Roundup of Disney-themed April Fool’s Day jokes

Disney fans sure seem to love a good April Fool’s Day joke — or, in some cases, fantasy. Here are a few of the prank stories we ran across on the web today:

Cars Land to open at “Disneytoon Studios” in 2017: This is something a lot of WDW fans have dreamed of, but come on, we all know that’s not enough time for construction of a major new “land” at one of Disney’s theme parks. And besides, aren’t we all hoping Disney comes up with a better name than that for the soon-to-be-renamed Hollywood Studios?

Judge bans “Frozen” from Disney’s theme parks: Remember the woman who claimed “Frozen” was stolen from her life story? That story alone would have made a great April Fool’s Day prank, but alas, it was real — and the case was dismissed in February.

Cinderella’s Castle to be renamed for Elsa: Poor Cinderella. She’s enjoying a renaissance with a brand-new live-action movie in theaters, and still she’s being dissed in favor of newcomer Elsa.

Olaf’s Frozen escape: This one is disturbingly realistic, perhaps because it’s not that far-fetched to think the much-maligned Stitch’s Great Escape could be rethemed — again — around a popular character who otherwise doesn’t have much of a presence in the parks. The post includes some pretty beautiful “concept art” and a disturbingly realistic “leaked” press release. So much so that we wouldn’t be entirely surprised come April 6 to see a real release from Disney. But there was one giveaway that it can’t be true: They called the old ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter “extremely beloved.” Please!

And finally … Even the folks at Disney got into the act with an “out-of-this-world announcement”: Disney Parks to Send Guests to Pluto. They never come close to “announcing” a new ride, as the headline might make you suspect … They’re simply sending guests to meet and greet the Pluto we already know and love.