When it comes to Christmas, Halloween, Easter, and other holidays, there are always at least a few movies to watch with your kids to get in the spirit. Sometimes thereâs so many you couldnât even finish them all if you tried. But when it comes to April Foolâs movies for kids, thereâs a shockingly low number of films (think, like, zero) based on the actual holiday. That said, there are plenty of April Foolâs-appropriate movies filled with family-friendly pranks , jokes, and more.
Thatâs right â instead of searching for movies that are literally about the holiday, think about what makes April Foolâs Day so much fun. Itâs all the jokes, laughter, and pranks , right? Well, the good news is there are plenty of hilarious movies that capture the essence of April Foolâs in a way thatâs appropriate for family movie nights.
Whether the movie focuses on switching places (The Parent Trap), swapping lives with someone else (Sheâs The Man ), or hilarious and physically kinda harmful pranks (Home Alone ), these movies will have the entire family in stitches. Just be sure to check the ratings ahead of time, as not all of them are meant for the littlest members of the family. We wouldnât want any toddlers thinking marbles are meant to be left out for you to slip on.
1 The Parent Trap Starring Lindsay Lohan as Annie and Hallie, as well as Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson, The Parent Trap is possibly the ultimate prank, and one this movie made all millennial parents wish they could pull. Câmon, who doesnât want to meet the twin they never knew at summer camp and then switch places with their twin? In Disneyâs 1998 version of The Parent Trap (the original came out in 1961), Hallie and Annie swap lives and move to totally different countries in an attempt to reunite their long-separated parents before their dad marries the wrong woman.
Watch The Parent Trap, rated PG, on Disney+ .
2 The Pink Panther In The Pink Panther starring Steve Martin, inspector Jacques Clouseau, who is a bit of a bumbler, is put on the case when a beloved French soccer coach is murdered and his ring (which holds the priceless Pink Panther diamond) is stolen. While this movie has a kid-friendly PG rating, Common Sense Media has warned that the 2006 movie is perhaps best for kids over 11 years old due to sexual situations, slapstick violence (think getting hit in the crotch), as well as crude language and humor.
Watch The Pink Panther , rated PG, on Netflix .
3 Ferris Buellerâs Day Off Ferris Buellerâs Day Off is an absolute classic that your older kids will enjoy just as much as you did growing up. If youâve never seen it, Matthew Broderick as Ferris is a wisecracking high schooler who has a knack for skipping class. Recommended for kids over 12 years old due to profanity and less than exemplary behavior, follow him through a day of slacking around Chicago with this John Hughes classic from 1986 this April Foolâs Day.
Watch Ferris Buellerâs Day Off , rated PG-13, on Amazon Prime .
4 Sheâs The Man Speaking of prank movies for older kids, Amanda Bynes stars in the very hilarious Sheâs The Man, a movie that proves anything boys can do, girls can do funnier. In 2006âs Sheâs The Man, Viola Johnson disguises herself as her twin brother at boarding school and clinches a big soccer game, whips out her tampons to help with her âreally bad nosebleeds,â while also falling in love with the teamâs star player, Duke.
Watch Sheâs The Man, rated PG-13, on Amazon Prime .
5 The Emperorâs New Groove Unless youâre Yzma herself, you probably donât have the powers to pull a prank quite like the one at the center of this family-friendly April Foolâs movie. She turns egotistical Emperor Kuzco into a llama, strands him in the countryside, and assumes the throne. If your kids havenât seen this gem of a movie, theyâll love watching Kuzco and his new best friend journey back to his kingdom.
Watch The Emperorâs New Groove , rated G, on Disney+ .
6 Mrs. Doubtfire Hereâs another movie where someone operates in disguise. In Mrs. Doubtfire , the classic 1993 family comedy starring Robin Williams, Sally Field, Mara Wilson, a Pierce Brosnan, a divorced father masquerades as a quirky nanny with an accent in an attempt to spend more time with his kids each day. Naturally, wild hijinks ensue (that iconic burnt shirt kitchen scene will forever remain in our memories) but the ending is heartwarming despite all the jokes along the way.
Watch Mrs. Doubtfire , rated PG-13, on Hulu .
7 Honey, I Shrunk The Kids Starring Rick Moranis as Wayne Szalinski, this sci-fi comedy from 1989 is so nostalgic for millennial parents, so hereâs hoping the kiddos love it just as much. In Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, an inventorâs kids and their friends sneak into his workshop and are accidentally miniaturized by his experimental shrink ray. Watch as they try to get help and return to full size from just a quarter inch tall, hide under blades of grass, and escape from a giant scorpion.
Watch Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, rated PG, on Disney+ .
8 Home Alone Yes, yes, Home Alone is technically a Christmas movie , but itâs also the absolute best kid-friendly movie thatâs all about pranks. Now, these pranks arenât so harmless since theyâre meant to keep the burglars out of Kevin McCallisterâs house, but theyâre funny every time. Besides, who doesnât need a little Christmas cheer in April? But, keep in mind, that due to the amount of violence and the whole âI accidentally abandoned my kid at home alone to fend off burglarsâ storyline, Common Sense Media recommends this movie is best for kids over 10 years old.
Watch Home Alone, rated PG, on Disney+ .
