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When adults revisit the beloved children’s classics of their youth, they often discover hidden layers ranging from cheeky humour to darker undertones.
This was precisely the case for social media sensation Rob Anderson, who experienced what to him seemed a startling revelation upon rewatching the 1994 animated rendition of Hans Christian Andersen’s “Thumbelina”.
The story charts the adventures of a tiny girl, no bigger than a thumb, as she navigates a world filled with desires for connection and love with someone her size. In this enchanting tale of fairy-tale love, Thumbelina’s life takes a dramatic turn when she encounters Cornelius, the fairy prince, and falls deeply in love.
Yet her journey is fraught with unexpected detours: she’s abducted by toads, pursued by unsavoury bugs, and nearly coerced into marrying a mole.
At first glance, it appears to be a typical children’s narrative of a damsel in distress. But Rob has unearthed an outlandish theory that there’s a message lurking within the film, suggesting it serves as a grim cautionary tale about human trafficking.
In a viral video amassing more than 640,000 likes, he asserts: “We need to talk about Thumbelina. This animated movie where a tiny girl is trafficked.”
He elaborates on how Thumbelina’s encounter with the prince comes after her longing for someone her stature.
Yet, the plot thickens when her singing captures the attention of others. He questions: “The Spanish frogs like her singing voice, so they abduct her while she’s sleeping. Did this frog family traffic her into the entertainment industry and this is how they get her to comply?”
He then showed a clip of the mother frog forcing Thumbelina to perform by stepping on her foot. Luckily, she manages to escape the frogs, but her troubles are far from over.
Rob continued: “She gets away on a lily pad, which is the only way to escape frogs, and she runs into this beetle. He wants her to perform at the Beetle Ball, so he kidnaps her.”
“This girl cannot catch a break from all the trafficking. The Beetle Ball is a massive event. They dress her up as a beetle to sing for everyone, but then her costume gets knocked off. So then the audience starts calling her disgusting and then they start body shaming her and they beat her with a stick.”
Could it get any worse? Well, before her prince can find her again, she is almost forced into marrying a mole because Mrs Field Mouse believes she can entertain him with her singing.
Rob continued with his bonkers theory, adding: “Thumbelina somehow ends up underground, where she is forced to perform for moles, constantly making her perform under duress. What kind of conservatorship is this? Then she’s forced to marry the mole! “.
And he wasn’t alone in his observations, as many other TikTok users agreed in the comments. One user said: “The ‘marry the mole’ song HAUNTS me to this day.”
Another added: “Thumbelina was one of my childhood favs why would you do this,” while a third wrote: “This movie felt like a fever dream.”
However, some users remained sceptical, suggesting that Rob was “overthinking it.”
Warner Bros. has been contacted for comment.