Walt Disney Imagineering Files New Permit for Alien Swirling Saucers at Hollywood Studios

16 days ago in "Alien Swirling Saucers"

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Alien Swirling Saucers ride

Posted: Thursday May 28, 2026 12:54pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Walt Disney Imagineering has filed a Notice of Commencement for Alien Swirling Saucers at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The scope of work is listed as installing set elements.

Alien Swirling Saucers ride

The filing names frequent WDI partner Icarus Exhibits as the contractor, with the scope of work described as installing set elements. Disney has made no announcement about any planned changes to the Toy Story Land spinning ride.

Routine maintenance and repairs at Walt Disney World typically fall under Facilities Asset Management. When WDI owns a permit instead, it points toward creative or show-related work rather than standard upkeep.

With Toy Story 5 hitting theaters on June 19, 2026, the timing is interesting. Refreshing Alien Swirling Saucers ahead of — or alongside — the film's release would be a logical way to tie the attraction to renewed interest in the franchise. That's speculation for now, but it's hard to ignore the timing.

The combination of WDI's involvement and a contractor specializing in exhibit fabrication and installation suggests this goes beyond replacing a worn component or fixing ride mechanics.

Alien Swirling Saucers Pizza Planet toy-themed attraction opened in June 2018. Guests board rockets that are pulled by flying saucers piloted by the Toy Story aliens. The rockets and saucers whirl around a series of turntables, all to the beat of "electronic space music" renditions of Toy Story tunes.

Alien Swirling Saucers overview

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Mr. Sullivan6 days ago

They wouldn’t really need a permit for that they could just do it

eddie1047 days ago

But how is it relevant to this thread ?

Ayla7 days ago

It isn't. The same things have been said since the day it opened.

Casper Gutman7 days ago

It seems fair to bring it up when it’s relevant, just like it’s fair to bring up Tiana. I understand if they’re inconvenient examples for some posters.

Burgermeister7 days ago

Again, these are your opinions that you are entitled to but that does not make it facts. So dramatic though.

eddie1047 days ago

But do we need to bring this up in every thread that slightly relates to it? It’s getting very played out at this point and beating a dead horse.

Casper Gutman8 days ago

“TSL is awful,” has been pretty prevalent for a while. Back before it was announced for MGM, when Toy Story Lands were just something that happened to other resorts, it was a pretty universally held view around here. “WDW may have its problems, but at least it doesn’t have a Toy Story Land,” we’d all chortle as we sipped our brandy in the drawing room. How innocent we were! TSL is a massive concrete wasteland featuring a flat ride that is exponentially better in California, a bare family coaster with one AA that may be Orlando’s most inefficiently designed attraction, and Midway Mania. Now, that ride has its fans. I am not one of them.

Burgermeister8 days ago

A ray of sunshine as usual.😉

James Alucobond8 days ago

Liking what the area provides in terms of rides and dining while also thinking it’s not a particularly well-designed land are not incompatible notions, nor did I think it was a particularly controversial opinion to hold.

MisterPenguin8 days ago

I like TSL. Don't know why, all of a sudden, several people are dropping a dump on TSL. And apart from this thread, doing so off-topic in other threads. Is there a cabal trying to make "TSL is awful" a thing? TSL's only real problem, IMO, is that its attractions attract more people than can comfortably fit in the land. Which is a trap that the new mini-lands are falling into, such at Ratatouille plaza. It can't hold 2,000 people an hour showing up for the ride, so, it's perpetually swamped. The dead-end Monstropolis will have the same problem.