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)