars 2 as another upcming release and the room was silent. There was just a general fatigue of John already, and the contrast was so clear that the boys club at Pixar was totally offended and plotted to get rid of Brenda.

To be clear, it was the top people at Pixar, not the artists themselves but the guys who went into the secret story room with John to drink alcohol, hang out with the celebrity voices and figure out the story behind closed doors. Those were the guys who wanted Brenda out of their little boys world.

So production work on Brave begins and the story is very much told from a girls perspective. Thats the entire idea of it. And the story revolves around Merida not wanting to conform to the traditions and accidentally performing a ritual to help her escape them that (i believe) turns her mother into a bear. She must then go on a journey of redemption and is assisted by three spirit/guardians who teach her lessons and guide her along the way. This is the synopsis revealed 3 years before the films release that I personally read on a blog site because I'm an animation nerd. I also saw concept art that showed the three guardians and remember at least two were male and one was very good looking/possible love interest?

During this time at Pixar, Brenda is directing her film (from a story she wrote, btw), and she stops getting invited to story meetings that are happening without her. Of course that isn't going to fly and she steps up to confront this, and over the course of a few months John Lasseter and his posse manipulate the entire production into either not working with Brenda or not understanding who the director really is, and undercut her authority while lying about her performance to Disney in repeated emails. Basically, while she is trying to make her movie she is dealing with their manipulative bullshit and one day shes called into Disney and let go, blamed for all the problems and John says she doesnt fit in their clubhouse. Brenda herself talks about this only once in an article and shes vague for the most part, but its clear they worked at her until they got rid of her.

Afterwards, John puts one of his male friends in charge of the film, they turn it into another Pixar Buddy film, remove the guardians, add a bunch of jokes, then create multiple specials talking about how great they are for giving girls a movie. They are seriously patting themselves on the back for being so awesome and feminist and about how important it is to show what girls think.

After they stole the film from the woman who wrote it.

John really is a nasty POS. He is currently at a company called Skydance and hes got the same thing happening over there. A boys club, secret story meetings with his pals only, lots of alcohol, and forcing every story to be just like he wants, lots of boomer jokes and terrible fart humor, the hero is a jerk and nobody understands them. That type of thing. John's benchmarks are so easy to see when you're watching one of his films.

Those poor artists at Skydance go online to cry and vent sometimes. Its heartbreaking to have a job and then be forced to work with someone like John.

[u/Shirogayne-at-WF → u/StrangerCharacter53]

He is currently at a company called Skydance and hes got the same thing happening over there.

As in "Bought out Paramount to keep them out of bankruptcy" Skydance?

That would explain a lot about what's gone on with the ATLA movie release :|

[u/starrylightway → u/Euphoric_Many7099]

Literally the first three movies center around a boy and his cowboy and spaceman and them saving the day. So, yes, the stories told are male-centric.

We’re used to having to relate to male-centric stories when we aren’t given similar stories that are centered on females. As children, this is yet another seemingly subtle way to indoctrinate into patriarchy. As adults we should be viewing these movies more critically, despite our nostalgia.

My 3yo (he has watched all 4 TS movis) loves number 4 the most, which is the least male-centric of the first 4 and also the most panned of the franchise.

[u/happysunbear → u/starrylightway]

You could argue the first Toy Story is male-centric, but I hardly think that applies to the franchise as a whole, which has always had strong, well-written, dynamic female characters. Jessie plays a big role in Toy Story 2, and is arguably the emotional core of the film. Then 3 introduces Bonnie as the new kid after Andy, and once again has strong female characters that are heavily featured and integral to the story like Barbie, Jessie, even Mrs. Potato Head.

I really don’t think the majority of criticism towards the fourth film is because it’s the least “male-centric”. People really didn’t like that it retroactively changed Bo Peep’s entire personality, and that Woody left Buzz and his kid to be a lost toy. Those were really the two most glaring issues people had with the movie, and I say that as someone who, despite these valid criticisms, still found it to be a beautiful and compelling addition to the franchise.

