Jasmine AND Aladdin

 Jasmine!

So Princess Jasmine is one of my personal favorites. She’s technically number 2, but not as a stand alone as all the other Princesses. Jasmine could not exist without Aladdin. In fact, Jasmine is the only Disney Princess whose film does not actually represent her but the Disney hero Aladdin. So this blog post is actually going to be focusing more on the relationship of Aladdin and Jasmine rather than her personality alone. And what a relationship they have! Yes, Al and Jas (as I fondly dub them) certainly have their rough patches, but did you know they are Disney’s longest running couple? Not only did they have three movies to boast of, but they also shared their own television series! So Al and Jas had plenty of time to work out their issues. This is one Disney couple that really knows how to fight well!

Let’s examine their transformation from Film 1: Aladdin to Film 3: Aladdin and the King of Thieves

First we’ll begin with Jasmine’s personality. Apparently, she is supposed to be 15 (though source material states she is supposed to be married by her 18^th birthday even though her father says ‘you’ve only got three more days!’), and Jasmine is fiery and stubborn with no desire to marry any of her prospects. Not that she doesn’t want to get married at all – she simply wishes to marry for love. Like Ariel, she and her father have their own relationship issues though some claim the Sultan is a wimpy puppet (and one can make this argument considering Jafar’s ‘staff’ hold on him). But deep down, we know the Sultan loves his daughter and his greatest wish is for her to be taken care of because he’s not going to be around forever.

In her desire not to be married off, Jasmine runs away from home. We’ll never really know what was going through her head – whether she wanted to run away forever or just get beyond the palace walls for a little while. I mean she didn’t bring any money with her so how did she expect to survive? Even if she is naive, Jasmine is definitely not that dumb as we discover during her encounters with Aladdin later on.  Plus the fact is obvious; Jasmine gives up her freedom because her desire to help another trumps her initial desire. As soon as she has the will to free Aladdin, she returns to the palace to usurp her privilege of being a princess though unfortunately Jafar tells her Aladdin has been beheaded. This is  where Jasmine’s compassion wins out over her freedom desire. In fact it's probably this compassion which causes her and Aladdin to connect. Earlier in the film, Aladdin gave up the bread he worked so hard for to a couple of poor, hungry children. Jasmine has pity on a little boy and gives him an apple.

One of my favorite things about Jasmine is how she is unimpressed by outward appearances and status. She doesn’t even give Prince Ali the time of day.

At least not until he admits that she should be free to make her own choices. Still Jasmine knows there’s something about him, and she uses her to wit to get him to admit that he’s the boy from the market. Unfortunately, Aladdin lies again and still maintains he’s a prince. Okay, so Aladdin has some chronic lying issues. And those issues continue to persist even in Return of Jafar, but he starts to learn the difference between lying and simply keeping a secret. Sometimes people have secrets to keep, and sometimes others have to learn to be patient and wait for the secret to come out at the right time. When Kevin and I were dating, he kept a portion of his past secret from me, and I trusted him to tell me at the right time, which he did two years into our relationship, and it was worth waiting for!

Okay one other thing about Jasmine I love is how she’s willing to do the dirty work. Some would mock her in the end of Aladdin because Jafar turns her into his little slave, but how can anyone not love when she refuses to be his queen by throwing wine back in his face? Or the fact that she tried to distract Jafar so Aladdin could steal back the lamp. It wasn’t her fault Aladdin has focus issues and didn’t grab the lamp when he could have – what other princess has actually kissed a villain?! Jasmine is incredibly brave and puts up with A LOT!

So Aladdin does the right thing in the end by living up to his word and freeing the Genie, which Jasmine admires. And she still loves him even though he’s a street rat. Their love continues to develop through a TV series and beyond. In the Return of Jafar (which was one of the worst sequels of all time) I love the scene where Jasmine and Aladdin have just had an argument (again about Aladdin’s lying), but they come together and sing a sweet duet.

Jasmine: Whatever we may do, you are here for me, and I’ll be there for you.

