13 Disney Movie Theories That Will Blow Your Mind

Everybody (or nearly everybody) grew up with Walt Disney’s motion pictures. Everybody has a favorite and a least favourite, and everybody has their own opinions on certain aspects of different films. There are also quite a lot of fan-made theories that, although most have never been concretely proven, are interesting to consider all the same. Here are 13 theories about Walt Disney movies that, even if you have never thought about them before, will get you thinking.

Angel Of Death

Some people believe that the beloved boy who never grew up, a.k.a. Peter Pan, is a type of angel of death sent to lead children to heaven, a.k.a. Neverland when they die. It is hard to imagine that this is what Walt Disney had in mind when he set out to make the picture, let alone what J.M. Barrie had in mind when he wrote the original story. Still, there are far too many connections to the afterlife to dismiss this theory of any validity. J.M. Barrie left the rights to the story to a children’s hospital, perhaps with a partial hope of portraying Neverland as a kind of heaven to terminally ill children. After all, children never grow any older in Neverland. The same thing was implied in the 2004 film Finding Neverland, which is based on the story where the terminally ill mother is given a chance to see Neverland just as she dies.

Distant Relatives

One theory suggests that Jane from Tarzan is, in fact, the granddaughter of Belle from Beauty and the Beast. In looks, they are similar: they both have brown hair; they are both very pretty and they even wear similar colors. Perhaps the most obvious similarity between them is that they both play opposite a beast-like character, who they eventually grow to love. These may just be a series of strange, albeit impressive, coincidences, but there just might be something more to them. Plus, at one point in the film, Terk is seen drumming on a set of dishes from Jane’s campsite that look remarkably like Mrs. Potts and Chip. Family heirlooms, perhaps?

Split Personalities

Another theory suggests that Mother Gothel from Tangled is, in fact, the Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This one is kind of a stretch, but the similarities between the two characters are worth noting. Both are cloaked women with seemingly beautiful exteriors and wicked interiors. They are both parental figures who use parts of their children for their own gain: the Evil Queen wants Snow White’s heart so that she can be fairest in the land, and Mother Gothel uses the power in Rapunzel’s hair to stay young. That leads to another trait that they share: They are both obsessed with staying young and/or fair. Perhaps they really are the same person, just in different times.

A Long-Lost Brother

This is a fairly well-known theory after it made headlines shortly after the cinematic release ofFrozen in 2013. Apparently, some evidence suggests that Elsa and Anna have a brother who appears in a whole other Disney film: Tarzan. This theory is not too much of a stretch, partly because it does make a bit of sense and partly because there has been some confirmation of it. A co-director of Frozen confirmed that the king and queen of Arendelle had enough time before their boat shipwrecked to give birth to a baby. Once on the island, they were eaten by a leopard. Therefore, their baby, who survived, was Tarzan.

Family Ties

Elsa and Anna of Frozen are unquestionably the favorite Disney sisters, so it is hard to imagine them without each other. Yet, one theory states that Elsa and Rapunzel are the sisters – twins, in fact. This theory is mainly backed up by small things. For example, Elsa and Rapunzel are the same age, their movies both take place around the same time, and they both have magical powers. There is also evidence that they are both left-handed, which is true in 22% of twins. It is also believed that, when Elsa and Anna’s parents sail away for a wedding (the voyage that ultimately kills them), it is Rapunzel’s wedding to Eugene that they had planned on attending. Parental obligations, perhaps, or just a strange coincidence?

Hello, Cousins!

This theory is probably one of the easiest Disney theories to believe. There is strong evidence that Ariel from The Little Mermaidand Hercules from Hercules are first-cousins once removed. In fact, the evidence is so strong that there is almost no doubting it. Think about it: both of their fathers are gods. Hercules's father is Zeus. Zeus’ brother is Poseidon, and Poseidon’s son is Triton. Ariel’s father is King Triton. It is unsure whether or not this phenomenon was intentional by Disney or if it was just a happy accident. Either way, it is a fun discovery for Disney fans to make.

In The Genes?

Elsa seems to have been born with her powers in Frozen, but where did they really come from? One theory suggests that Elsa inherited her powers from her grandfather, who was cursed with them. This one is a bit of a reach, but it is possible that this is not the first time this family has come across powers like Elsa’s. The king gives Elsa a set of gloves that ‘might help’ with her condition. On the surface, it is likely that he is only giving her the gloves because he has seen how everything she touches turns to ice, so gloves will keep a veil between her hands and objects. Then again, is it possible that he chose gloves because he had seen Elsa’s curse somewhere before, and therefore knew how to handle it?

The Trip Down The Rabbit Hole

This theory is by no means a stretch. A trip, perhaps, but not a stretch. It is believed that Alice was simply "tripping out" for the entirety of Alice in Wonderland rather than physically going down the rabbit hole into Wonderland. Disney drew far too many comparisons to drugs in this movie to be ignored: Alice eats the mushrooms to become bigger or smaller, and the caterpillar is seen smoking a pipe. If that does not do well enough to solidify the movie’s trip-like tendencies, there’s the fact that the movie was developed by the studio in the 1950s, which was a time when many people experimented with drugs.

Hidden Agenda

Could Frozen actually be a political statement about climate change? Some theories believe so and U.S. officials even went as far as to convince Disney to use the film to teach children about climate change. While that idea was turned down, there are still a few comparisons that can be made. For example, the eternal winter in Arendelle happened because of Elsa. In the real world, global warming is also happening because of people and their influences. Elsa learns throughout the movie that she does not need to get rid of her powers; she just needs to find some control. Likewise, it is impossible to stop with technological advances that are ultimately ripping through the ozone layer in the real world, but there are preventative measures that continue to be implemented.

Back To The Past

There is a theory that suggests Aladdin might not be set in the past like many people think, but that it is actually set 10,000 years into the future. There are a few things to support this idea, most of them revolving around the Genie. What could be simply dismissed as the brilliant humor and ad-libs of Robin Williams, might also give way for this time-span theory. The Genie is released from the lamp and says he has been inside for 10,000 years. Then, he proceeds for the rest of the movie to make countless references to pop culture of 1992 (the movie’s release year). Therefore, one could conclude that the Genie was trapped in the lamp in present day and was not released by Aladdin until, as he says, 10,000 years later.

Here's Elsa!

Whether or not this is a legitimate theory instead of an interesting similarity is debatable. All the same, there are people who believe Frozenand The Shining are the exact same movie. Obviously, they are not the same movie in the literal sense, but their basic storylines do have some similarities that are hard to ignore. One blogger points out that both Elsa of Frozen and Jack of The Shining become dangerous to their families after spending a long time being isolated in a large building with high ceilings. Furthermore, both of these buildings are placed on a cold, abandoned piece of land. Coincidence? Intentional? People could be debating this one for a while.

Cross Connections

There are many theories that criss-cross Disney movie plotlines to prove their points, and one that seems fairly plausible is that Peter Pan and The Little Mermaid are set in the same universe, and Captain Hook was the one who killed Ariel’s mom. One story is set in Denmark and the other one is set in England. Those two countries are close enough to each other that Neverland could be somewhere in the middle of them. There is another theory (which contributes well to this one) that Ariel’s mother is seen in Peter Pan, sitting on the rock while listening to Peter speak. In Neverland, pirates often kill mermaids. Captain Hook is a pirate. Ariel’s mother is dead in The Little Mermaid. The facts are all there, and theory works out quite smoothly, no matter how unlikely it may seem.