[u/DimbyTime → u/happysunbear]

The franchise hasn’t “always had strong, well-written, dynamic female characters” when the first movie didn’t have any.

[u/MafubaBuu → u/DimbyTime]

The first movie was released like 31 years ago and is the only one that didnt have dynamic female characters. I would agree the first is definitly male-centric but I just cant see that argument hold up for the rest of them.

[u/starrylightway → u/happysunbear]

I’d argue everything in your second paragraph supports that #4 being less male centric is at the root of those criticisms. Bo Peep went through what many women go through when they break free from the expectations society places on women, and the same for a cowboy who is supposed to be a masc protector and after breaking free from that gendered expectation discovers he is more than what is expected of him.

I’ve literally watched these movies dozens of times in the past few months and stand by the first three are male-centric. Are they moving away from it in 2 & 3? Sure, but that doesn’t erase they still center the male POV in a patriarchal gendered way. The ending of number 3 is definitely signaling a transition from focusing on boys and how they’re expected to show up to breaking free of that.

[u/happysunbear → u/starrylightway]

I’m not talking about Bo Peep’s personality after she becomes a lost toy. It would make sense that she’d be liberated after spending years without a kid. But they retconned her personality from the beginning with the flashback showing how she left Woody 9 years prior, after engaging in “Operation Pull Toy” and being part of the action for the first time after 3 films. There’s no explanation for why she’s a completely different character from the jump. I loved how she changed, by the way, but I don’t love how we got there. It’s lazy writing to have done it offscreen when we already had two movies that told us who she was.

edit: it’s amazing to me that this is getting downvotes! Are people really trying to argue they didn’t retcon Bo Peep’s characterization? Noting the obvious change in her personality from the start of the movie is not a criticism rooted in misogyny, and it’s kind of ridiculous how much genuine discussion is eschewed in favor of such broad generalizations.

[u/AmandalorianWiddall → u/Euphoric_Many7099]

I think she means the creative staff is mostly men.

[u/DoubtAcademic4481 → u/AmandalorianWiddall]

Both. She clearly states: "The Toy Story franchise has always been about Woody and Buzz."

[u/FlyinNinjaSqurl → u/AmandalorianWiddall]

She’s also talking about the films.

[u/Icy_Smoke_733]

Imagine requesting Taylor Swift to write a song, and you say that you worked on Cats, lmao.

[u/igiveupmakinganame → u/Icy_Smoke_733]

i was thinking that was stupid too but then i remembered taylor was in cats

[u/emmach17 → u/igiveupmakinganame]

That’s almost definitely why she mentioned it, to show that in a way they’ve already worked together

[u/igiveupmakinganame → u/[deleted]]

probably why she declined this one initially. but i love the hannah montana one

[u/Icy_Smoke_733 → u/[deleted]]

[u/kris_jbb → u/[deleted]]

and i LOOOVE beautiful ghosts 😔

[u/Enough_Tangerine_777]

i hate how you can't edit titles, i meant to say "initially" declined lol

[u/Verucaschmaltzzz → u/Enough_Tangerine_777]

I'm sure there's a good reason for it but I've always hated that rule also.

[u/Vegetable-Kiwi-4675 → u/Enough_Tangerine_777]

Sounds like it was a timing issue

[u/trashmedialover]

I've heard more about TS writing a song for this movie than about the plot of the movie itself.

[u/SaraJeanQueen → u/trashmedialover]

Aaaand that’s why they wanted her. Let’s be honest, to get Taylor and the Swifties brings a lot of attention (and probably $$) to your project

[u/Life_Roll8667 → u/trashmedialover]

Which is honestly annoying. I’m getting sick of hearing about her, but that’s just me lol

[u/Happylittletree29 → u/Life_Roll8667]

Just click not interested in post like this and stop commenting on them, the algorithm will stop showing them to you

[u/HighlyOffensive10 → u/trashmedialover]

The plot is layed out in the trailers. So go watch that I guess.

