Disney’s already established a firm working relationship with Taylor Swift, but could next year see it reach new heights?Taylor Swift and Disney have steadily built a relationship rooted in premium, event-level content. In recent years, that partnership has increasingly positioned Disney+ as a key platform for Swift’s most culturally dominant projects.Credit: Universal Music GroupRELATED: Taylor Swift Officially Takes Over Pixar, Company Heads in New DirectionDisney’s Ongoing Partnership with Taylor SwiftOne of the earliest signals came in 2020 with folklore: the long pond studio sessions. The stripped-back Disney+ release offered an unusually intimate look at Swift’s songwriting process for her pandemic-era album and marked a notable early collaboration between the artist and the streamer.That relationship deepened significantly with the arrival of a full concert film of her iconic Eras Tour on Disney+ in 2024. The initial streaming release, titled Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version), followed the film’s record-breaking theatrical run and cemented Disney+ as its exclusive streaming home.Earlier in December, a second expanded cut arrived under the title Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour – The Final Show. The updated version incorporated Swift’s set that was inspired by “The Tortured Poets Department,” which was introduced after the album’s release in 2024.Credit: Taylor Swift ProductionsRELATED: Disney World Adds “Taylor Swift” Animatronic to Theme ParkDisney also expanded Swift’s presence through long-form storytelling. Over the course of six episodes, Taylor Swift: The End of an Era explored the cultural impact and emotional weight of the Eras Tour, blending behind-the-scenes footage with fan perspectives and featuring cameos from those in Swift’s professional orbit, such as Sabrina Carpenter, Ed Sheeran, Gracie Abrams, and Florence Welch.Beyond streaming, Swift’s footprint has extended into Disney’s physical spaces. A limited-time Eras Tour pop-up exhibition at Disney’s Hollywood Studios – set to run at Walt Disney Presents through January 23, 2026 – has drawn hours-long lines this month, underscoring her ability to drive theme park demand through experiential storytelling.The End of Taylor Swift’s Netflix PartnershipThe Disney alignment stands in contrast to Swift’s relationship with Netflix.After releasing both Miss Americana (2020) and Taylor Swift: Reputation Stadium Tour (2018) on the streaming platform, the partnership’s momentum cooled following a controversial joke on its show, Ginny & Georgia.In 2021, Swift took to social media to criticize a line that mocked the stereotype that the singer goes through men at a rapid rate.“What do you care?” one character said. “You go through men faster than Taylor Swift.”Swift wrote on X, then known as Twitter, “Hey Ginny & Georgia, 2010 called and it wants its lazy, deeply sexist joke back. How about we stop degrading hard working women by defining this horse shit as FuNnY. ALso, @netflix after Miss Americana this outfit doesn’t look cute on you. Happy Women’s History Month I guess.”Hey Ginny & Georgia, 2010 called and it wants its lazy, deeply sexist joke back. How about we stop degrading hard working women by defining this horse shit as FuNnY. Also, @netflix after Miss Americana this outfit doesn’t look cute on you Happy Women’s History Month I guess pic.twitter.com/2X0jEOXIWp— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) March 1, 2021Since then, no further Netflix projects have materialized. Taylor Swift: Reputation Stadium Tour also disappeared from the platform at the end of 2023. This highlights how selectively Swift now chooses collaborators – and the restraint has only intensified interest in why Disney, specifically, continues to gain her trust as a long-term partner.Will Disney Extend Its Partnership with Taylor Swift?Speculation escalated after The Hollywood Reporter included a Swift and Disney partnership in its 2026 predictions.The outlet suggested Disney could pursue a transformative deal that dramatically expands its relationship with the artist. The theory imagines Disney investing roughly $4 billion — matching its 2012 purchase of Star Wars and Indiana Jones parent company Lucasfilm — to acquire a 360-degree Swift-focused company spanning touring, film, television, merchandising, and experiential ventures.Credit: UMGUnder the proposed structure, Swift would retain full creative control while Disney+ became the exclusive home for concert films, docuseries, and scripted projects. Disney’s consumer products division would oversee merchandise, including park-exclusive releases tied to album cycles.“The deal will also see the “Fate of Ophelia” singer moving into scripted entertainment with a slate of interconnected streaming series and theatrical features — the Swift Cinematic Universe (SCU),” The Hollywood Reporter theorized. “Disney’s consumer products division will take over her merchandising, lending quality control to the process while overseeing vault drops timed to album releases and premieres (available only at Disney theme parks). The only Swift-related thing Disney won’t own? The music itself.”For Disney, the upside of this kind of partnership is enormous. Swift delivers global audiences, cultural relevance, and multi-platform monetization at a scale few artists can rival, aligning perfectly with Disney’s franchise-first strategy.Still, Swift’s independence remains central.Earlier this year, she completed the long-fought effort to buy back her master recordings, reclaiming ownership of her music outright.Credit: UMGRELATED: Taylor Swift Upstages Disney, Breaks The NFLSwift shared an emotional celebration of the purchase on her website, writing, “To say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty reserved about it. … All I’ve ever wanted was the opportunity to work hard enough to be able to one day purchase my music outright with no strings attached, no partnership, with full autonomy. I will be forever grateful to everyone at Shamrock Capital for being the first people to ever offer this to me.”The singer – who released her latest album, “The Life of a Showgirl” in October – went on to thank the fans for their role in making the purchase possible. “Thanks to you and your goodwill, teamwork, and encouragement, the best things that have ever been mine… finally actually are.”It goes without saying that any expanded Disney deal would need to protect that autonomy.Credit: Erica Lauren, Inside the MagicSome Disney fans have taken the speculation even further, floating the idea of a dedicated Taylor Swift attraction at Walt Disney World. Comparisons are frequently drawn to Captain EO, the cult-favorite musical experience starring Michael Jackson, once found in the likes of EPCOT and Disneyland Park.The concept imagines a limited-run or rotating Swift-led film attraction blending music, spectacle, and storytelling, potentially housed in EPCOT or Hollywood Studios.Do you think Disney should invest in a wider partnership with Taylor Swift?The post REPORT: Disney To Forge Multi-Billion, ‘Star Wars’-Esque Partnership With Taylor Swift in 2026? appeared first on Inside the Magic.