Aladdin: I’ll be there

Both: To wish, to want, to wander, to find the sun through rain and thunder 

You get the idea. They also conquer many obstacles and have many more arguments during their television series, which has dozens and dozens of episodes. They even have arguments about things normal couples fight about in real life like when a wave comes by and Jasmine falls into the ocean and gets seaweed in her hair so Aladdin laughs mistakenly, which makes Jasmine feel ugly and unloved, but she learns in the end that Aladdin loves her just the way she is, and to him, she will always be beautiful aww...In another episode titled "Bad Moon Rising", Jasmine tells Aladdin "I was raised a princess and a princess knows the needs of the people outweigh her own.

Now for my favorite film! Aladdin and the King of Thieves. WOW! I cannot say enough good things about this movie. Great plot, great characters, great story, great every-oookay yes, the animators still had a tough time making the characters look like they did in the original story (poor Jasmine, what did they do to your face?) But considering what they did to her in Return of Jafar, she looks like a million bucks in the third film. The best part about the film is Aladdin and Jasmine's relationship and how far they've come. They are on the verge of getting married, but when Aladdin learns his father is still alive, Jasmine encourages him to go look for the father, who abandoned his son and reconnect with him. But she understands it's Aladdin's quest and supports him by remaining in Agrabah and reassures him she will wait for him.

But Jasmine also knows when to stand up beside her fiance and kick some thief butt as we see in the end when she joins Aladdin in rescuing his father from the 40 thieves and gets right into the heart of the action.

Aladdin does keep the truth about his father from Jasmine but partly because he wants to give his father a chance to change and doesn't want his father's reputation to sour their wedding. Unfortunately, Aladdin's father doesn't choose the noble path and tries to steal but lands in prison. Aladdin feels responsible because he brought his father to Agrabahso instead he breaks his father out of prison. Also unfortunately, Aladdin is discovered, but instead of running away with his father, Aladdin returns to take responsibility for his actions. Even if it means imprisonment, he refuses to walk out on Jasmine like his father walked out on him and his mother. Jasmine forgives Aladdin and so does the Sultan, recognizing what Aladdin did was out of love and commends him for his responsibility.

I mean WOW! What a transformation from movie 1, right? I always get a little sad at the end of this film when Jasmine and Aladdin get married because I know it's the end of their story. Through many trials and tribulations, they fought with each other, fought hard together, and grew in their relationship more than any other Disney couple. Three cheers for Al and Jas! 

Now for the big question. Jafar is actually one pretty creepy villain. That snake scene I think is just a little too much for a little one so my girl will actually see the third movie before the first. And no Return of Jafar until much older because that one is even creepier. 

Random Trivia

• The original setting of the story of Aladdin took place in China
• The Princess's name was Badroulbador
• Jasmine was the first Disney Princess to be of another race other than Caucasian
• She was the first to marry a pauper (Rapunzel was the second - all too ironic if you know my opinion on both these princesses :-P)
• Jasmine is the only deuteragonist Princess where the male was actually the main character. 
• She was also the only Princess not to have her own solo (but she is the only one with two sequels and a TV show)
• In the Aladdin film, she's the second youngest Princess at 15 years of age
• Lea Solanga provided Jasmine's voice AND Mulan's. Liz Calloway provided Jasmine's voice for the sequels
• Jasmine is the only Disney Princess to ever kiss a villain
• She can speak several different languages
• She has been riding horses since before she could walk
• Jasmine is the second Disney Princess to sing a duet with her love interest (Cinderella was the first)

Belle

Ahhh... Belle from Beauty and the Beast

She was my childhood favorite. I mean look at this girl! Her name itself means Beauty and rightly so.  When I was growing up, I always considered her the most beautiful of all the Disney princesses and not just because she’s the only one who looks like me (brunette and hazel eyes etc). One of the greatest things about Belle is that she’s modest. She doesn’t flaunt her beauty, and she doesn’t judge people by their appearance. She is the oddball of the town with her nose ‘stuck in a book’ virtually all the time. She also minds her business and doesn’t gossip in the town like everybody else does. Belle is confident and comfortable with herself.

