Disney Theories and Urban Legends: A Comprehensive List, Featuring a Pixar Theory That Will Blow Your Mind!

Wait until you read about the true identity of Boo from Monsters, Inc.

By now you have read the theory that Tangled, The Little Mermaid and Frozen are all not only in the same universe, but the movies are connected in a very depressing way. Disney, you clever little mouse. If you haven't read it yet, stop what you're doing, drop everything (except a child or a pet or a sandwich) and check it out immediately. 

But this is definitely not the first conspiracy theory or urban legend that's surrounded a Disney film or franchise. If you believe any or all of these, it'll tell you that those folks over at Disney and Pixar put more into their movies than just catchy songs and beautiful princesses.

Below is a comprehensive list of the most popular theories and urban legends from the house of the mouse. Some of them are a huuuge stretch, some are disturbing and have basically been debunked while others are so mind-blowing you'll be putting your brain back together for weeks:

The Real Identity of the Witch From Brave: Are you ready for this one? Jon Negroni came up with this brain-boggling theory that not only does every Pixar movie exist in the same world, but they are all connected. The end result: Boo from Monsters, Inc. is actually the witch from Brave.

What?!

If you want a detailed and thorough explanation about this theory, go to Jon's website and check it out. Or you can visit PixarTheory.com for a fun, interactive version of the timeline.

But in a nutshell, Brave is the first and last movie in the timeline. If you missed it the first time you saw Brave, inside the witch's house is a carving of Sulley from Monsters, Inc. (above) and the Pizza Planet truck carved out of wood. According to Jon, this was not thrown in there as an Easter egg for fans. It was for a very specific purpose. Here's a CliffsNotes version of the theory:

Merida discovers magic (the-will-of-the-wisps) in Brave. This magic is used by the witch, who disappears after going through wooden doors. This magic is why inanimate objects and animals behave like humans, and it sets off a course of events that takes us through all the Pixar movies, ending with Monsters, Inc.

In Monsters, Inc., the monsters and the machines are all that's left in the world, and when they realize that they need humans as a source for energy, they use doors to time travel back to when humans were on earth. After Boo's adventure with Sulley, she never gets over her monster pal and becomes obsessed with finding him again. Later in life when she's older, she discovers how to time travel through wooden doors (because she learned from Sulley) and goes back to the source of all the magic: the will of the wisps in Brave. That's why the witch has carvings of Sulley, because she is actually Boo from Monsters, Inc. 

She then travels through time in an attempt to find Sulley. And all those Easter eggs you see in every Pixar movie (Buzz Lightyear in Finding Nemo, Lots-O' Huggin Bear in Up) are actually little clues that Boo left behind (intentionally or not) after traveling through different time periods. And that is why the door in Brave is magic, too. It's a connection to Monsters, Inc.

Did you follow all that? Like we said, a more detailed (and better) explanation with lots of evidence is over at Jon's website. It's amazing and well researched, so we highly encourage you check it out.

Little Mermaid Penis Party: This naughty tidbit has been around for a long time, but alas, it's not as devious as people make it out to be.

In the scene where Ursula/"Vanessa" is getting married to Eric, the priest that is marrying them is shown to have what looks like an erection (see GIF above). A cartoon erection. A carection, if you will. That priest is either super happy to be marrying this couple, or he's super happy to see Vanessa. Or maybe it's Eric he's into.

It certainly does look like it when you first watch the scene. But sorry, kids (and adults). That is no animated boner. The priest is wearing tights underneath his tunic, so the material is all the same color and it looks like it's all one garment with a bulge at the crotch. It's not. Those are his knobby knee caps sticking out. Not a penis.

You can clearly see his legs clad in tights later in the scene when the birds attack the ceremony:

However, it seems Disney did edit out the "boner knee" in later versions of The Little Mermaid (seen below).

So at least Disney recognized the boner-esque nature of the scene. We are typing out so many phrases we never thought we'd type out right now.

Carl From Up Died in the Beginning of the Movie: This Pinterest user poses an interesting theory on the Pixar film Up. Basically, she thinks that Carl died in his sleep after he was told he had to leave the house he shared with his beloved Ellie to go to a retirement home. The rest of the movie is his journey to the afterlife, with Russell playing his guardian angel trying to get his wings (or "final badge"). Russell took the form of a child because of Ellie and Carl's desire to have a baby earlier in their lives. Paradise Falls signifies heaven, and hopefully Carl found Ellie and they are living happily ever after. And now we're crying. Damn you, Pixar!

