Fans of the original The Little Mermaid film have been patiently awaiting the brand new live adaptation starring Halle Bailey, as the hit movie has been reimagined for a modern audience.
While all eyes are on the latest version, fresh interest in the Disney classic has unearthed new debates around the original plot.
One such theory has left fans of the film in a frenzy, as it alludes to a dark and tragic sub-plot for one of the characters.
A self-proclaimed 'movie detective' has found new clues about the Ariel's mother's fate - and the tragedy may have occurred in a different Disney film completely.
Ivan Mars - who boasts more than two million followers on TikTok account @its_ivanmars - shared the mind-boggling theory in a video clip, which has surpassed a whopping 8.3 million views to date.
Admitting that he "can't believe" he has just noticed the hidden detail in The Little Mermaid, the TikToker wasted no time jumping straight into the theory.
He explained: "So Athena, Ariel's mother, was taken by the pirates in the mermaid lagoon... but wait.
"20 years before she appeared in the same lagoon in Peter Pan...
"Does it mean that Captain Hook killed Ariel's mother?"
The TikToker's clip shows a scene in Peter Pan of a red-headed mermaid - who gives an identical appearance to Athena, which fans have previously seen in flashback scenes of The Little Mermaid.
Captioning the post, Ivan wrote: "THIS IS CRAZY."
Since sharing his theory online, thousands of TikTokers fled to the comment section to discuss the idea - with other 2,000 rushing to share their thoughts.
"WHAT," one shocked user penned alongside five shocked emojis.
Someone else said: "Omg I can't believe it."
A third TikTok user claimed: "Disney admitted that every cartoon ties to another."
Praising Ivan for his theory, a different user wrote: "Dude you really DO notice EVERYTHING."
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