Disney's live-action remake of Beauty & the Beast does a pretty good job of filling in the blanks of the 1991 animated version.
But one major plot hole was left wide open -- until this fan theory hit the internet.
SO, in the original movie, the people in Belle's village were somehow completely unaware of Beast's castle, until she ended up prisoner there.
[...Which makes zero sense, as it's frickin' huge and right next to their town.]
The new film clears that right up, when we learn that the enchantress cursed the townspeople, too --causing them to totally forget that the prince, the castle, and its inhabitants ever existed. Perfect!
...Except this change seemed to create an entirely new problem.
Just like the Beast and his servants didn't age under the years-long curse [ex: Chip is still a kid when he becomes human again], the village people don't appear to age, either.
[Think about it. When Mrs. Potts changes back from a teapot to be reunited with Mr. Potts from the village, both spouses look to be about the same age as one another. How could that be?]
A theory from Reddit user Hainted seeks to explain everything.
The Enchantress locked the village in a time loop.
In other words, nobody ages -- because they live the same day over and over again.
"If you think about it, the theory kind of makes sense. Why is Belle able to breeze through the village's crowded marketplace without looking? Because she already knows exactly what everyone is going to do. Belle even remarks that the town baker always has the same goods.
According to the theory, Belle and her father, Maurice, are exempt from the curse because they moved to town after it took effect. And the reason the townsfolk find them odd is because they age normally with the passing years.
So there you have it: the possible reason the villagers are so judge-y and predictable. More incentive to reverse the curse!" -Cosmopolitan writer, Noelle Devoe
What do you think of Hainted's fan theory?