Another good thing Belle teaches us is to respect her elders. Even if others see her father as a cooky, crazy old loon, she wastes no time in rising to his defense. She supports him in his inventive endeavors, and she is the reason he is successful. Father and daughter have a very strong bond, which I love. Bringing Up Girls dictates how important a father is in a daughter’s life and how daughters seek approval from their fathers more than anyone else. From the day they dress up as a princess and spin around on the coffee table trying to gain their father’s attention, getting affirmation from a father is extremely vital in a girl’s life. Too often, parent figures don’t exist in Disney films or the relationship is very stony so Belle and her father were a fresh pair.

Another great thing about Belle is her no compromise attitude and intelligence. When the hot honcho of the town – namely Gaston - comes on to her, what does she do? She is clever and didactic. She sees right through to his conceit and ego, but she handles him magnificently. “I’m sorry, Gaston, but…I just don’t deserve you!” And he ends up in a mud puddle.

Like Ariel, Belle also awakens that sense of adventure in us except unlike Ariel she isn’t obsessed with a handsome young prince. Belle simply wants to escape her home roots. She wants to explore the world and get away from her provincial existence. She has dreams, you know? She has a goal for her life that doesn’t include marrying the hottest guy in the village.

As the story progresses, we see there is almost no end to Belle’s virtue. When the Beast has Belle’s father locked up, she exchanges her life for his, giving up her freedom, her home, and her dreams. However, Belle is definitely willing to stand up to the Beast when we see her refusal to join him for dinner despite him reminding her ‘that’s not a request!’

Maybe Belle is just a little too perfect.

If there’s one critique, one flaw about Belle, it’s that she has a curious side. Sometimes this is good as in the case where she makes friends with the kitchen staff during the Be Our Guest song. Or it gets her in trouble when she enters the very mysterious and very forbidden West Wing. I mean if a big, humongous monster told me to stay out of a particular room, you won’t see me risking my life to go in there (maybe all the dark, broken stuff should’ve given her a clue).

But despite the Beast’s temper throwing her for a loop, Belle’s compassionate side wins out when he’s injured rescuing her from the wolves (even with her brave attempt to fight them off).

Belle is smart. She sees that there is some good in the beast, and she gives him a chance to show it, and over the course of the movie, they slowly let down their defenses and fall in love with each other. 

My favorite Scene below

My one problem with the film is the plot hole. On one hand, people loved this film because the characters had to take the time to get to know each other, but there is no specified time table of how long it took. Movies like Belle’s Enchanted Christmas seem to suggest it took months and years. However, if that’s the case, Belle must have a really lousy father to wait months or years before returning to the castle to find her. I mean the town isn’t that big when he goes around, trying to find someone to help him. And everything occurs during the middle of winter (which is why he ends up sick) so there doesn’t seem to be a change of season.

Overall, however, Belle proves to be one of the best if not the best Disney Princess role models. She’s almost all the Princesses (without their bad sides) rolled into one! The only remaining question is…will any other Disney Princess hold a candle to her? Keep waiting to find out my answer!!!

Would I let my daughter watch it? Undoubtedly! It’s one of the best Disney movies of all time, one of my personal favorites, and there can be no objections! This is one Disney all parents should raise their kids on!

     Best Spin-Offs

On this one I’m torn

I absolutely ADORE Belle from Once Upon a Time. With the twist of Rumplestiltskin as the Beast, it serves as a worthy Beauty and the Beast spinoff. Like the Disney Belle, Belle in Once sacrifices herself to save not just her father but her entire kingdom. And she is treated more like a prisoner than the Belle in Disney. Slowly Belle in Once wins over Rumple (chipped cup and everything!), and though he still has a dark side, she gradually draws out his good side. Over time, he changes to the point of doing anything for her. Amidst her pleas, he gives up revenge over a man’s life once they learn the man’s wife is pregnant. She is also very courageous, willing to stand up to Rumple even if he is the most powerful person, and in Storybrooke, she demands he be truthful with her or she cannot stay with him. Rumple and Belle are absolutely one of the best due couples of all time!

And…the Broadway version

I also love the Broadway version of Belle. Though extremely close to the original (since it is Disney Broadway), the song she sings with her father is so incredibly tender.

Father: No matter what the pain, we’ve come this far. I pray that you’ll remain exactly as you are. This really is a case of father knowing best.

