Alien Swirling Saucers at Disney’s Hollywood Studios relaunches Sept. 25 with a new soundtrack hosted by Lilypad, the frog-shaped tablet from Toy Story 5. Half the ride is already closed to get her installed.
Toy Story Land is getting a new DJ, and she’s a tablet.
Lilypad, the frog-shaped device from Toy Story 5, takes over the music at Alien Swirling Saucers starting Friday, Sept. 25. Disney is billing it as “Alien Swirling Saucers: Lilypad’s Jams,” and it comes with a full new soundtrack recorded with musicians in Nashville.
Two days earlier, on Wednesday, Sept. 23, Toy Story 5 landed on Disney+. So the timing is not an accident.
What is Lilypad in Toy Story 5?
She’s the new kid on the shelf, and she isn’t a toy. Lilypad is a tablet shaped like a frog, and in the movie she’s the screen that shows up in Bonnie’s room with her own ideas about playtime, which is not great news for Woody and company.
At Hollywood Studios she’s an oversized installation outside the ride. She arrived at the attraction around Sept. 19, per Laughing Place photos, and she’ll run animations between songs: doodles, puzzles and short videos on her screen.
You don’t have to ride to hear her. Disney says the music and the between-song bits play around the attraction, so the line gets the show too.
What songs are on the new Alien Swirling Saucers soundtrack?
Old ones and new ones.
The reworked versions cover the franchise’s big three: “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from 1995, “We Belong Together” from 2010 and “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away” from 2019.
The originals include “Pizza Planet Promo” and “Spin It Back, Lilypad.” Disney says the mix jumps across pop, country, EDM and alternative rock, which is a lot of genres for a two-minute spinner.
Thomas Niederhiser, a senior creative producer at Walt Disney Imagineering, said the goal was songs that are “singable, sincere and a little cheesy.” The cheesy part is honest, at least.
Why is half of Alien Swirling Saucers closed?
Because Lilypad needs the room.
WDW News Today photographed one side of the ride shut on Sept. 22, with rolling planters parked where a ride vehicle usually sits. Laughing Place posted the same view that morning, ahead of what it called new elements debuting Friday.
So the ride is running at half capacity this week. If you’re at Hollywood Studios before Friday, expect a longer line for a shorter ride.
Why does Alien Swirling Saucers need a new soundtrack?
It didn’t, really. But the ride has always been the quiet one.
Alien Swirling Saucers opened with Toy Story Land in 2018, next to Slinky Dog Dash, and it has spent eight years as the thing you do while waiting for the coaster. A new soundtrack with a character kids just saw on Disney+ is a cheap way to make it feel new without touching the ride system.
Disney announced the change on Sept. 16. The 4K and Blu-ray discs landed Sept. 22, Disney+ got the movie the day after, and the ride flips on the day after that.
That’s a tight promotional window, and the ride is the last piece of it.
What else is Toy Story 5 doing at Disney parks?
The movie is everywhere this week.
It hit Disney+ Wednesday, and it got a Fortnite island on Sept. 22. Now it gets a piece of real estate at Hollywood Studios, in a land built around the first four films.
Whether Lilypad sticks around after the movie’s moment passes is the question nobody at Disney is answering. Toy Story Land has room for one more thing. Probably not a tablet, though.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
Laughing Place (Sept. 16 and Sept. 19, 2026), the announcement, the song list, the Niederhiser quote and the installation photos
WFTV (Sept. 20, 2026), the debut date and the “Lilypad’s Jams” name
WDW News Today (Sept. 22, 2026), the half-closure and the planters
ABC7 (2026), the 4K, Blu-ray and digital release dates and Disney’s synopsis of Lilypad
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