Are Tangled, Frozen, and The Little Mermaid all connected?
The internet certainly thinks so, but the stars of Tangled aren't so sure. In honor of tonight's premiere of the Disney Channel Original movie, Tangled Before Ever After, it felt right to try to once again tackle the idea that Rapunzel and Eugene inadvertently caused the deaths of Anna and Elsa's parents, and then their sunken ship ended up being found by Ariel.
We know that Rapunzel and Eugene attended Elsa's coronation ceremony, since they can be spotted in Frozen, so the theory goes that Anna and Elsa's parents were on their way to Rapunzel and Eugene's wedding when their ship wrecked in the storm. Then, after the ship had some time to wither away on the bottom of the ocean, Ariel happened upon it in The Little Mermaid.
E! News' Kristin Dos Santos asked stars Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, and Julie Bowen what they thought about the theory, and it turns out they're not entirely convinced, but they are intrigued.
Levi, who calls himself a "Disnerd," had heard the theory, and he had even heard another theory that The Little Mermaid's King Triton created the storm that wrecked the ship, but he says he doesn't know if any of it is true.
"That's way above our paygrade," Levi says, and gives permission for Dos Santos to find the answer herself. "You can ask better than we can. You're the press!"
Bowen, meanwhile, is having none of it.
"It's a picture of two people from the back!" she says when shown the picture of Eugene and Rapunzel in Frozen, but she's still willing to have some fun. "I like it. It gives me something to think about that isn't dark and sinister."
Press play on the adorable video above and decide for yourself if these theories have some merit, then come join us next time so we can talk about the other theory that says Tarzan is actually Anna and Elsa's younger brother! (Note: There is no next time.)
Tangled Before Ever After airs tonight at 8 p.m. and Tangled: The Series premieres Friday, March 24 on Disney Channel.