9 Dennis the Menace A precocious, adorable child who drives his elderly neighbor absolutely bonkers over his summer vacation? Sounds like the makings of a heart-warming April Foolâs movie to me. Your kids will laugh out loud as Mr. Wilson gets covered head to toe in flour, woken up early by Dennis climbing into his bed, and hit in the forehead with a flaming marshmallow.
Watch Dennis the Menace , rated PG, on Amazon Prime .
10 Charlotteâs Web Most parents, when they think of Charlotteâs Web , tend to go straight to the ending (still heart-wrenching after all these years, ugh). But the gist of most of the movie is a very elaborate ruse between a group of farm animal friends to keep their pig friend alive. Despite all the pig-going-to-slaughter associations, itâs a warm and fuzzy movie to watch as a family for April Foolâs.
Watch Charlotteâs Web , rated G, on Amazon Prime .
11 Roald Dahlâs The Witches Based on a book by the famed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory author, The Witches is a remake of a 1990 movie by the same name. A recently orphaned boy moves in with his grandmother. On a trip, their hotel stay coincides with a convention of witches plotting to rid the world of all children. Hijinks (and children morphing into mouses) ensue.
Watch Roald Dahlâs The Witches , rated PG, on Amazon Prime .
12 Playing With Fire John Cena stars in the 2019 movie Playing With Fire as a fireman in the California woodlands. After he and his team rescue three siblings from a burning cabin, theyâre in charge of keeping the little ones safe until their parents can get to the station. As you can imagine, thatâs when things go totally awry. Reviews are a bit mixed, but one parent wrote that the acting âwas a little cheesyâ but overall funny for older kids and young teens.
Watch Playing With Fire , rated PG, on Amazon Prime .
13 Are We There Yet? In Are We There Yet? starring Ice Cube, Aleisha Allen, Nia Long, and more, Nick spots the gorgeous and recently divorced Suzanne and is smitten right away. But her young kids, Lindsey and Kevin, have been chasing other suitors off. When their mom has to fly to Canada, Nick promises her heâll drive the kids to Vancouver and join her there, and they do everything in their power to run him off on the drive.
Watch Are We There Yet? , rated PG, on Hulu .
14 Clifford No, not the one with the big red dog, the one with adult Martin Short playing a young child. Clifford follows an oddball kid â played by a grownup â to visit his uncle Los Angeles (nearly crashing the plane with his antics on the way there). Screen this flick if youâd like to see him drive his uncle completely nuts over the course of 90 minutes.
Watch Clifford , rated PG, on Amazon Prime .
15 Matilda In this 1996 classic starring Mara Wilson, Danny DeVito, and Rhea Perlman, Matilda Wormwood has some pretty unkind parents, and a school principal, Mrs. Trunchbull, who bullies the students relentlessly. When Matilda realizes she has the power of telekinesis, she uses it to right the wrongs of the adults around her, and the ending is oh-so-happy. Common Sense Media calls the movie a âoffbeat dark fantasy gem [that is] intense, sometimes scary,â so itâs perhaps best for kids over 9 years old.
Watch Matilda, rated PG, on Amazon Prime .
16 Paddington Ever wondered what it would be like to watch a bear with a charming British accent whoâs obsessed with marmalade move to the big city? In the oh-so-adorable Paddington film from 2014, a sweet and clumsy bear moves to England and is taken in by a family there after his rainforest home is destroyed. But a local taxidermist is determined to steal his fur, and, well, youâll just have to wait and see what happens.
Watch Paddington, rated PG, on Netflix .
17 School Of Rock Jack Black stars as Dewey Finn, the main character in School Of Rock. Dewey, an unsuccessful musician turned substitute teacher, plays guitar in his band, until they kick him out. In need of work, he lies his way into a substitute teacher position at a high-brow private school. And teach his students about music he does, but his choice of lesson plans (all about rock ânâ roll) is totally new to the kids. Soon, his class is preparing for the Battle of the Bands. Will they win? Watch it this April Foolâs Day to find out.
Watch School Of Rock , rated PG-13, on Amazon Prime .
18 Ramona and Beezus Based on the childrenâs novel series by Beverly Cleary, the 2010 family comedy Ramona and Beezus is all about the one-of-a-kind little girl Ramona Quimby. Her big imagination comes in handy when she and her older sister, Beezus, need to save their home. This sweet flick stars some recognizable faces like Joey King, Selena Gomez, John Corbett, Ginnifer Goodwin, Sandra Oh, and Josh Duhamel.
Watch Ramona and Beezus , rated G, on Disney+ .
19 Kicking & Screaming Elf isnât Will Ferrellâs only kidsâ movie to watch again and again for the holidays. For April Foolâs Day, thereâs Kicking & Screaming. In the 2005 family comedy, Ferrell plays a man whose father always wanted him to be an athlete. When his own son begins playing soccer, Ferrellâs character decides to coach the team, and hopes to beat the rival team coached by his old man.
Watch Kicking & Screaming, rated PG, on Amazon Prime .
20 The Pacifier It seems Vin Diesel is all about family in most of this movies. In The Pacifer, he plays a highly trained Navy SEAL who is assigned to protect a scientistâs five children for national security reasons. And, it turns out, military training doesnât prepare him for absolutely everything.
Watch The Pacifier, rated PG, on Disney+ .
Whether you choose a movie off of this list or feel called to a different funny flick, just know there are plenty of films that make good April Foolâs movies (even if the holiday itself isnât part of the plot).
This article was originally published on March 24, 2022