Need to "attach" multiple image layers to one shape layer or mask path.

Hello all, thanks in advance for your help. I need to add multiple (like 50) .png layers to one path so that I can animate the path and create a "wave" effect to make it look like the images are all doing a wave up and down in the "y" direction.

Kind of like this: (if all the "o" shapes started in a single flat line and then animated in the "y" only (up and down. ) (Just using the --'s as spacers)

-------------o

-------- o ------o

--- o-----------------o-------------------- o

o------------------------ o ----o---- o

I thought about maybe creating a sine wave on a path and attaching all the layers to one path, but I can't seem to figure out how to attach separate image layers to one path on a separate layer. I'd really like to avoid having to do an individual mask path and pasting to each separate layer because if I want to tweak the motion after I have all the layers set up, i'd have to start all over.

If you can think of another way to do this, maybe like attaching all the image layers to a slider control via expression, but I need to be able to control the layer "y" positions a little better than just offsetting the "y" transform expression or wiggle. Maybe a particle replicator with the image set as the particle and multi-object? I'm struggling here, but it seems like a solution should be so simple. Perhaps i'm overthinking it.

Thanks so much!