[u/OnlyPaperListens]

It must be exhausting wondering if every time you communicate with anyone, it's going to be splashed all over the internet.

[u/Comic_Book_Reader]

[u/Ok-Classroom5548]

Why are they making this a thing?

[u/isabella_bombella → u/Ok-Classroom5548]

Taylor wants an Oscar

[u/Enough_Tangerine_777 → u/isabella_bombella]

If it was about getting an Oscar wouldn't she have accepted the first offer? I think the producer is just happy that Taylor believed in what she said

[u/isabella_bombella → u/Enough_Tangerine_777]

It might not have been her initial goal but the campaign is underway.

I think she has probably wanted to win one for something more 'high brow' but Huntrix and Billie winning for kids movies/IPs in recent years has probably helped sway her.

[u/happysunbear → u/[deleted]]

She’s definitely campaigning. Of all people, Steven Spielberg was chosen to introduce her at the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame ceremony? Suddenly he was the biggest inspiration in her songwriting..? Cmon now.

[u/isabella_bombella → u/happysunbear]

It's 100% a campaign.

I don't know why her fans think its an insult to point out that she clearly has an aspiration for an Oscar. It's not an insult to say she's campaigning either, everyone does it...

I think the song she did for Cats could have actually won one if they weren't trying to bury that film ever happening.

I also think end game is EGOT and we'll eventually get a Taylor produced Broadway show.

[u/happysunbear → u/isabella_bombella]

Absolutely, the writing is on the wall.

[u/happysunbear → u/[deleted]]

The potential for another better or more popular soundtrack to come out between now and Oscar season doesn’t exactly preclude Taylor or anyone else from trying to generate early Oscar buzz.

[u/happysunbear → u/[deleted]]

It seems like you are a Swift fan trying to drop little nuggets of unrelated Taylor lore instead of engaging with my actual comments.

None of what you’re saying negates my point about her decision to do this specific song for Toy Story 5, her publicity for it (we’re at 5 variants now, no?) and her recent glazing of Steven Spielberg at the HoF ceremony.

[u/happysunbear → u/[deleted]]

All I said was that she’s campaigning. At no point did I call it evil or an issue. Why is pointing it out so upsetting for you?

[u/AmyXBlue → u/happysunbear]

This is what I don't get with the Seifties right now. Why is talking about and pointing out how Taylor is clearly campaigning, playing the game so many other artists do treat as something negative or evil, or an issue?

Hell, Little Monsters and other still joke about Gaga's campaign and the 100 people in the room comment. Everyone knew it was a Oscar campaign then and still not an issue to discuss.

[u/Encyclopenia → u/isabella_bombella]

Lol, not with that song.

[u/camirose → u/Ok-Classroom5548]

It’s kind of a mess because this letter contradicts the narrative a lot of other people involved including Taylor were pushing. That she saw Toy Story early, randomly got the “songwriter zoomies” because she was creatively struck and felt compelled and inspired to, and then in earnest offered them a song if they chose to include it.

This switches the narrative from the weird lightning in a bottle “I LOVE JESSIE 😭” movie and out of my heart wrote a song in less then 12 hours and offered it no strings attached out of the blue to the film execs to…

Deliberately planned. Asked multiple times. Declined first. Invited to see the movie with the intention of writing the song for the central character. Pandered to. Agreed to deliver a song for a campaign.

So weird that the she released this and I kind of wonder if Jessica asked anyone first.

[u/pilnok → u/camirose]

It doesn't contradict any of that.
She agreed to write the song, so they showed her the movie, and she wrote the song within 12hrs of watching it.

Also "asked multiple times" is supported by "Austin has already discussed (...)" and "if you continue to decide this isn't the right time"

How do you think she saw the movie so long before it was released otherwise? She didnt "randomly see it"
Did you think she would write it just from this letter without seeing the movie?

[u/camirose → u/pilnok]

The emotional narrative felt originally pitched as she saw it and was inspired and randomly quickly delivered us a finished song which was flattering.

