Are Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid connected by the same timeline? Both films have much in common. They were released during the early years of the Disney Renaissance and are part of the Disney Princess canon by introducing both Ariel and Belle. But what if the films exist within the same universe through time? According to a fan theory, that may just be the case.
In Beauty and the Beast, the castle where Prince Adam resides is cursed by an Enchantress. This leads to Adam becoming the Beast, his servants turning into castle objects, and the entire look of his castle architecture changing drastically. It is only through Adam finding true love that the curse can be lifted. In The Little Mermaid, King Trident's kingdom is underwater, with many of the ocean's creatures serving his family and the other mermaids who reside in his kingdom. Beyond that, Ursula, having been banished from Trident's kingdom, resides at her own home, populated by mermaids imprisoned as seaweed creatures and her two trusted eels, Flotsam and Jetsam.
In the theory (via Reddit), the castle in Beauty and the Beast is the same as the one in The Little Mermaid, having been submerged in water over a long period of time. Furthermore, there are fish that populate the waters surrounding the castle who are affected by the curse and, for whatever reason, are not freed when the curse is lifted. The descendants of those fish would go on to either serve Trident or Ursula. While there is no confirmation determining the validity of this theory, there is evidence to at least support it. Tons of theories suggest the films in the Disney canon are connected, such as the theory that Ariel is related to Hercules. Likewise, there is no exact proof regarding how far the Enchantress' curse spreads nor how much is truly reversed as a result of the Beast finding true love. This leaves it likely that the fish who populate the waters surrounding the castle could still be affected. If some by chance were originally servants of the Beast, then it makes sense why they would go on to serve Triton, putting both stories in the same timeline.
As mentioned, there have been tons of theories as to how all the Disney movies are connected, such as the aforementioned theory above. This also extends to cameos. One such example involves Belle appearing in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Even more striking, however, is the connections made by eagle-eyed viewers. According to them, the town Ariel and Eric explore during their day together looks very similar to Belle's home village. While it's doubtful that they are the same, this undoubtedly offers up possibilities of the theory holding validity, especially given the time gap.
In the ending of Beauty and the Beast, there is no indication the curse is entirely lifted. The Beast and his servants are returned to humans following Belle's declaration of love to the Beast, but beyond that, it gets a little tricky. The film shows the castle reverting to its old self before the curse. Interestingly, the audience never sees how the surrounding area is affected. While the Beauty and the Beast's pacing could be a factor, this helps to suggest that there could be an enchantment leftover that flourishes in the land surrounding the castle.
Ultimately, whether Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid are connected to the same timeline is up to viewers making their interpretation. That being said, it's clear that there is evidence out there to support the interesting theory. It's unlikely that Disney will ever confirm it to be true, but it is nonetheless a unique and intriguing possibility.
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