Toy Story 5's Lilypad takes over the Alien Swirling Saucers soundtrack on September 25

By entgrove · September 17, 2026

Starting Friday, September 25, Alien Swirling Saucers in Toy Story Land at Disney's Hollywood Studios switches to Lilypad's Jams, a new soundtrack hosted by the frog-shaped smart tablet from Toy Story 5. Imagineers recorded it in Nashville, pairing remixed Toy Story songs with originals written for the ride, and Lilypad will entertain guests who are not riding too.

Alien Swirling Saucers gets a new DJ on Friday, September 25. Lilypad, the frog-shaped smart tablet from Toy Story 5, takes over the music at the Toy Story Land spinner at Disney's Hollywood Studios with a new soundtrack called Lilypad's Jams, made of reworked Toy Story songs and new tracks written for this ride.

Lilypad's Jams replaces the ride's soundtrack

Walt Disney Imagineering describes Lilypad as a spirited smart tablet on a mission to connect friends. On the attraction she uses that tech to pull the backyard's toys together into one playlist. In the story she goes online to remix and mash up tunes from different styles and genres, which is the in-world reason the soundtrack can swing from one sound to another between songs.

The ride layout stays as it is. Alien Swirling Saucers opened with Toy Story Land in June 2018, and it still puts guests in toy rockets pulled around a turntable by alien-piloted saucers. The height requirement is 32 inches, lower than the 38 inches Slinky Dog Dash asks for elsewhere in the land. The music and the host are what change.

Lilypad joins Woody, Jessie and Buzz Lightyear in the backyard. That backyard is the premise the whole land has run on since opening day: guests are shrunk to toy size and turned loose in Andy's yard.

Recorded in Nashville across pop, country, EDM and alt-rock

Imagineers recorded the soundtrack in Nashville with session musicians, moving between pop, country, EDM and alt-rock. Thomas Niederhiser, a senior creative producer at Walt Disney Imagineering, said the team started from a blank page.

"We wanted to think about the music in a completely new way, taking beloved songs from the Toy Story films, and create catchy new original songs, that are singable, sincere and a little cheesy, as one is about Pizza Planet."

Disney has named three reworked songs from the films so far:

• "You've Got a Friend in Me," Randy Newman's theme from the original Toy Story in 1995
• "We Belong Together," from Toy Story 3 in 2010, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song
• "I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away," Randy Newman's Forky song from Toy Story 4 in 2019

Two originals were written for the attraction. "Pizza Planet Promo" is the in-story theme song for Pizza Planet, the pizza arcade that goes back to the first film, and it is the cheesy one Niederhiser meant. "Spin It Back, Lilypad" is a tribute to the newest toy in the backyard.

Geoff Line, a senior story lead at Walt Disney Imagineering, talked about writing for the characters with Pixar.

"Collaborating with our partners at Pixar Animation Studios to write for these characters and expand their stories is just pure joy. We played with these toys as kids. Now we get to play with them as Imagineers. It doesn't get better than that."

Disney also says Lilypad's playlist gives more airtime to toys like Partysaurus Rex, the party-loving version of Rex from the 2012 Toy Story Toons short of the same name.

Lilypad plays to guests who are not riding

Lilypad is DJing for everyone around the attraction, riding or not. Guests nearby can sing along while DJ Lily hypes and introduces each track, and between songs she fills the gap with short bits:

• A guessing game where you work out which toy she is doodling on her drawing app
• Scrambled puzzles she asks guests to help solve
• "Home videos" she has recorded of Toy Story characters

Disney's concept art for the change shows a large frog-shaped screen reading "New Music Downloading" with families gathered in front of it. That helps groups where not everyone rides: a child under 32 inches, or an adult sitting out the spin, has something to watch and play along with while the others ride.

September 25 is the start date, and the full playlist is still unannounced

Toy Story 5 starts streaming on Disney+ on Wednesday, September 23, and Lilypad's Jams starts at Hollywood Studios two days later, so families who watch the film that week can hear Lilypad in the park by the weekend.

Disney has named five songs so far, three reworked and two new. The announcement describes a bigger lineup but does not publish the full playlist, say how long one cycle runs, or say whether Lilypad's Jams is permanent or tied to the film's release. If you are at Hollywood Studios from September 25, give the saucers a few minutes even if you are not riding, and plan on a second spin if you want to hear more of the playlist.