On their surface, Disney movies are just simple children’s stories with marketable characters and a catchy soundtrack. But some fans believe that a few Disney movies have deeper themes lurking in the background.It stands to reason that a few of these movies, which inspired so much imagination from millions of children, have some pretty crazy theories attached to them.Some of these theories give Disney movies a darker edge, while others use some pretty crazy gymnastics to link two totally unrelated franchises.Here’s a few of the more insane, yet strangely plausible, fan theories we’ve found lurking around the Internet:
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Aladdin Actually Takes Place in a Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland
What if Aladdin didn’t take place in the distant past, but rather in the far off future? One popular theory believes that the fictional country of Agrabah is actually the remains of a Middle Eastern country long after a nuclear war wiped away most of humanity. The strongest proof for this pretty insane theory is Robin Williams’ Genie, who spends most of the movie dropping modern pop culture references on a clueless Aladdin and friends. The Genie mentioned that he was trapped in his bottle for 10,000 years, enough time for our modern civilization to be wiped away by the sands of time. If Agrabah did exist in a post-nuclear apocalyptic world, it would explain why a parrot had the intelligence of Gilbert Godfrey and why Rajah the tiger was such an effective bodyguard to Jasmine. The popular Aladdin video game also lends some fuel to this theory, as the game occasionally features modern day objects like stop signs half buried underneath the desert sand.
Anna and Elsa Have a Surprise Brother
Anna and Elsa’s parents met a watery grave in Frozen, but one of that movie’s directors has an alternative take on what happened to the king and queen of Arendelle.During an AMA on Reddit, Frozen director Chris Buck stated that Anna and Elsa’s parent’s didn’t die on the boat. Instead they “got washed up on a shore in a jungle island. The queen gave birth to a baby boy. They build a treehouse. They get eaten by a leopard…” If that sounds familiar, it’s because that’s the actual origin story for Disney’s Tarzan, which came out over a decade earlier. So why would Buck link Frozen to Tarzan? Well, he co-directed both Disney movies, so maybe in his mind all of his movies exist in the same universe.
Jane from Tarzan is Belle and Beast’s Granddaughter
Tarzan isn’t the only character in Tarzan with possible ties to other Disney movies. Some fans have noticed that Tarzan’s love interest Jane has more than a passing interest to Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Not only do they have some similar facial features and the same color hair, Jane also wears a yellow dress that looks a lot like a toned down version of Belle’s ball gown. The biggest proof for this theory is a certain family heirloom that Terk and the other gorillas discover when investigating the Porters’ camp. While monkeying around, Terk pulls out a tea set that looks exactly like Mrs. Potts, Chip and the rest of their teacaup family.
Carl from Up is Dead
Up was one of Pixar’s saddest movies to date, but one fan theory makes the sentimental last adventure of an old man even more tragic. One Redditor believes that Up was actually Carl’s journey into the afterlife, having died shortly after receiving a notice to vacate his home. Russell, Carl’s friendly Scout sidekick, is actually a guardian angel, sent to help Carl cross over to the other side. After all, he says to earn his “Assisting the Elderly” merit badge, he has to help Carl cross “something”. Carl and Russell’s destination in Up, Paradise Island, is a purgatory-esque state to help Carl transition into the afterlife. Carl only leaves Paradise Island after letting go of his home, thus symbolizing that he’s finally ready to “move on.” Of course, Carl showing up to Russell’s merit badge ceremony at the end of the movie pokes a big hole in this theory, but thinking that Carl might actually be dead in Up makes that whole movie a lot sadder.
Jessie’s Original Owner is Andy’s Mom
In Toy Story 2, we learn why Jessie is so doubtful that Woody wasn’t abandoned by his owner, Andy. Jessie also had an owner, Emily, who eventually outgrew her cowgirl doll and gave her away as a teenager. But when Jessie returned with Woody at the end of Toy Story 2, maybe she inadvertently reunited with her original owner. One fan theory believes that Andy’s unnamed mom is actually a grown-up Emily. After all, Andy wears a cowboy hat that looks like a beat up version of a hat worn by Emily as a child. When Emily gives away Jessie and the rest of her cowboy accessories as a teen, that hat is noticeably absent from the giveaway box, implying that she might have kept it as one last family heirloom. Emily and Andy’s mom also share a similar hair color, which adds some extra credence to this theory.
Belle’s Favorite Story is Aladdin
While we already shared one theory that Aladdin takes place in the distant future, another fan theory suggests that it’s just a fictional story read by another popular Disney character. In Beauty and the Beast, Belle describes her favorite book as having “far off places, daring sword fights, magic spells and a prince in disguise.” While that certainly sounds like foreshadowing for her adventure with her future Beast-ly husband, it also describes the basic plot of Aladdin. Set in Agrabah (a far off place), a street urchin uses a Genie’s magic spells to become a prince in disguise. There’s even some daring sword fights between Aladdin and the palace guards! Aladdin didn’t come out until a year after Beauty and the Beast, but this theory suggests that maybe Belle should have ended up with a “diamond in the rough” instead of a Beast.
