Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon and Intertexuality
I was browsing through Snapchat this morning and I came across 12 theories that really made me stop and think about life. 5 out of 12 of these theories made me realize that even something as simple as kids movies can have a world of complexity. So how is it that I never thought about this before? Is it because I do not pay close enough attention when I watch films? Quite the opposite. Let's dive into two major concepts: the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon and intertextuality.
The Baader-Meinhof phenomenon
We have all experienced this phenomenon. The experience goes something like this:
You are at a party, it's a Friday night. You are tired but you are forced to be there anyway. The music is loud so you choose to stand outside, close enough to the house to seem like you are part of the group but far enough that you can tolerate a pounding headache that's playing a killer drum solo in your frontal lobe. A guy notices you standing by yourself and approaches you. You introduce yourself and exchange bits and details about each other. You both go to the same college, you have the same major but you have never seen that guy before. You have a great chat until cops show up and everyone flees. You never exchanged contact info but you cut your losses as you find your friends and drive away from the underage-drinking crime scene. A few days pass by and you see him walking across campus. Could it be? Your mystery guy? You swear you never used to see him but now you see him everywhere! Is he stalking you? I think not.
This my friends are the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon. Its something we are all too familiar with and something that drives people with OCD crazy. So what does this have to do with Disney movies?
Have you ever watched a movie and not noticed something until a friend points it out? Most people re-watch the movie so they can see what they missed. This recency illusion falls under the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon.
Intertextuality
Disney apparently is one of the biggest demonstrators of intertextuality as shown in these 5 theories. Intertexuality is when one work of art refers to another. This can be a book, poem, film, picture,etc. So without further ado, lets dive right in.
1/12 The Pixar Theory
This theory says all Pixar movies are interwoven. Have you ever noticed that the witch in Brave has decorations of Boo from Monsters Inc. Don't believe me, re-watch the movie yourself. See if you can spot all the illusions. But Brave and Monster Inc. are not the only Pixar movies with these cohesive timelines and illusions. Some other films include Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille, Wall-E, Up, Toy Story 3, and Cars 2.
2/12 'Frozen'/'Tarzan' mash up
This was a commonly-conversed Theory when Frozen hit theaters. Lets see how knowledgeable you are. The running theory is that Elsa and Anna's parents didn't die in the ship wreck. Instead, they crash landed on an island where the mom birthed Tarzan which, thus, makes Tarzan Elsa's and Anna's little brother. Talk about complicated!
3/12 'Beauty and the Beast' and 'Tarzan'
Here are a few small movie details for you: Jane, from Tarzan, loved yellow, she was a beautiful brunette and she brought with her a pot and a cup that coincidentally look a lot like the set from Beauty and the Beast and had a cup with an identical chip in it. Maybe, just maybe, that was a family heirloom from her great grandmother Belle. There is the possibility that it is an alarming coincidence.
4/12 'The Little Mermaid' and 'Frozen' There is the running theory that we have discussed: Elsa and Anna's, and possibly Tarzan's, parents where on a ship that ship wrecked. That ship is rumored to be the same ship that our Little Mermaid Ariel would explore when her dad was not watching. Of course there is no way to prove whether this is true or not, unlike the striking evidence in the other theories. The biggest clue is that Elsa and Anna lived in Norway and the ship was headed to Germany. The sea in between is the North Sea where Ariel lived in Denmark. Maybe too far fetched to be considered intertextuality but definitely interesting.
5/12 Rapunzel is Elsa and Anna's cousin
The running theory here is that Elsa and Anna's parents were on their way to Rapunzel's wedding. Rapunzel's mother is Anna's Mother's sister. Rapunzel can be seen in Frozen if you look closely. Sadly, Tarzan was not there. But Cinderella was!
Resources
Kershner, Kate. “What's the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon?”
HowStuffWorks Science, HowStuffWorks, 20 Mar. 2015.