Of course, Up ends with Carl and Russell going back to the city, where Carl shows up to see Russell be named a Senior Explorer, so this theory doesn't really hold up. Unless you believe that all those scenes after Carl and Russell get back to the city are actually taking place in heaven.

Lion King's Sexy Message: Another popular misconception about Disney's animated works is the supposed subliminal message in The Lion King. When adult Simba flops down on the edge of the cliff, a cloud of dust floats off into the sky and a lot of people spotted what looked like the word "sex" spelled out in the particles. 

Disney insists it's actually the letters "SFX," which was put in the movie as a nod to the special effects team that worked on the movie. You can decide for yourself by watching the clip above.

Frozen Theory, Part 2: Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, the directors of Frozen, confirmed during a reddit AMA that Elsa and Anna's parents were indeed heading to a wedding when their boat sank. According to Chris, however, they didn't die on that boat. They washed up on the shore of a jungle and the queen later "gave birth to a baby boy" and built "a treehouse" before getting "eaten by a leopard." Sound familiar? That's the beginning of the Disney movie Tarzan. So if this theory is correct, Tarzan is the son of the king and queen of Arendelle and the long-lost brother of Elsa and Anna. Of course, Chris could have just made that up on the spot, but we're choosing to believe it. Don't let go of that childlike wonder, guys!

Rescue the Boobs: It's a blink-and-miss-it moment, but during the 1977 Disney movie The Rescuers, a photo of a topless woman can be seen in the background during the scene where Bernard and Bianca are flying through the city in a sardine can. Disney didn't deny this one, and a spokesperson said that the tampering "was done more than 20 years ago." The company had to recall the home video version of The Rescuers in 1999. 

Aladdin, Take Off Your Clothes: This was one of the first dirty secrets we remember hearing about a Disney movie. In the scene where Aladdin/Prince Ali first visits Princess Jasmine on her balcony in Aladdin, he is rushed by her pet tiger Rajah. He can be heard saying things like "down, kitty" and "scat," but supposedly, if you listen closely, you can also hear him say the phrase "good teenagers take off their clothes" very quietly, like a subliminal message. Now, this is up for interpretation. Some debunkers say he's actually saying "Good kitty. Take off and go!" (which was the line in the script) and it just sounds like "good teenagers take off their clothes."

Have a listen below and tell us what you think:

Tangled Up With Snow White: A Tumblr user with an eagle eye spotted this. In Tangled, the dagger and the knife in the drawer that Mother Gothel opens looks very similar to the box and dagger the evil queen gives the huntsman in Snow White.

The evil queen in Snow White was obsessed with beauty, so much so she wanted to get rid of someone deemed fairer than her. In Tangled, Grothel is obsessed with staying young, so much so she kidnapped a princess and kept her locked away in a castle. And when Grothel returns to her old age in the end of Tangled, she looks a lot like the old hag in Snow White:

Same person? Or just a lot of coincidences?

The True Identity of the Toy Story Mom: This theory is quite heartbreaking and it might change the way you look at Andy's mom forever. And unlike a lot of other theories, this one is totally plausible. It's about who Andy's mom really is and how she fits in with the toys. And no surprise here, this comes from the guy who also connected all the Pixar movies, Jon Negroni.

It starts with a hat. Andy's red hat, to be exact. We know he's had that hat from the beginning, and he wears it while playing around with Woody. Does it look familiar?

That's because Jessie, first introduced in Toy Story 2, has the same exact hat. And we all know the terrible story about how Jessie's owner Emily gave her away when she got older. If you remember that sequence, most of the scenery looks old-fashioned, and since Jessie was made in the 1950s, it makes sense that Emily grew up in the '50s and '60s, as shown by the decorations in her room as she got older:

So if Emily is old enough to be Andy's mom, and we never found out Andy's mom's first name, and since that red hat that Emily always wore while playing with Jesse quite possibly now belongs to Andy...

Andy's mom is quite possible Emily. And by a freak twist of fate, Jessie ended up with the son of her former owner. Full circle.

And finally, just for your perusal, you can actually view an interactive Google map that marks where every Disney movie allegedly takes place in the world. It's awesome and addictive.