12+ Disney Fan Theories That Change The Movies

By now, you've probably heard of some pretty insane theories about the Disney and Pixar movies that fans have managed to come up with over the years.

Some of them seem pretty far-fetched (Tarzan is actually Elsa and Anna's brother? Ya, right). But there are other theories out there that are actually pretty believable.

1. Jafar is the misunderstood hero in Aladdin.

Dorkly | Dorkly

This might seem like a totally insane theory, but hear me out.

The Sultan is doing a pretty terrible job at running Agrabah. I mean, there are starving children in the streets for crying out loud. Meanwhile, he's running around buying his daughter a tiger and playing with toys.

What if all Jafar really wanted was to marry Jasmine so that he could take over as The Sultan and save Agrabah?

Pop Culture | Pop Culture

I'm not saying Jasmine should have married Jafar (because let's face it, who wants to wake up to that beard every day?).

But con man Aladdin was no better. So can we just agree that Jafar was simply misunderstood?

2. Captain Hook was the one to kill Ariel's mother.

The Parody Wiki | The Parody Wiki

Thanks to Ariel's Beginning, we know that Ariel's mother was killed by a pirate ship.

And in Peter Pan, we see a redheaded mermaid who resembles Ariel's mother. What if the pirate ship that killed her mother was actually being driven by Captain Hook himself?

3. The animals inThe Emperor's New Groove were once humans.

We know that in this movie, Yzma has the ability to turn humans into animals, but here's where it gets even more twisted.Remember when Kuzco is walking through the jungle and sees a fly land in a spider web, then calls out, "Help me…help me!"?

Seeing as there are other animals in this movie that don't speak, this leads us to believe that this fly was actually once human.

Disney Wiki | Disney Wiki

And I don't know about you, but spending your life trapped inside a fly's body, only to have it end by landing on a spider web...no thanks.

4. Andy's mom was actually Jessie's owner.

Jon Negroni | Jon Negroni

There's a lot of evidence proving that Jessie's first owner was actually Andy's mom.

One of the most interesting points is that Andy's cowboy hat resembles Jessie's hat more than Woody's.

And we see in a flashback that Jessie's owner once wore the exact same hat.

Jon Negroni | Jon Negroni

Since Andy's hat looks pretty worn, it could easily be a hand-me-down from his mother, aka Jessie's owner!

5. Andy's dad left the family not long before Toy Story begins.

Jon Negroni | Jon Negroni

Think about it: If Andy's dad had passed away, wouldn't there be photos of him on the wall? Guess what? There aren't any.

Maybe the explanation is that Andy's father died a really long time ago — but then how would you explain Molly, who's a baby? We'd have to assume she's Andy's half-sister at that point.

And let's not forget that Andy and his mom appear to be downsizing when they move in Toy Story. 

The Disney Wiki | The Disney Wiki

Perhaps the move was in part due to a recent divorce? After all, Andy's mom isn't seen wearing a wedding ring in Toy Story, either.

Plus, what does Andy's mom get the family at the end of Toy Story? A puppy. 

Pixar Wiki | Pixar Wiki

That's pretty much the go-to gift for saying "Sorry your dad and I couldn't work things out."

6. The shipwreck that Ariel explores was the ship of Elsa and Anna's parents.

Disney Princess Wiki | Disney Princess Wiki

We know that the King and Queen of Arendelle tragically died while on a voyage at sea, but the geography of it all is what really ties this theory together.

The Little Mermaid is set somewhere around Denmark, and Frozen is set in Norway.

Google Maps | Google Maps

One quick look at the map tells us that the two are separated by water, and so this theory could very well be real.

7. Snow White actually dies at the end of the movie.

A Year in Disney Movies | A Year in Disney Movies

Think about this. When Snow White is poisoned by the apple, she dies, and the Prince is actually a metaphor for death.

The Prince kissing Snow White is actually her waking up on "the other side," and taking her away on the symbolic white horse (which represents death) is what the Bible refers to as a "pale horse."

Maybe a little too spiritual for some of you, but I like this ending better.

8. Jane from Tarzan and Belle from Beauty and the Beast are actually ancestors. 

Disney Theory | Disney Theory

Both characters share similar personality traits and even looks. Plus, they both fell for shaggy-looking men who are less than civilized.

Plus, the dishes from Beauty and the Beast make a cameo in Tarzan.

Disney Theory | Disney Theory

Which makes you believe that maybe Jane and her father inherited the family china. That makes sense, right?

9. Aladdin is actually set in the far, far future.

The Economics Detective | The Economics Detective

The Genie references a lot of '80s and '90s pop culture moments. Plus, he casually mentions that he's been in the lamp for 10,000 years.

So, it makes sense that the film is actually set in the year 11,900 (or later).

10. Or — and this is really wild — Aladdin never happened at all!

Disney Theory | Disney Theory

What if the epic tale was just a story told by the merchant at the beginning of the film in an effort to sell the magic lamp?

*GASP!*

11. Bing Bong from Inside Out is actually from the Monsters, Inc. world.

Cinema Blend | Cinema Blend

Monsters, Inc. ends with their industry collecting energy from children's laughs instead of screams, so wouldn't it make sense that Bing Bong was a company employee, working to make children like Riley laugh?

Of course, he ends up in Riley's fading memories because she's growing older and slowly forgetting about him, but he still exists in the monster world!

Disney | Disney

Man, even the theories for Inside Out are sad!

12. There's a reason why the villain in Toy Story is named Sid.

Disney Wiki | Disney Wiki

Sid is short for Sidney, which is an anagram of Disney.

This theory suggests that John Lasseter (who wrote and directed Toy Story) gave Sid that name on purpose because he was fired from Disney before moving on to Pixar, and then ultimately created this movie.

Dramaaaa.

13. Mufasa controlled the clouds after he died.

My Lion King Forum | My Lion King Forum

This one might sound a little weird, but hear me out.

Once Scar takes over Pride Rock, things go downhill pretty quickly. It's dark, there's a drought, and when Simba returns, lightning strikes, a fire starts, and the demise of Scar's ruling begins.

Since we see Mufasa's face in the sky earlier, this leads us to believe that this theory is quite plausible.

Disney Wiki | Disney Wiki

What if he purposefully controlled the weather so that Scar would fail, and once Simba returned to Pride Rock, it was Mufasa who controlled the weather to his advantage, including causing the lightning to strike and the rain to pour down once Scar was defeated.

14. Mother Gothel from Tangled and the Evil Queen from Snow White are actually the same person.

Hollywood Life | Hollywood Life

Besides the fact that they're both 10/10 evil, the theory is that when Mother Gothel ages, she looks just like the Queen's old woman disguise.

And so perhaps after the Evil Queen's plan to kill Snow White "failed" (see above theory), kidnapping Rapunzel and using her hair to stay young was her next genius idea.

YouTube | ClevverTV

Also: They both have really, really thin eyebrows. Coincidence? Hmmm.