Top 20 Mind Blowing Disney Conspiracy Theories

“WALL-E” (2008)
When it comes down to it, “WALL-E” is arguably one of Pixar’s most important films. It’s a story about two robots falling in love and trying to get Earth back on track along the way. But what if this warm and fuzzy movie wasn’t as wholesome as we thought? One theory suggests that the passengers aboard the Axiom are fed an extremely unconventional diet. So what are they eating? Potentially human corpses! We never actually see what’s in the slop the humans are slurping down. Plus, we never learn how the ship deals with passengers who have passed on. Is it all that crazy to think that the dearly departed have been converted into a food supply? We’ll let you decide!

“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937)
The man of Snow White’s dreams may not be all that he’s cracked up to be. One theory suggests that the Prince is actually a representation of Death—and that Snow White actually dies when she eats the poisonous apple. This would mean the Prince’s kiss wakes her up so he can then transfer her over to the afterlife. And when she’s saying goodbye to the seven dwarves, she leaves into the sunset on a white horse that the Prince guides. This could be interpreted as a biblical allusion to Death. It’s a bleak take on this film, but the pieces certainly fall into place nicely. Who knows, maybe Snow White and the Grim Reaper will make a very happy couple.

“Frozen” (2013)
What if this whole movie was actually a strategic ploy to remove attention from Walt Disney? Some genuinely believe that “Frozen” was a scheme made to hide the conspiracy theory that Walt Disney had his head cryogenically stored. It’s not implausible that the company would want that rumor about their founder to be forgotten. With a film called “Frozen,” if people looked up “Disney” and “frozen” on the internet, they’d be directed to the movie instead. However, creating an entire movie just to mess around with some SEO feels a bit far-fetched. We’ll give some credit though. This theory does something few crazy theories do, and that’s join forces with another to form one giant ludicrous theory. It’s like some serious theoryception.

“Zootopia” (2016)
Ever wonder why this world is only run by animals? Don’t get us wrong, the idea of a society populated by fully-functioning sentient animals is really cool. However, that’s bound to make you wonder if humans have ever existed in this universe. One theory suggests that they did, but that things went bad. “Zootopia” might actually take place in the far future where all of humanity has gone extinct. Following this extinction, animals developed consciousness and eventually formed the world we see in the movie. It’s possible that humans were never meant to exist in this movie’s world. But if you want to imagine they did, this theory offers a unique way of doing so.

“Moana” (2016)
A troubling storm in the start of this movie might have spelled out doom for our protagonist. A popular theory floats the possibility that Moana died during that one huge thunderstorm. Despite dying, her spirit still embarks on the journey to find Te Fiti’s heart. When she successfully does this, Te Fiti rewards Moana by resurrecting her. The possibility of her kicking the bucket early on is definitely a bit grim for a kids movie. Well, in the sequel film, she does meet her end - though it happens in the final climax. Luckily though, she's saved by her ancestors. Maybe Disney finally leaned into a conspiracy theory, but regardless, Moana is one badass wayfinder.

“Alice in Wonderland” (1951)
Wonderland is a very trippy place. And ever since this story came out, fans have gone down the rabbit hole to unearth the deeper meanings about what was going on with Alice. Many widely believe that Alice’s descent into Wonderland is actually a story about taking illicit drugs—more specifically, that Alice was on one bad LSD trip the entire time. Think about it, she eats mushrooms and chugs down suspicious-looking potions. That’s going to raise some red flags! She also sees highly questionable oddities and travels across an impossible land. Suddenly “Alice in Wonderland” became an icon for the counterculture. It’s even the basis behind the song “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane. Needless to say, this theory has picked up a lot of steam.

“High School Musical” Franchise (2006-11)
Why would “High School Musical” be in the same world as “The Purge?” Well, that’s because “High School Musical” clearly exists in a world without rules. Isn’t it legitimately perplexing how the characters can just disrupt their school with reckless abandon? Or how about the shady happenings down at Lava Springs? There’s basically tons of crimes being committed with no consequences. That sounds an awful lot like the premise for “The Purge,” where all crime is legal for a specific period of time. Does an ultraviolent world of anarchy exist outside of the doors of East High? It’s possible! Look, there’s definitely some leaps in logic you’ll have to take in order to make this work, but it’s undeniably an entertaining theory regardless!

