Ever since its release in 2013, fans have looked at Frozen as the nexus of a potential connected Disney universe. The obvious connection immediately noticed by all is the inclusion of two characters that look just like Tangled‘s Rapunzel and Flynn Rider walking through the streets of Arendelle. There’s almost no mistaking the characters in the scene, and it led to fans digging even deeper into the story of Frozen, looking to connect it with other corners of the Disney animated universe. The most popular of these theories has undoubtedly been the idea that Elsa and Anna’s parents didn’t actually die when their ship crashed in sea south of Arendelle, instead washed up on the shore of an unknown jungle island where they were forced to start a new life, eventually giving birth to the boy that would become Tarzan.
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The theory is a solid one, as it matches the tale of Elsa and Anna’s parents to the origins of Tarzan almost perfectly, and it would mean that the characters from the two beloved films are actually related. Disney would likely never address the theory, but it was one that fans couldn’t disprove. Until now, as Frozen 2 is now in theaters and offers more insight into the fate of Elsa and Anna’s parents. WARNING: Major spoilers for Frozen 2 ahead!
As it turns out, Elsa and Anna’s parents lied to them when they said they were taking a journey south. When searching for the mysterious voice calling out to Elsa in Frozen 2, the sister travelled far to the north and discovered their parents’ ship. They learned that their parents were actually travelling into the Dark Sea to try and learn the secrets about Elsa’s powers. Their parents died on the ship, together, in pursuit of knowledge about the Enchanted Forest and the ice powers passed down to Elsa.
So now that we’ve seen the actual fate of Elsa’s mom and dad play out on screen, and we know that they didn’t get lost at sea, we unfortunately have to rule out any ties the Tarzan theory. It’s time to just let that one go, no matter how disappointing that may be.
Frozen 2 didn’t address the inclusion of Rapunzel and Flynn, though. And let’s not forget the inclusion of the entire Disney Princess roster in Ralph Breaks the Internet that helps tie all of these movies together. There are still plenty of ways to theorize about the connected Disney universe, we just have to leave Tarzan out of it for now.
At least the Pixar Theory is still alive and well, right?
Frozen 2 is now playing in theaters.