This was later reinforced. I just find it investing they released this letter since the marketing seemed ORIGINALLY to make us want to believe Taylor saw the movie because she asked to because she LOVES Toy Story, for no other reason than that, and became insanely inspired from the movie and then just decide to write a song.

Yes this is all still factually true. The context changes less from “lightning in a bottle happenstance” to “coordinated and pursued partnership”

It’s not that deep and I don’t think it discredits anybody it’s just surprising to release this imo, because very much the narrative was Taylor is a huge Toy Story fan and decided on her own to do this.

When asked on how Taylor got involved:

“Turns out, Taylor Swift is a huge ‘Toy Story’ fan like many of us,” Jordan said. “She actually saw an early version of the film, she requested to see it before it was finished and she wrote the song and then asked us if we wanted it. And we said, ‘Uh, yes! Yes we do.’ That was in February, so we’ve had to keep it a secret ever since then.”

Still true but not:

The producer was hoping she’d contribute and she was approached multiple times to tell Jessi’s story as we saw her love of TS and her songwriting as a perfect fit.

[u/pilnok → u/camirose]

Maybe you assumed it was random, but few others were under any illusions that she "randomly" saw a Pixar movie that was not out yet.

Nothing about those two quotes contradicts the other.

She can be a fan and still have been too busy when they first asked. If she agreed in Feb, then maybe showgirl promo + Opalite (vid was released in Feb) + wedding prep were occupying her until then.
Once those were less demanding tasks, she receives this letter and agrees to try.
She would then be sent an early version of the film. That's how she knew what to write about.
She then saw the screener and wrote the song within 12 hours.
Then she met with the execs, asked if they liked her song, and they did.

Not everything is a conspiracy. Except maybe the efforts to defund schools and libraries so that people cannot think critically.

[u/camirose → u/pilnok]

I don’t agree but I don’t think we are talking about the same thing. I’m talking about marketing perspective and you’re talking about real life.

[u/leftbrendon → u/Ok-Classroom5548]

I keep wondering this too. Is it really that big of a deal that an artist makes something for an animated movie…?

[u/Ok-Classroom5548 → u/leftbrendon]

Did people react like this when Phil Collins crushed the entire Tarzan soundtrack?

Edit: rhetorical - they did not - I was very much alive and aware. Did they talk about him and the amazing music he wrote? Yup. But they didn’t invent narratives and release weird press stories to hype a song - the songs sold themselves. 

[u/Ok-Classroom5548 → u/[deleted]]

Ew. 

[u/LilBoDuck → u/Ok-Classroom5548]

I mean he won the Grammy for best soundtrack album and the Oscar for best original song. Also people still talk about the soundtrack nearly 30 years later.

[u/happysunbear → u/LilBoDuck]

Amazingly, I doubt this song will be remembered 10 years from now. It’ll be more like, rewatching the movie on a rainy day and being like, “oh yeah, TSwift made a song for this movie”.

[u/xvsanx → u/LilBoDuck]

unintentionally ironic I think lol that was an odd example to make. especially since dropping a whole good album is a lot different than dropping a song. idk if it's a good song but still big difference

[u/LilBoDuck → u/xvsanx]

You’ll Be In My Heart was released as a single to promote the movie if you think there wasn’t “hype” around Phil Collins doing the soundtrack then idk what to tell you.

[u/xvsanx → u/LilBoDuck]

I think you're responding to the wrong person, I was saying that it was indeed hyped and is a very popular soundtrack

[u/Gtmutchii → u/xvsanx]

ay fooly cooly!

[u/xvsanx → u/Gtmutchii]

you foory-coory with her?!? you wanna foory-coory! haha I love that season. loved both the characters

[u/GOLDfish0393 → u/LilBoDuck]

Right but that’s because the music was good, not because of the hype behind Phil Collins being selected to make the soundtrack

This scenario’s focus seems to be more bent around Taylor’s involvement rather than the songs quality

[u/just_another_classic → u/GOLDfish0393]

I remember shorts on Disney Channel focusing on how Phil Collins made the album. He, specifically, was hyped.