“Aladdin” (1992)
This might not be the fairy tale we all think it is. There’s a line in the movie where Genie points out Aladdin’s outdated fashion style—and another moment where he says he was stuck in the magic lamp for over 10,000 years. This means “Aladdin” could take place in the very far future—one where the world has been turned into a giant desert from nuclear war. The flying carpet isn’t magic; it’s the last remnant of hoverboard technology. Iago isn’t an enchanted talking bird; he’s the result of genetic experimentation. The biggest breadcrumb actually comes from the SEGA tie-in game where players can find what clearly resembles a bomb. This suddenly makes the movie a lot less magical and a lot more terrifying!

“The Little Mermaid” (1989) & “Hercules” (1997)
It isn’t crazy to think that Ariel has a familial connection to Hercules. She’s King Triton’s daughter—and if you know your Greek myths, then you know that Triton is the son of Poseidon. Poseidon’s brother happens to be Zeus, who is Hercules’ father. That makes Ariel and Hercules second cousins. What makes this theory so interesting is that it’s pretty much canon even if they don’t say it. Nobody’s put them through a “23andMe” test but we really don’t need to. Young Triton even shows up in the “Hercules” tie-in prequel show! While he looks different, it’s not hard to imagine that he develops a glow-up by the time he appears in “The Little Mermaid.” Either way, this is one stacked family tree!

“Finding Nemo” (2003)
At the start of this movie, Nemo’s father traumatically witnesses his wife and children get murdered by a gigantic barracuda. His whole family is wiped out except for young Nemo. But…what if Nemo died too? Maybe in his immense anguish, Marlin’s mind tricked him. Maybe it made him think Nemo was still alive, when he actually wasn’t. That means that the entire plot of the movie is basically just happening in his head as he tries to grapple with his trauma. This drastically changes the entire concept of what “Finding Nemo” is. It’s no longer an adventure to rescue his son, but a journey through the stages of grief. This movie is pretty dark already, but this theory makes it even more gut-wrenching!

“Tangled” (2010) & “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937)
“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” contains one of the most iconic Disney villains in the Evil Queen. And if this theory holds any water, she might just show up in “Tangled” as well. The theory posits that both stories take place in Southern Germany and that the events of “Tangled” occurred over two hundred years after “Snow White.” Gothel also supposedly faked her death at the end of “Snow White” and lived for centuries thanks to the golden flower, eventually leading to the story of “Tangled.” Furthermore, both characters are vain and obsessed with physical beauty, both wear a similar-style dress, Gothel’s dagger resembles the Evil Queen’s dagger decor, and their old-age appearances are strikingly similar. Coincidence?

“Inside Out” (2015) & “Monsters, Inc.” (2001)
“Inside Out” really knows how to get the tears flowing, like having imaginary friend Bing Bong fade from Riley’s memory in the Memory Dump; it breaks our hearts just talking about it. The famous Pixar Universe Theory posits that every Pixar film takes place within the same universe, and that applies here. According to this surprisingly tantalizing theory, Bing Bong was a monster from Monsters, Incorporated who used to make Riley laugh. And for those who don’t remember, the ending of “Monsters, Inc.” saw the titular creatures switching from scares to laughter in order to produce more energy. Following this logic, it’s possible that Riley based her imaginary friend off the monster who used to visit her every night!

“Peter Pan” (1953) & “The Little Mermaid” franchise (1989-2008)
It’s quite common for Disney protagonists to be minus a parent or two. Ariel, for instance, is without her mother, as Queen Athena died after meeting a violent band of pirates. This was the event that fueled King Triton’s hatred of the human race. A rather tragic theory posits that the pirates responsible for Athena’s death were none other than Captain Hook and his mischievous crew. It is however possible that Hook captured Athena and took her to Neverland, as a mermaid bearing a strong physical resemblance to Athena and Ariel can be seen lounging on a rock. If this is true, it gives us even more reason to hate the one-handed coward.

“Lilo & Stitch” (2002)
Continuing the Disney tradition of orphaned protagonists are Lilo and Nani from “Lilo & Stitch.” Ving Rhames voices Cobra Bubbles, an ex-CIA agent turned social worker in Hawaii, who also has connections to Roswell. However, the theory postulates that Cobra is not actually a social worker but that he has continued life in the CIA. In fact, he supposedly once worked with Lilo and Nani’s parents, also CIA agents, and he’s there to look after their kids following their deaths. It’s likely that he made some sort of promise to the girls’ parents before they died, and he used the facade of a social worker to get close to them.

