On Nov. 9, 2023, Mouse Trap News published an article positing that Disney had confirmed it would be building a "euthanasia" ride meant to "'peacefully' kill people, in a fun and exciting way." The article began:
Confirmed: Disney is Building a Euthanasia Roller Coaster
Disney World is home to some world-class roller coasters. One example is Space Mountain, which you can soon sleep in as we reported here. Also, Disney has plans to build a new roller coaster that actually jumps the track. This is a very exciting proposal. However, the next roller coaster to be built at Disney World is a euthanasia roller coaster, designed to kill you.
The article claims that the concept is based on Lithuanian artist Julijonas Urbonas' design, which we've previously reported as being real, albeit only as a conceptual art project. However, Disney will not be building such a roller coaster, and this article was not a factual recounting of real-life events. Mouse Trap News describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature, as follows:
Mouse Trap News is the world's best satire site. We write fake stories about Disney Parks stuff. From Disney Park announcements to Disney Hotel and resort news to made-up Disney partnerships, you can be assured that anything you read here is not true, real, or accurate, but it is fun.
A day later, the TikTok account of Mouse Trap News posted a video showing what it would look like to ride such a rollercoaster from a first-person perspective. "Fittingly, as guests ride the euthanasia roller coaster they'll be treated to the song 'Remember Me' from 'Coco.' Also their family members will get to enjoy the song too as they watch you take your final ride," the narrator said. The video notes that the ride will only be available for terminally ill patients with a doctor's note, but that there are ethical concerns.
On Urbonas' website, he describes the Euthanasia Coaster as being:
...a hypothetic death machine in the form of a roller coaster, engineered to humanely – with elegance and euphoria – take the life of a human being.
Riding the coaster's track, the rider is subjected to a series of intensive motion elements that induce various unique experiences: from euphoria to thrill, and from tunnel vision to loss of consciousness, and, eventually, death. Thanks to the marriage of the advanced cross-disciplinary research in aeronautics/space medicine, mechanical engineering, material technologies and, of course, gravity, the fatal journey is made pleasing, elegant and meaningful.
For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.