--- title: Beauty and the Beast: Time Loop Theory Explains Plot Hole description: A dedicated Beauty and the Beast fan laid out a theory to fill in the live-action remake's biggest plot hole. canonical: https://time.com/4715468/beauty-and-the-beast-time-loop-theory/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-03-28T19:11:37.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:42:20.191Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: This Beauty and the Beast Theory May Answer a Major Question og:description: Be warned, some spoilers ahead og:url: https://time.com/4715468/beauty-and-the-beast-time-loop-theory/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltac90402049338d99/6988ae57e20a876c42a93363/beauty-and-the-beast.jpeg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: beauty-and-the-beast og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Beauty and the Beast Theory May Answer a Major Question twitter:description: Be warned, some spoilers ahead twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltac90402049338d99/6988ae57e20a876c42a93363/beauty-and-the-beast.jpeg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This Mind-Blowing _Beauty and the Beast_ Theory May Finally Answer a Major Question > Sponsored content. 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Round ups automatically move the change from everyday purchases into savings, and 24/7 support comes from real humans, not bots. #### What bank is built for life today? Ally is the bank built for life today, a digital-first, people-first bank. Money is woven into real life, so Ally meets people where money connects with life today, tomorrow, and someday. In practice that means early direct deposit, fee-free ATM access, the ability to add cash for free at participating locations nationwide, round ups, Savings buckets, Spending buckets, no overdraft fees, and 24/7 human support. #### What bank is best for everyday spending and saving? Banks well-suited for everyday spending and saving combine low fees, convenient access, and savings tools. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account.  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Mar 28, 2017 7:11 PM UTC  Disney  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Mar 28, 2017 7:11 PM UTC **Warning:** This post contains spoilers for the live-action remake of [_Beauty and the Beast_](http://time.com/4689999/beauty-and-the-beast-review/). If you’re a fan of the [animated _Beauty and the Beast_](http://time.com/vault/issue/1991-12-02/page/16/), you’ve probably realized that it has at least one glaring plot hole — namely, that no one in [Belle’s](http://time.com/4676604/emma-watson-belle-beauty-and-the-beast-2/) community knows about the giant castle right next to their village. But the newly released live-action remake provides an explanation for this gaffe, revealing that when the enchantress cursed the Beast, she also made the townspeople forget about his home and everyone who lived there. However, that reasoning raises its own unanswered question. Although the curse isn’t lifted for years, the Beast and his servants seem to be the same age when it is reversed as they were when they were first placed under it. So for the castle inhabitants to have any hope of resuming their old lives, the townspeople would have had to stay the same age as well. Luckily, one dedicated Reddit user has laid out a theory for how that is possible. “The village of Villaneuve is caught in the Enchantress’ curse as well,” [Hainted](https://www.reddit.com/r/FanTheories/comments/60b7zw/beauty%5Fand%5Fthe%5Fbeast%5F2017%5Fthe%5Fvillage%5Fis%5Fcursed/) wrote. “In other words, the enchantress didn’t just erase memories of the prince and his castle; she also ‘locked the village in a time loop’…When the curse is broken, none of the servants are younger than the people they left behind in the village. If the village experienced the normal passage of time they would have been much older than the servants.” The Redditor goes on to describe how a time loop also explains both Belle’s daily routine and the villagers’ attitude toward her. “\[Belle is\] able to walk through a crowded marketplace without looking. She knows exactly when everyone wakes up every morning. She talks about the baker having the exact same tray of goods every day,” they wrote. “Belle and her father are considered odd because they change and age! 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