Disney is notorious for its creative albeit disturbing theories that fans generate to tie together its extensive number of universes. These can range anywhere from completely innocent to downright disturbing, and some have even been confirmed. Rapunzel, Anna and Elsa are rumored to be relatives. Boo from Monsters Inc. supposedly grows up to become the babbling witch in Pixar's Brave. Still, there are much darker theories that lurk beneath Disney's innocent facade, including one that links Captain Hook to The Little Mermaid's Ariel.
Listed among the other outrageous yet believable theories posted on TheGamer, this theory applies to Ariel from the classic Disney tale, The Little Mermaid. When audiences first met Ariel back in 1989, she lived with one parent: her father. Her mother, Athena, was mentioned briefly in the third movie, The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning (2008), and it was revealed that Athena was killed by pirates when Ariel was still very young.
Additionally, in The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning, Disney fans get a glimpse of Athena. It was noted by perceptive viewers that Athena bore a striking resemblance to the mermaid featured in Peter Pan (1953). She shared the same face shape, hair color and tail. These similarities feel too purposely placed to be coincidental. Therefore, the theory suggests it was Peter Pan's dastardly villain, Captain Hook, who was responsible for Athena's murder.
There may be nothing concrete that confirms this theory as true, but given the evidence, it seems pretty difficult to dispute. As grisly as it is -- if the footage from Peter Pan is cross-referenced with that of Ariel's Beginning -- there is no denying that the mermaid bears some resemblance to Athena.
In Peter Pan, during the scene where Peter and Wendy visit the mermaid lagoon, the red-headed mermaid that strongly resembles Athena from Ariel's Beginning teases Wendy about "trying to drown her." Later, Captain Hook and Mr. Smee pass in their rowboat with Tiger Lily as their captive. Peter Pan announces, "Yep, it's Hook alright," and the mermaids all scream, "Hook!" and flee one after the other. Evidently, Hook has a reputation for terrorizing mermaids.
In The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning, the scene that raised some suspicion is shown in a flashback between King Triton and Athena during their honeymoon. All is joyful and prosperous in Atlantica until a band of fiendish pirates crashes the party. Viewers see an imposing pirate ship approach the lagoon where Triton and the merfolk are rejoicing.
Triton leaps into action to protect his daughters and the merfolk flee -- all except Athena. Another mermaid gets her tail trapped between two rocks; Athena comes to her rescue in time for the young mermaid to escape. However, the pirates -- and presumably Hook -- raid the lagoon for all its valuables, including a music box that Triton gifted to Athena. She tries to retrieve it, but the pirates attack, and Athena sadly dies, leaving Triton and Ariel behind.
While Captain Hook is not explicitly seen, if the overarching theory is that all of the Disney films are connected in some way, it must mean that The Little Mermaid and Peter Pan are both set in the same universe. By that logic, there is no reason as to why the theory would be false. If so, Disney has evolved from its feel-good fantasy roots and adopted a much darker tone.
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