A critic is calling a small gag in the live action remake of The Little Mermaid a bit fishy after viewing a sneak preview of the flick. The reviewer says there's one moment between Ariel and Prince Eric that seems to be poking fun at Kate Middleton … and some people think Meghan Markle is to blame.
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One reviewer pointed out a particularly interesting joke from the movie.
The moment happened when Ariel and Eric first meet after she gives up her voice to Ursula in exchange for human legs. Because Ariel can't speak, Eric is trying to guess her name.
"His first guess is Diana. His second guess is Catherine, but after [Ariel gives a disgusted] reaction, he [concludes] 'OK, definitely not Catherine,'" he told Page Six.
American fans definitely know who Diana is, but they may not catch the Catherine reference.
It doesn't take a giant stretch of the imagination to assume that Eric is name-dropping famous princesses in the bit, considering he chose two of the biggest names in the British royal family.
Obviously the first was Princess Diana, but the second appears to be a nod to Kate Middleton, officially known as Catherine, Princess of Wales.
The unnamed reviewer seems to think the film used these names for a reason, and they think it has to do with Meghan's affinity for the movie.
There are some plausible reasons as to why they may have made the choice to pick these names.
Meghan has a pretty long history with Disney. According to the Daily Mail, the duchess did a voiceover for Elephant, a Disney+ documentary, shortly after leaving royal life.
We also know that she and Harry were both fans of another Disney movie: The Lion King. Meghan visited the cast from the live action production in the UK, where she was rumored to have made some controversial comments about Nelson Mandela.
Meghan has made her love of the film known.
She once told Oprah Winfrey how she found herself drawn to the cartoon after noticing several similarities between Ariel's life and her own while watching it alone one night in Nottingham Cottage.
"And I went, 'Oh my God, she falls in love with the prince and because of that she loses her voice,'" she recalled. "'But in the end she gets her voice back.'"
Oprah remarked that Meghan had done something similar when joining the royal family, prompting Meghan to agree.
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We're not sure what to make of this theory.
On one hand, it really does seem like the writers were talking about the royals when they did the little name gag, especially considering both Diana and Kate have held the title of Princess of Wales.
On the other hand, we're sure we're not alone when we say we're tired of seeing Meghan and Kate pitted against one another in the media. We can't imagine Disney getting in the mudslinging business … even for someone they have such a strong relationship with.
Whether the name gag was a planned bit or a happy coincidence remains to be seen, but for now, we can't un-hear the joke.
Check out our Meghan Markle page for all the latest news about Meghan, Prince Harry, and their growing family.