Belle: And daughter too…

And the Home song she sings during her imprisonment in the castle is epic!

Random Trivia

• I love Beauty and the Beast so much I wrote my own book based off the old tale but the girl was the beast and the guy was the beauty. How about that?! 
• Belle was the first Disney princess to be born a peasant. The second was Tiana.
• Belle was the only Disney Princess whose speaking and singing voice was done by the same person (Paige O'Hara) until Tiana in 2009. 
• The Broadway version of Belle was Susan Egan, who also voiced Megara in Hercules. 
• Belle's legacy led to more independent and heroic princesses like Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan etc, but some say the title belongs to Ariel.
• Belle is the first and only Disney Princess to not sing the film's theme song - Beauty and the Beast. This honor was given to Angela Lansbury - Mrs. Potts. 
• Belle is the only Disney Princess with hazel eyes.
• Belle was the first Princess to have brown hair. Rapunzel is the only other, but Rapunzel's hair only turns brown at the very end of the movie (nor is she portrayed with brown hair).
• In the original tale, Beauty had stepsisters who were also physically beautiful, but only Beauty was beautiful on the inside.
• The Beast also treated Beauty very well in the original tale. He made her mistress of the castle, doted on her, and asked her to marry him each night.
• The Beast allows Beauty to see her family for 8 days, but her stepsisters convince her to stay longer,which ultimately leads the Beast to die of a broken heart (though he still turns into a prince at the end).

Ariel

Ahh Ariel…the infamous story about a mermaid who falls in love with a human, and after saving his life (and having a rather nasty argument with her father about it), trades her voice to a sea witch so she can have legs and spend a few days with her prince. Ariel was the very first Disney Princess to have a well-developed personality, but is her personality worthy or not? 

Honestly, I am very conflicted with Ariel’s character. This could possibly be due to my second niece Claire’s undeniably fetish for the little mermaid (what can I say? Cute little girls rub off). On the one hand, Ariel awakens that sense of curiosity and wonder in all of us. Who can deny the attraction during this particular scene when Ariel sings inside her cavern of collectibles? Disney introduced us to Jodi Benson’s awe-striking voice, which has gone down in history as possibly the most enchanting Disney princess voice of all time – one which little girls all over the world have tried to repeat. 

After all how can that scene not haunt you with its potent reminder? The gift of song is truly beautiful and one of the main attractions for girls in the Disney enterprise according to Dobson’s book Bringing Up Girls. After all, it is Ariel’s voice that first attracts Eric to her first and the one thing that sticks in his mind in his pursuit of her.

 

Ariel has other good qualities as well. Her opening scene features her bravery as well as ocean smarts when it comes to outwitting an attacking shark. And though she is a bit forgetful, we see she is a pleasant person to be around, and she makes friends in unique places like with a seagull. 

Unfortunately, Ariel has some negative qualities to her as well. For one thing, her relationship with her father is rather stony. As a child, one sees King Triton has overbearing and prone to yelling a lot as well as overreacting. However, as an adult, we can see the protectiveness behind his reasoning in addition to Ariel’s rebellion and lack of respect for authority. Is it understandable in her case when it comes to her desires? Perhaps, but she should still respect her father’s wishes for her to remain ‘under the sea’ and know it’s out of love that he does it.

 Now comes the turning point of the film shortly after Ariel has saved Eric’s life when he would’ve otherwise drowned. Though she’s been raised to believe their races are mortal enemies, and even though Eric is a fisherman by nature, Ariel still chooses to rescue him, and in doing so, falls in love with him even more.

The next argument between she and her father shows the side of him which needs anger management. Could Ariel have gone about the argument in a different way? 

King Triton: He’s a human. You’re a mermaid!

Ariel: I don’t care.

Yes, the girl has some trouble articulating, but the girl is only 16 years old and full of raging hormones and estrogen. That part of her is also something King Triton doesn’t understand. All we know of the story is that Ariel’s mother is out of the picture, and Triton has six other daughters other than Ariel. One would think he’d be a little more in tune to the way girls act when they’re teenagers, but then again perhaps he’s become more aggressive and more testosterone-driven because of this.

