10 Famous Plot Holes In Iconic Movies That Are Finally Solved

Sometimes when you watch a movie or a TV show, you realize details that make absolutely no sense. And these details aren’t just small details that many people would miss either. Some of them play a big part in the story and can completely change its course. Those are called plot holes, and they are quite annoying once you have noticed them.
But some plot holes aren’t plot holes at all! We just don’t know their explanations yet. So if you are curious about the answers to these seemingly illogical details, then read on. There are famous plot holes in classic movies. 

1. The Door - Titanic

Source: © Titanic / Twentieth Century Fox and co-producers

The question of why Jack didn’t get on the door with Rose if they could both fit perfectly on the door has haunted James Cameron for more than 20 years since the day his movie came out. The answer is quite obvious: it was never about the size of the door, but how much weight could the door support.
American Physical Society calculated that the door was made of oak, which is a type of wood not very good at floating. So if we added the weight of Jack and Rose on the surface at the same time, the door would have sunk. So, even though they both could fit, the door was not going to support the weight of both of them. If you watch the movie closely, then you can notice the scenes where Jack tries to get on but stops when the door starts to sink.

2. Ariel Signed A Dangerous Deal For A Man She Just Met - The Little Mermaid

Source: Disney

It seems dumb to risk your voice and your whole life for a boy you just met, no matter how handsome that boy is. But the reason why Ariel signed the contract with the sea witch wasn’t all about the price. She had an entire song dedicated to her dream of exploring the human world long before she met Eric. Wanting to meet him wasn’t the biggest reason that made her come to Ursula to get some legs.
It was because her father violently destroyed her Human Trinkets collection, something that brought her more joy than anything else. It took her so much time to build and it was gone in a blink of an eye. All of her efforts were destroyed by her father. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back and drove her to make a deal with Ursula. She no longer felt happy or safe in her father's ocean, so she felt she had to leave. Eric is just a nice bonus.

3. Why Dumbledore Left Harry To Live With The Dursleys - Harry Potter

Source: Warner Bros

If Dumbledore knew about how badly Harry was treated while living with the Dursleys, then why did he let Harry stay with them for so long? Well, the principal had to do that to protect Harry. With the blood ward Lily created and the massive chaos of Voldemort's first defeat, it was the safest option. Shortly after Voldemort's defeat, a group of his supporters forced their way into the Longbottoms' house and drove them mad with torture. They would have gone for Harry too.
And the most important reason is that he had to live with a blood relative to maintain the blood ward. Petunia Dursley is his only living blood relative, so there really was no other choice.

4. Buzz Freezes Around Humans - Toy Story

Source: © Toy Story / Walt Disney Pictures and co-producers

If you’re a fan of the classic Toy Story, then you will know that in the beginning, Buzz doesn’t think he’s a toy. He believes he’s a real astronaut on a space mission. Then why did he freezes just like other toys when someone enters the room?
The explanation came from Pete Docter, Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer. To him, it doesn’t matter because it wasn’t relevant to the story. But if he has to answer, then the answer is that the act of freezing is a reflex action in all toys. Something that is programmed into his subconscious.

5. Who jacked Cypher into the Matrix? - Matrix

Source: © The Matrix / Warner Bros. and co-producers

One of the most well-known plot holes from the 1999 The Matrix is how was Cypher able to enter the Matrix. We were told that to enter and exit the matrix, we need at least two people. One person to operate the access by hacking the code so that the other can enter. Then how did Cypher manage to operate the system by himself?
The directors, explained this detail in a chat, saying that Cypher was an expert programmer and had written a program that automated the process. You can kinda see the code in the scene where he talks to Neo.

6. Scar Lets Simba Get Away - The Lion King

Source: © The Lion King / Walt Disney Pictures and co-producers

Scar eliminated his brother Mufasa to become the only king of the jungle, but why didn’t he kill Simba? Well, he did. He tried to kill Simba several times, but just not directly. He left it to his henchmen to take care of Sima but they always failed. Scar didn’t want to spare Simba, he just overestimated his incompetent henchmen.

7. The Couch In Central Perk - Friends

Source: © Friends / Warner Bros. Television and co-producers

In a city as populated as New York, it’s impossible to always find the main couch available at “Central Perk” like the characters in the hit series Friends always do. This might seem like a plot hole of lazy writing, but it’s not. A journalist analyzed the whole series and came up with the answer: the couch was always reserved. This can be seen in several episodes, even the Central Perk Lego also includes this little sign.

8. Marty McFly’s Parents Don’t Recognize Him - Back To The Future

Source: © Back to the future / Universal Pictures and co-producers

In the movie Back to the Future, our main protagonist Marty McFly travels back to 1955 and spends a few days at his mother’s house. He meets both his dad and his mom during this time and even becomes their friend. But when he comes back to 1985, neither of his parents recognizes that their son looks kinda similar to the boy who helped them get together 30 years ago.
To co-writer Bob Gale, this is not a plot hole at all. Although Marty helped his parents get together, Lorraine and George only hung out with him for 8 days. He then completely disappeared from their life, and it’s really hard to remember anyone you met 30 years ago from memory without the aid of a photograph.

9. Kevin Orders Pizza With A Magical Phone - Home Alone (1990)

Source: © Home alone / Twentieth Century Fox and co-producers

At the beginning of Home Alone, a tree knocks down a pole in front of McCallister’s house thus leading to the electricity and telephone service being completely cut off. But somehow Kevin is still able to order a pizza. How is this possible if he had no service?
The answer isn’t magic. Hank Hultquist, vice president of telecommunications company AT&T, explained that during the time of the film the local calls are another type of connection so they could still work.

10. Andy’s Poster - The Shawshank Redemption

Source: Columbia Pictures

In The Shawshank Redemption, Andy spends years planning his escape. He finally succeeds by digging a hole through the wall. This hole is hidden behind a poster, but how does Andy able to pin the poster back after escaping through the hole?
The flashback explaining Andy’s escape is the answer. He pinned his poster on two spots: top and bottom. He then unpinned the bottom half and crawled into the hole. The top half of the poster was still secured, keeping the poster in place.