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13 Disney Fan Theories That Will Probably Make You Rethink Everything About Your Favorite Movies

I don't think I'll ever watch Moana the same, tbh!

Salimah McCullough
by Salimah McCullough

BuzzFeed Staff

We recently shared a Reddit thread started by u/AwkwardJewler that was filled with interesting fan theories people had from their favorite movies and TV shows.

Agatha from WandaVision
Disney+ / Via giphy.com

Warning: Some spoilers ahead.

Since that post got people talking in the comments, we decided to share some more. So, here are some Disney-specific fan theories for all the Disney fans out there:

1. One, or both, of Lilo and Nani's parents were in the CIA.

A photo of Lili, Nani, and their parents and then Cobra Bubbles from "Lilo & Stitch"
Walt Disney Pictures

In the first movie, Cobra Bubbles was originally a CIA agent before he randomly left that career and became a social worker. It makes no sense that he would switch from a CIA agent to a social worker, right? Well, basically, Lilo's parent(s) were coworkers of Cobra, which explains why Lilo was never taken out of her living situation, and Nani was allowed to take care of Lilo.

—u/Kupa_Koa

2. Nemo actually died in Finding Nemo, and the movie is Marlin's journey with grief.

Marlin looking into the cave to see if any of his eggs survived the barracuda attack
Walt Disney Pictures

You may be familiar with this theory already, but to those who aren't, buckle up. So, it's believed that Nemo died along with all of the other eggs at the beginning of the movie, and everything else in the movie takes place in Marlin's subconscious as he tries to accept the fact that his son is dead. Throughout the rest of the movie, we see Marlin go through each of the stages of grief.

—u/darklighter5000

3. Hei Hei from Moana is actually a demigod.

Hei Hei from "Moana"
Walt Disney Pictures

Hei Hei is always there with Moana, keeping her safe, in a sense. This clever theory suggests that Hei Hei is actually a guardian sent by the gods to help Moana on her quest, which she does. Hei Hei appears to have stayed the same age since Moana was a baby, and he survives plenty of dangerous situations, further showing that just maybe he's actually a demigod.

4. Mother Gothel from Tangled is actually The Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Mother Gothel from "Tangled" and The Evil Queen from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"
Walt Disney Pictures

According to this theory, Mother Gothel and The Evil Queen are the same person because they are both obsessed with beauty and having a youthful appearance forever. The two characters have plenty of similarities, and well, now that I'm reading it...it's starting to make a lot of sense. You can read all the wild details here.

5. Anna and Elsa from Frozen and Tarzan from Tarzan are actually siblings.

Elsa, Anna, Queen Iduna and Kind Agnarr from "Frozen" and Tarzan from "Tarzan"
Walt Disney Studios Pictures

Frozen director Jennifer Lee revealed a theory from her codirector, Chris Buck, who also worked on Tarzan. According to Chris, the king and queen didn't die during a shipwreck/in a storm. They were actually deserted on a jungle island. What's another story where someone is stranded on a jungle island? Tarzan! It's possible that King Agnarr and Queen Iduna's ship veered off the water due to the storm, and they never got it back, so they stayed and raised Tarzan until leopards ate them. That would mean that Tarzan is Elsa and Anna's long-lost brother.

6. All of the Pixar movies are connected.

Toy Story, Brave, Cars, and Ratatouille
Walt Disney Pictures/ Pixar Animation Studios

In 2013, Jen Negroni created the Pixar theory that states that each Pixar movie is taking place in the same universe but at different times. Although this theory is pretty much confirmed at this point, it felt wrong not to include it. It all makes so much sense when you read the entire thing and connect the dots!

7. Bing Bong from Inside Out is actually a monster from Monster's, Inc. and not Riley's imaginary friend.

Bing Bong from "Inside Out" and Mike, Sully, and Boo from "Monster's, Inc."
Walt Disney Pictures/ Pixar Animation Studios

Going along with the theory of each Pixar movie being connected, it is believed that Bing Bong isn't Riley's imaginary friend, but he's actually a monster from Monster's, Inc. This theory states that he would visit her all the time when she was 3 years old, and she actually remembered a friendly monster instead of creating an imaginary friend. So if this theory is true, even though in Riley's memory Bing Bong died, Bing Bong is still alive and travels back in time to make other kids laugh.

8. Carl from Up was dead the entire time.

Carl from "Up" looking in an old photo album
Walt Disney Pictures/ Pixar Animation Studios

According to this theory, Carl is dead all along, and his trip to Paradise Falls is his transition into the afterlife. Going with this, Russell is an angel trying to earn his wings (Wilderness Explorer badge). Elsewhere, Charles Muntz is a fallen angel hellbent on dragging Carl to the underworld with his hellhounds.

—u/WolfieIsCorona

9. Ariel and Hercules are actually cousins.

Ariel from "The Little Mermaid" and Hercules from "Hercules"
Walt Disney Pictures

It's never hinted at, but this theory explores how Ariel and Hercules are related when looking at Greek mythology. Ariel's dad is King Triton, who in Greek mythology is the son of Poseidon. That would make Poseidon Ariel's grandfather. In Greek mythology, Poseidon also has two brothers — Hades and Zeus. In Greek mythology and Disney, Zeus is Hercules' dad, making Ariel and Hercules cousins.

10. In Ratatouille, the old lady at the beginning of the movie is the food critic's mother.

Old lady in the beginning of "Ratatouille" sitting in a chair and the food critic, Anton Ego in a flashback scene.
Disney/ Pixar

"In the flashback scene where he eats the ratatouille, you can see similarities of the house from the beginning, her face, and, I think, the bridge."

—u/Bev-Low

11. Hans is not the real villain of Frozen...the rock trolls are.

Hans and the rock trolls from "Frozen"
Walt Disney Pictures

According to this theory, Prince Hans was magically manipulated by the Trolls to betray Arendelle because they want Kristoff to marry into the royal family instead of Hans. In the first movie, Prince Hans wanted to kill Elsa, but when one of the guards has a crossbow aimed at her, he saved her. Why would he do that if he wanted her dead? The only explanation is that Prince Hans, the first time we see him, is a good guy, but somewhere in the course of the movie, the Trolls magically manipulated him into becoming a bad guy.

12. Moana dies in the thunderstorm at the beginning of the movie.

Disney

"After that, she only meets gods and mystical creatures for the rest of the movie. She still must complete her journey to return the heart of Te Fiti, and when she does, Te Fiti brings her back to life so she can go back to her tribe."

—u/Occams-Toothbrush

13. Finally, in Wall-E, the people resorted to cannibalism while on the spaceship.

Eve and the captain listening to a message regarding the ship
Walt Disney Pictures/ Pixar Animation Studios

"The people were on that spaceship for way longer than planned. The robots control everything on the ship, and the humans have no idea what's happening. Plus, you don't see any plants or animals on the ship, and we don't know how they dispose of corpses. So since the robots are programmed not to return to earth, they solve the absence of one resource (food) with the excess of another (corpses)."

—camilagutierrez029