Debunking The 'Wonder Woman' & 'Little Mermaid' Theory

As you've probably heard by now, Wonder Woman — the superhero movie directed by a woman about a woman who's beloved by a great many women (and men) — was based off the DC Comics that depict the exploits of Diana of Paradise Island. What you may not have heard is this wild theory currently circulating that Wonder Woman parallels Disney's The Little Mermaid during the scene where Diana saves Steve Trevor from drowning. Wild, right? The thing is, when Bustle reached out to reps for director Patty Jenkins for comment, we found out that a different classic film influenced the moment in question.

BuzzFeed was among the first sites to mention the connection between The Little Mermaid and Wonder Woman. Per their coverage, Twitter user @iamgeekingout noticed some striking similarities between the scene where Diana pulls Steve to safety on the beach and the scene in The Little Mermaid when Ariel pulls Eric to safety. A side-by-side collage shows just how closely the two seem to match.

The setting; the positioning of the bodies of the respective couples; the way Diana and Ariel touch the faces of Steve and Eric, respectively; and even that look of relief Diana and Ariel share when the men they rescue are alive. It's pretty convincing that Wonder Woman could be referencing The Little Mermaid.

While the connection is compelling, Jenkins actually was inspired by another famous movie for this important meeting in Wonder Woman, which her rep told Bustle on Saturday via email. As it turns out, the WW scene was influenced by the 1953 film From Here to Eternity, which features a beach kiss scene that's perhaps one of the most famous moments in the movie.

In this scene, you watch as Army sergeant Milton Warden (played by Burt Lancaster) rolls around in the beachy surf with his Army captain's wife, Karen Holmes (played by Deborah Kerr). As they kiss, flirt, and cavort, Karen lies in the sand at one point, as Warden sits upright and looks down at her before kissing her.

Just watch the scene above and see how Wonder Woman also mirrors this famous moment, if you remain nonplussed.

While Wonder Woman may have been inspired by the uber-romance of From Here to Eternity and seems to match (almost shot-for-shot) The Little Mermaid, it's still entirely its own movie.

That said, these connections are a hoot to make; I'll be curious to see what else the internet comes up with in the future.