It’s Ariel’s actions after this, which thrust the plot forward when she sacrifices her voice to Ursula and gains legs in the process. 

Her immediate desire is to keep this secret from her father, which is why she convinces Sebastian not to return and tell the sea king what has happened. Eric then finds her but doesn’t believe she’s the one who rescued him since she has no voice, but since he’s a stand-up guy, he brings her back to his palace and gives her a place to stay anyway. 

Their relationship develops over the next couple of days from a kingdom tour, a dance in the street, a carriage ride (where Ariel shows her adventurous side) and that monumental boat ride with another classic song – Kiss the Girl.

 

In the meantime, Triton allows no one in the kingdom to sleep until she’s found and shows not only his true love for his daughter but remorse over how he lost his temper. Perhaps Ariel should’ve shown more concern over how her father may have worried over her. But again it’s a story, and action Is often created through conflict and wrong decisions.

Another positive of Ariel is her determination. As soon as she discovers Vanessa is actually Ursula in disguise (and has stolen her voice to boot) she immediately jumps into the water even if it means swimming the entire way to the wedding barge. Fortunately, she has good resourceful friends like Sebastian and Flounder and even Scuttle who creates a distraction for her, enabling her to get to Eric and get her voice back.

Her voice is sort of her undoing at this point because if she’d saved a couple of her words and just kissed Eric instead, she wouldn’t have turned back into a mermaid. But the next scenes show Eric’s courageous side again as well as Triton’s sacrifice for his daughter when he agrees to give up his crown to save his daughter’s life. Even Flounder and Sebastian are heroes when they rescue Eric from the eels. Everyone proves themselves to be heroes except…Ariel. The most she does is cause Ursula to shish kabob her own eels, which just makes the sea witch angrier.

Eric is the one who ultimately defeats Ursula while Ariel is locked in a vortex and because Triton sees how much they love each other, gives Ariel her legs, and a wedding commences. Though one could argue against Disney and lifelong commitment after a few days, but Ariel and Eric were the first to have a real relationship compared to the first three princesses. And obviously it worked since they’ve become one of the highest-ranking Disney couples.

Overall, Ariel is the first Disney princess to be realistic. She is both curious and adventurous, stubborn and obstinate, spirited and impulsive.

My daughter probably won’t get to watch this film until she’s at least five or so simply because Ursula is one pretty frightening villain. I’ll be interested to see how she reacts to Ariel. When she gets older, she’ll understand more about Ariel’s character, but I can enjoy a little girl’s innocence to deeper motivations because as my 6 year old niece says when I ask her why she likes Ariel so much, “Aunt Emmy! She’s a mermaid – that’s why!”

Random Trivia

• At the end of the original tale, the prince marries someone else, and Ariel’s sisters tell her if she kills him, she can be a mermaid again, but she refuses. Instead of turning to sea foam, she becomes a spirit, and as long as she does good deeds for 300 years, she can go to heaven.
• She is the first and only Disney Princess not born as a human.
• She is the only Disney Princess to have a child, who she named Melody.
• Only Ariel and Rapunzel have superhuman strength.
• Even though all of Ariel's sisters' names begin with the letter 'A', Ariel's name is of Roman origin while all the others are Greek, and Ariel's is also the only one not to end in the letter 'a'. 
• Ariel's iconic pose on the rock at the end of the film was inspired by the statue in Copenhagen, Denmark appropriately labeled 'The Little Mermaid'.
• Next to Rapunzel, Ariel has the biggest eyes of all the Princesses (and the first to have big eyes)
• Ariel has the reddest lips.
• Ariel's sea-green mermaid tail was a special hue mixed in the Disney paint lab
• Ariel has appeared in more Disney Princess themed merchandise than any other Princess.
• In the original Danish tale, Ariel was permitted to observe the human world once she turned 15.
• Ariel has the most songs out of any Disney character.
• In the original fairy tale, Ariel's main motivation to become a human was to gain an eternal soul.

Ariel Spin-offs

Not many Ariel characters have been adapted for real movies, but I'm fond of the Once Upon a Time Ariel, but I would absolutely love to see Sierra Boggess in the Broadway version.

 Once Upon a Time - Ariel

Sierra Boggess - Broadway