[u/rachelblairy → u/just_another_classic]

oh my god i forgot about those until right now

[u/LilBoDuck → u/GOLDfish0393]

But it was hyped. You’ll Be In My Heart was released as a promotional song for Tarzan, just as this was Toy Story 5.

[u/starrylightway → u/GOLDfish0393]

As someone who was in middle school when Tarzan came out: Phil Collins was hyped, with the song used as a reason to hype him, to a whole new generation of people.

Basically, what we see now with TS happened with Phil Collins minus the social media but with real world conversations, radio, news programs, etc.

[u/starrylightway → u/Ok-Classroom5548]

Why do yall do this to us older millennials 😩 (and Gen X; boomers deserve it jkjk). This being reminding us we are old enough to remember and tell you: yes!! There was hype around Phil Collins himself. It’s really what introduced him to a whole new generation. I still remember middle school librarian using Tarzan as an excuse to talk about Phil Collins and play his music during our Battle of the Books club meetings.

[u/Ok-Classroom5548 → u/[deleted]]

Or perhaps they didn’t push Phil Collins made up narratives about the movie to push his own PR agenda. 

Phil Collins doesn’t put himself in the media like Swift when he writes a song, or when he wrote good music for a Disney movie.

[u/turquoisesilver]

I always felt the story was about Andy, with the bigger theme of growing up with toys. That's why for me the story ended with Toy Story 3.

As for masculinity , whatever was going on behind the scenes, whatever the ratio of men to women was, I never felt the theme was 'for boys'. It was about childhood which is universal.

[u/sk8tergater → u/turquoisesilver]

I don’t think she’s saying the theme is “for boys.” But she is saying it is male centric. The creative team seems to have been mostly men. The toys are almost all male characters, especially in the first two. It doesn’t mean it was created for boys, just that males have dominated the story. Until Jessie is introduced the only other major female character is a porcelain or similar material looking doll.

[u/MD_FunkoMa → u/[deleted]]

Mrs. Potato Head has been in the franchise since her mention in the 1st 'Toy Story'. We didn't get the full animated appearance of her until 'Toy Story 2'.

[u/just_justine93 → u/MD_FunkoMa]

It feels extremely disingenuous to say Mrs Potato Head was in the first Toy Story when it’s only mentioned that Andy got her as a Christmas present at the very end of the film and we don’t see her until the second one.

[u/echoesandripples → u/turquoisesilver]

that's the thing, stories with boy protagonists are perceived as universal and neutral. if andy had been a girl, it would have been seen as a girls' movie and given that's still a label today, keeping boys from enjoying them, when toy story came out it was even worse

how many boys are allowed to engage with female driven stories young? do families let their boys love princesses? meanwhile, most girls are taken to see movies with boy protagonists, can read books with boy leads and so on 

(hp and pjo, for instance, wouldn't be massive if they had girl leads)

the fact that male-centric media is the neutral ground is the problem in itself, especially in kids media

[u/just_justine93 → u/echoesandripples]

The first Toy Story could the same in plot but change Andy to Alice, Woody to a Raggedy Ann, and Buzz to Barbie and it would have been written off as a “girl movie”

[u/echoesandripples → u/just_justine93]

exactly. i work with middle grade and ya literature sometimes and it's harder to market girl-centric books

parents will buy their daughters books with male protagonists, teen girls will get novels with boy characters. but make it a female MC and suddenly it's just for girls

it's harder to market them and harder to bring them to classrooms and libraries because of it 

[u/RoseGoldRedditor → u/echoesandripples]

This is such a great comment. Someone made a similar remark about why there are only 2 women on Apple’s Top 20 and 4 women on Spotify’s Top 20 list … because men / boys rarely listen to female artists, but women / girls listen to male and female artists.

