Prepare to see your favorite Disney films in a whole new light! We're diving into the darkest corners of fan theories that will make you question everything you thought you knew about these beloved stories. From sinister motives to tragic backstories, these theories will change how you view Disney classics forever.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most chilling fan theories
00:11about Disney films.
00:20Number 10.
00:21Captain Hook murdered Ariel's mother, the Little Mermaid and Peter Pan.
00:25Now, this is a cursed crossover.
00:27The idea for this theory is based on the fact that mermaids exist in the Peter Pan
00:31universe.
00:37One redhead mermaid even looks quite a bit like Ariel, and could well be Ariel's mother.
00:42And indeed, according to the prequel film, Ariel's mother, Queen Athena, is killed when
00:46pirates crash their ship into the lagoon.
01:03Could one of those pirates have been the infamous Captain Hook?
01:06He must have had a life in the human world before he became trapped in Neverland.
01:13Unfortunately for us, this looks like a case of coincidence rather than creating a twisted
01:17shared universe.
01:18Or at least, that's how we prefer to think about it.
01:21Number 9.
01:23Marlon hallucinated Nemo.
01:25Finding Nemo.
01:26A father's journey to find his missing son can make for a powerful narrative.
01:29But what if the son isn't missing, but instead, never existed?
01:34This sad fan theory posits that Nemo was a figment of Marlon's imagination.
01:45Traumatized by the death of his wife and their unborn children, Marlon copes with the pain
01:49by creating a son in his mind.
01:52Very intriguing.
01:53Of course, other characters interact with Nemo, and the film even follows his point
01:56of view a number of times.
01:58Still, Marlon's journey to find his son does tend to mirror the process of healing
02:07from trauma.
02:09No doubt that this is what makes this theory attractive, if ever dour.
02:23Number 8.
02:24Why Donald Duck loses his temper.
02:27Various.
02:28This iconic, easily irritated duck has appeared in countless cartoons and films, but why is
02:37Donald Duck the spitting hothead we know and love?
02:40This particular meta asserts that Donald Duck didn't used to have such a temper, particularly
02:44in the earlier Disney films.
02:54For more propaganda cartoons, we know Donald has served in World War II.
02:58In one comic strip, he has a war flashback and even tries to kill his nephews.
03:03Perhaps Donald's personality changes are due to him dealing with some form of post-traumatic
03:07stress.
03:08He's always been irritable, but this theory provides some extra layers to his temper.
03:19Number 7.
03:20Eeyore escaped from Pleasure Island, Winnie the Pooh franchise, and Pinocchio.
03:24Did we really need an explanation for Eeyore's doldrums, and must it be this horrific?
03:36This fan theory posits that the glumness of Winnie the Pooh's donkey friend has everything
03:40to do with his past.
03:41The thought goes that Eeyore was once a child lured to Pleasure Island and turned into a
03:46donkey.
03:47One sadistic, or clever, YouTuber even created a crossover edit.
03:56He would eventually escape to the Hundred Acre Wood, but would retain his donkey form
04:00and gain a somber attitude.
04:02As if the whole concept of Pleasure Island weren't creepy enough, linking it to the
04:05good natured stories of Winnie the Pooh is just dark.
04:15Number 6.
04:16Anna and Elsa's parents are Tarzans, Frozen and Tarzan.
04:20Okay, this one is partially Chris Buck's fault.
04:23The Frozen and Tarzan co-director opened up a can of worms by suggesting in 2014 that
04:28Tarzan could be Anna and Elsa's long-lost brother.
04:37The theory goes that the sisters' parents survived the shipwreck and washed ashore somewhere
04:41in Africa.
04:42They were eventually killed by a leopard, and their young son is left an orphan before
04:46being adopted and raised as Tarzan.
04:54It's a very creative crossover, and so tragic.
04:57But unfortunately for theorists, Buck himself went back and debunked the story.
05:07Frozen 2 puts the theory to rest as well, revealing the true way the King and Queen
05:11of Arendelle perished.
05:13Number 5.
05:14Carl was dead the whole time, Up.
05:16The opening montage of Up is one of the most memorable and touching sequences in animated
05:21film.
05:22Sadly, Ellie dies before she and Carl can fulfill their Paradise Falls trip dreams and
05:27her husband becomes a bitter widower.
05:34When ordered to leave his home, Carl opts to use thousands of balloons to fly away.
05:38Or does he?
05:39This fantastical feat may have been but a dream.
05:43According to this dark fan theory, Carl actually dies in his sleep.
05:52His whole adventure is about a different kind of paradise, the afterlife.
05:56This theory has definite holes, of course.
05:58For one thing, we see Carl back in his town at the end of the movie.
06:02Still, ouch.
06:07Number 4.
06:21The Prince represents Death, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.
06:25This classic fairy tale seems like an open and shut case of a princess getting her true
06:28loves kiss and living happily ever after with her prince.
06:43But the ending's very beautiful visuals could suggest a different kind of interpretation
06:47altogether.
06:48Maybe Snow White actually does succumb to the poison apple and her prince is more Grim
06:52Reaper than good guy.
06:58The prince's kiss, then, is that of Death, spiriting her away to the afterlife.
07:02Yikes.
07:03Let's just be relieved that the dwarves also see the prince.
07:07That means he must definitely be human, right?
07:16Number 3.
07:17Peter Pan is evil, Peter Pan.
07:20A lot of Peter Pan's picturesque personality seems immoral as it is.
07:30In J.M.
07:31Barrie's original play, he is even worse.
07:34A cautionary tale of the dangers of arrested development, this fan theory goes even further,
07:39suggesting that Pan has nefarious methods for preventing his lost boys from growing
07:42up.
07:43At a certain age, he just murders them.
07:49Captain Hook and his crew are, in fact, former lost boys who somehow escaped Pan.
07:54The theory is definitely dark, but compelling.
07:56The idea has even been played with in the TV series, Once Upon a Time.
08:19Number 2.
08:20Hans is not a villain, Frozen.
08:23At first blush, this theory might seem far-fetched.
08:25Anna's charming prince is the surprise villain in the film, no question.
08:35That said, let's be honest, the twist did come out of nowhere.
08:42There is a shot of him gazing admiringly at Anna, and he also didn't allow his guard
08:46to kill Elsa, even when her death may have benefited him.
08:49But this interpretation posits that Hans' treachery may actually be due to Kristoff's
08:54matchmaking troll friends.
08:55There's a line in Fixer Upper about removing Hans from the picture.
08:58Maybe that had a little more power behind it, and Hans was manipulated into sabotaging
09:02his relationship with Anna.
09:25Number 1.
09:26Why Nala Left Pride Rock, The Lion King.
09:29This theory could have made it into the film itself, and actually did come up in the musical
09:33adaptation.
09:36In The Lion King, Nala tells Simba that she left Pride Rock to find help, but a deleted
09:41scene suggested that she actually fled because of Scar's inappropriate behavior towards
09:45her.
09:47The scene, complete with an unreleased villainous
10:01track, was likely cut due to its heavy themes.
10:04This is, after all, a kid's movie, but considering Scar did plan to make Nala his
10:17queen, the rationale that Nala left Pride Rock to avoid his attention becomes more than
10:22plausible.
10:23Which Disney fan theory do you believe?
10:25Let us know in the comments down below!