The Crazy Connection Between The Little Mermaid & Frozen

No, this is not just a fan theory from Reddit. Nor is it a Where's Waldo hunt for barely visible Easter eggs in the backgrounds of scenes. This is a literary connection between two of the most iconic animated movies of all time: The Little Mermaid and Frozen. They were both originally written by the same guy: Hans Christian Andersen. Yep, these two stories have been connected long before they ever received their Disney makeovers.

If Andersen were alive today, he would be turning 211 on April 2. In his honor, we are revisiting the original plotlines that inspired the mind-blowing (and kind of tragic) events that connect Queen Elsa and Princess Anna to their underwater counterpart, Princess Ariel.

In 1836, the Danish children's storyteller first told the tale of a brave mermaid who yearned to be on land in "The Little Mermaid." The story was published in the third volume of Fairy Tales Told for Children along with another classic you might be familiar with: "The Emperor's New Clothes."

Eight years later, in 1844, he published his longest work, about an icy snow queen set on revenge, titled, "The Snow Queen." The tale was supposedly written about a real woman in Andersen's life, Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind, who rejected his romantic pursuits a year prior to the release of the story. Her coldness toward him became the inspiration for the queen and her heart of ice.

Andersen's tales were full of death, destruction, and diabolical villains that make Ursula look like a saint. Luckily, for the sake of the kids, both Disney versions have significantly happier endings.