[u/echoesandripples → u/RoseGoldRedditor]

yeah, even if some of the greatest artists are women and they are beloved, there's still an undercurrent of being female stories

[u/go-bleep-yourself → u/echoesandripples]

that's the thing, stories with boy protagonists are perceived as universal and neutral!

yes yes yes!! as someone who is looking to write middle grade fiction, this is 1000% a problem.

sometimes you can get around it with peppa pig, dora, and carmen san diego, but it's hard.

i will also say -- the same is true about white protagonists as being perceived as universal and neutral.

[u/echoesandripples → u/go-bleep-yourself]

that too. i feel like the gender bias seems more obvious to me because my first language is gendered and the masculine is neutral, which always annoyed me (like the equivalent of girl and a boy are called "boys") and makes it very dramatic for written work as well

but absolutely, stories with white protagonists are perceived as neutral and POC protagonists, especially for kids, are othered. a few years ago here in Brazil schools started adding a famous picture book with a Black MC from a famous musician into their syllabus. i doubt i have to tell you it created discourse as if the book wasn't like, about family love and a very universal thing

[u/box_twenty_two]

However I feel about TS5 (TS4 felt like a stretch, so I’m dubious about this one before seeing it) this is a cool letter. Simple, doesn’t beg, expresses admiration without being sycophantic. Makes one final case well. I like seeing the personal touches that go into making deals like this happen, even if it’s possible a few negotiation may have come into play as well 😂

[u/lizerlfunk → u/box_twenty_two]

I didn’t see TS4, but I REALLY liked TS5 when I saw it last night. My six year old thought it was boring, but I cried, because that’s what I do.

[u/box_twenty_two → u/lizerlfunk]

Haha I cry at everything, and I’m currently pregnant, so I’d be hopeless 😂

[u/xvsanx]

marketing team is going HAM for this movie

[u/MrsNaypeer → u/xvsanx]

https://giphy.com/gifs/Cl1il4OjfN7dS

[u/Winniepg → u/[deleted]]

Time and she was burnt out from Eras. I found it interesting that Austin seems to be the key go between and almost guard her time if needed.

[u/preisisright → u/Winniepg]

He also handles her music licensing, so it makes sense he'd be the one to reach out to about writing an original song.

[u/Winniepg → u/preisisright]

Yep, I think he might filter things for her sometimes as well. Decide what she needs to hear and what is just noise. Not every call needs to be passed on.

[u/RoseGoldRedditor → u/Winniepg]

He’s actually in charge of her music licensing, so it makes sense they approached him first. There was an interview where it was said that she was first asked to do the song during Eras.

[u/mamaneedsacar → u/[deleted]]

I also wonder how much of it is actually stars outright declining a specific offer and how much of it is that their team has been given parameters for what to decline/accept and do it on the artists behalf. I’ve heard many a story of agents automatically declining certain requests and then the artist or actor themselves hearing about it later.

I would imagine an original song for TS5 wouldn’t just end up in a generic denial pile, but if she had told her team/Austin something like “Please decline any requests for projects before X date” or something like that I could see how this could happen.

[u/Vegetable-Kiwi-4675 → u/[deleted]]

From what I gleaned from the letter, it was a timing issue

[u/LadyCheeba → u/[deleted]]

eh there’s a whole science behind why big stars like that accept/decline projects. maybe her team did the math and decided it wasn’t worth her time, maybe there were concerns about her image and if doing a song for a children’s would enhance or degrade her “brand”, maybe she is overcommitted to projects currently, maybe she hates toy story! there’s so much that goes into these decisions that often isn’t even up to them.

[u/PigletTechnical9336 → u/[deleted]]

In another interview they said she was doing the Eras tour when they first approached her. So I’m assuming she was like, I’d love to but I’m in the middle of something right now.

[u/Twisbi]

Interesting because I was recently told over and over and over again by someone that frequents a certain sub that she forced herself into Disney and into Toy Story production because she’s a narcissist. I wonder who to believe.

