Taylor Swift, Randy Newman duet steals ‘Toy Story 5’ world premiere

Taylor Swift surprised the crowd at Tuesday night’s world premiere of “Toy Story 5” in Hollywood, joining composer Randy Newman for a rare live performance of the franchise’s beloved theme song “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” — a moment that drew widespread praise and sent the 3,000-plus attendees into an emotional frenzy.

The premiere took place at the Dolby Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, where, once the Disney-Pixar film wrapped up, the screen lifted to reveal Ms. Swift seated at a piano, ready to debut her new song live — the one audiences had just heard over the film’s end credits. Ms. Swift, who wrote and produced the film’s original song “I Knew It, I Knew You” with longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff, arrived at the event ahead of the screening. She wore a sparkling yellow gown for the occasion, her hair fashioned into a braid reminiscent of the film’s cowgirl character Jessie. 

After performing her new track, Ms. Swift turned her attention to the franchise’s musical architect.

“I’m also lucky enough to be here because of someone else who is the architect of the Toy Story musical universe,” she told the audience, according to Billboard. “He is the king of making us feel the absolute most and pulling at our heartstrings and making us laugh. He’s one of our friends, you know what I mean? I’m talking about Randy Newman.”

In the second big reveal of the night, another screen lifted to expose Mr. Newman at a piano playing the familiar introduction to “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.” Ms. Swift then invited him to play, saying, “You feel like playing a song? You’re all set up to do it,” before the pair launched into the duet. 

The performance came 30 years after Mr. Newman, 82, penned the song for the original “Toy Story,” released in 1995. The composer added a playful ad-lib when Ms. Swift sang the lyric about other folks being smarter, with Mr. Newman interjecting, “No one is smarter than you” — drawing laughter from the audience, according to E! News. 

Between her two performances, Ms. Swift quipped onstage, “This feels like a really good day, just personally.” 

Mr. Newman is among the most decorated composers in film history. The source document notes he holds 22 Oscar nominations total and has taken home two Academy Awards — one for “We Belong Together” from “Toy Story 3” and another for “If I Didn’t Have You” from Pixar’s “Monsters, Inc.”

Ms. Swift’s new contribution to the franchise, co-written with Mr. Antonoff, was inspired by the journey of Jessie, the cowgirl character voiced by Joan Cusack. Ms. Swift penned the track immediately after seeing an early screening of the film. She said of the song: “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.” 

“Toy Story 5” opens in theaters June 19.