“Toy Story 2” (1999)
One of the most popular theories in the entire Disney canon regards a new character introduced in “Toy Story 2.” And maybe an old character, as well. In the movie’s saddest sequence, Jessie talks about her old owner, Emily. While the two remained close throughout Emily’s childhood, Emily eventually outgrew Jessie and gave her up. Though it would be a major happenstance, it’s possible that Emily is actually Andy’s mom. She’d be the right age, and we never learn her first name. Not only that, but Andy can be seen sporting a Jessie-style hat in the first movie. Could this be a hand-me-down accessory that was once owned by his mother? An accessory she received alongside her Cowgirl Jessie doll? Hmm...

“Cars” (2006)
This movie is arguably a lesser Pixar effort, but it contains what is also arguably the darkest theory in the canon. Viewers probably noticed a lack of humans in “Cars.” Was it simply a creative decision to focus on anthropomorphic vehicles, or is there something more sinister hiding under the surface? According to a theory posited by art department coordinator Jay Ward, the cars simply killed all the humans. In his mind, the cars took on the personalities of their last drivers and proceeded to wipe out humanity in a mass extinction event. We know Disney and Pixar movies contain some dark material, but this is something else!

“Frozen” (2013) & “Tarzan” (1999)
It seems like “Tarzan” might be connected to many classic Disney films. For example, some people theorize that Jane Porter could be a distant descendant of Belle from “Beauty and the Beast.” Furthermore, it was previously theorized that Tarzan and Anna and Elsa from “Frozen” were secretly related. As everyone knows, Anna and Elsa’s parents died in a shipwreck. But perhaps they survived, washed up on shore, established a small settlement in the jungle, and gave birth to a baby boy. They were then killed by a leopard and the baby was raised by gorillas. Is Tarzan the long lost brother of Anna and Elsa? Okay, almost certainly not, as “Frozen II” further disproved it. But it’s still fun to consider!

“WALL-E” (2008)
There’s nothing like taking a harmless kids movie and turning it into a metaphor about the Devil. This theory states that “WALL-E” follows a similar structure as the Book of Genesis. The spaceships housing the remnants of humanity represent Paradise, without problems like war or hunger. WALL-E’s seedling is the forbidden fruit, and by metaphorically consuming it, the Captain loses his blissful ignorance, abandons Paradise, and returns to the ravaged Earth. The best part of all? WALL-E offers the seedling to EVE, prompting the eventual destruction of Paradise. In this case, WALL-E is the Serpent in the Garden of Eden who gives the forbidden fruit to Eve. Ergo, Satan.

“Monsters, Inc.” (2001) & “Brave” (2012)
The aforementioned Pixar Shared Universe strikes again with a particularly loopy theory. It states that Boo was permanently scarred by her experiences in “Monsters, Inc.” and developed a fascination with the doors’ mechanics. Hoping to master the art of dimension-hopping, Boo traveled to the will-o’-the-wisp, believing it to be the source of all magic. By utilizing its power, she created magic doors that can hop between times and dimensions. She keeps a carving of Sulley in her hut, and she inadvertently created Mor’du while attempting to replicate her old monster friend. In fact, Boo is the instigator of the entire Shared Universe theory, as the numerous Pixar Easter eggs are actually objects left behind by a dimension-hopping Boo. Overall, it’s a very sad theory.

“Chicken Little” (2005)
Believe it or not, there’s plenty of empirical evidence that suggests that “Chicken Little” is an accurate depiction of the forgotten fallen-sky incident. We’re just kidding—but did you believe us for a second there? Now on to the real thing…

“Up” (2009)
As if “Up” couldn’t get any sadder, this theory posits that Carl Fredricksen was actually dead for most of the movie. According to its proponents, the elderly Carl passed away from a combination of grief and shock after learning that he needed to vacate his home. Russell is the guardian angel sent to transition a reluctant Carl to the afterlife, and it took the form of a young boy to honor Carl and Ellie’s lost child. Carl’s house represents his tether to the real world, and Paradise Falls is his own personal Heaven. Russell subsequently gets his wings (or, in this case, his merit badges), and Carl accepts death when his house lands in Paradise Falls. And you thought the last one was sad.


Is there a wild Disney theory that we missed? Bring all of your tinfoil hats and bulletin boards into the comments!