It's a theory as old as time.

The live action adaptation of Beauty and the Beasthas stayed true to the source material for the most part. But, the movie does contain some new twists and turns in order to distinguish itself from its cartoon predecessor.

Warning: if you haven't seen the movie already there are minor spoilers ahead.

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At the end of the film it is revealed that the cursed servants of Beast's castle actually have some long lost family members living in the village like Mrs. Potts' husband and Cogsworth's wife. We learn at the beginning of the movie that it has been at least 10 years since the curse had been placed on Beast and his servants and, while the curse doesn't allow them to age, it seems unlikely that their family members would stay the same age as well.

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However, Reddit user Hainted explained the plot hole and surely blew everyone's mind in the process. According to the theorist, the village is stuck in a time loop due to the enchantress' far reaching spell.

What?!?!

Credit: giphy.com

Yes, we can hear you yelling at your computer screens but you read that right. The enchantress erased the memories of the Prince, his land and servants from the villagers' minds, locking the village in a time loop that would cause the servants' family members to never age and never remember their loved ones who are trapped in the cursed castle.

The theory also explains why the villagers find Belle and her father "odd." It claims they moved to town after the curse was set so they're still aging in a town that doesn't experience that anymore. It also brings to light why Belle is bored of her "poor provincial life" -- the time loop allows her to see the villagers do the same thing over and over again every day.

Hainted also explained that the reason why the time loop was kept in place all those years is because the enchantress lives in the village as a spinster.

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TopicsDisneyReddit