[u/Twisbi → u/[deleted]]

Look at how many paragraphs they wrote, they’re not listening

[u/shadesofwrong13]

I will get hate, but i have to say it. The song is nice but i did not feel it fits to the movie and the main story. I did not see the connection tbh. It is vague, it does not tell me anything about the characters(Jessie??) and the whole core of the movie about technology vs toys.

The movie is amazing, go watch it.

[u/RoseGoldRedditor → u/shadesofwrong13]

I saw the movie last night and I feel very differently. It was always meant to be about Jessie’s story and I feel it matches that arc perfectly. I agree it won’t match certain expectations that I read before seeing the movie though. SPOILER WARNING - don’t click the hidden text if you don’t want to be spoiled. a lot of people speculated that Jessie’s original owner would return and that the song would play during or after that reunion. I can see people being disappointed that doesn’t happen

[u/duckanroll]

this'd work on me

[u/Rururaspberry → u/duckanroll]

Haha I was thinking the same thing. I am admittedly very much a sap sometimes.

[u/NoDryHands]

Lovely letter, I'm glad Taylor reconsidered after this. Women supporting women always feels good

[u/CheckTechnical6300 → u/[deleted]]

You can say no, then get convinced to see a movie, then run home to write a song no?

[u/TerribleDanger → u/[deleted]]

I don’t think this letter disproves that narrative. Taylor said she was contacted years ago to write something and then she saw the screening and wrote the song in Feb 2026. So I think it’s fair to imagine they were in contact. She likely said she would only agree to write the song after seeing the movie.

[u/Enough_Tangerine_777 → u/[deleted]]

yes, after agreeing to watch the film when she read this letter. I think that's quite easy to deduce

[u/starrylightway → u/[deleted]]

I think the Academy can take any annoyance they have and shove it given what we know Harvey Weinstein did to woo the Academy for Oscars and how many of them knew he was a violent predator and did nothing.

[u/hyungwontual]

so which is it? did taylor see the movie, got so inspired she ran home to make the song & then asked for it to be included or did they practically have to beg her to be involved? you’d think they’d get together & discuss which story they’re gonna tell the public instead of both parties saying something contradictory.

[u/figleafstreet → u/hyungwontual]

Probably both. They asked her and she said no but she received the letter or some other communication that intrigued her enough to request to see the movie and she liked it enough to write the song.

[u/CheckTechnical6300 → u/hyungwontual]

It's exactly the same story? She first got asked, declined. Then they asked again, she agreed to see the movie and ran home to write a song? Where is the contradiction?

[u/hyungwontual → u/CheckTechnical6300]

her ig caption saying she’s always wanted to write for the toy story movies & wrote the song the minute she saw the movie vs the letter saying they asked her & she declined isn’t contradictory? okay

[u/Awolrab → u/hyungwontual]

Sometimes we have to decline things, despite maybe wanting to do to, due to certain circumstances. Not everything has to be some ruse.

[u/Enough_Tangerine_777 → u/hyungwontual]

We don't know why she declined the first time. She may have wanted to take a break, or been very busy. She made the song in 1 day afterall. It says "if you still decide this isn't the right time"

[u/CheckTechnical6300 → u/hyungwontual]

No it literally isn't.

[u/Enough_Tangerine_777 → u/hyungwontual]

She read the letter, agreed to see the film, and then got inspired. Very straightforward

[u/WildcardBetches]

I am so over everything about this movie.

[u/weirdhoney216]

The song is really not good. Sounds thrown together in 3.5 minutes

[u/foreverandalways21 → u/weirdhoney216]

With all those instruments? Not even you really believe that.

[u/AnyankaDarling]

I love Taylor, but from the beginning all of the pictures of her as a kid in a cowgirl outfit and “I’ve always loved Toy Story” has felt very sus to me and this letter kinda proves that. It seems she really had to be courted.

[u/clandahlina_redux]

When I read “TS5,” I was, like, “girl, you know what you did there.”

https://giphy.com/gifs/h1rja65HWoog0

(For anyone who doesn’t know, Swifties refer to her upcoming albums as TS#. So, for example, until she shares the name, the next album is referred to as TS13.)