48 Facts About Princess Jasmine

Princess Jasmine is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Pictures' 31st animated feature film Aladdin.

Animated by Mark Henn, Princess Jasmine's design is an eclectic combination of unique sources, including an anonymous theme park guest, Henn's own sister, and actress Jennifer Connelly.

Princess Jasmine is the sixth Disney Princess and the franchise's first non-European member, as well as its first West Asian princess.

Unlike most of Disney's princesses, Jasmine is a supporting character in her own film, taking the secondary role of the love interest.

Princess Jasmine has made subsequent appearances in Aladdin's sequels The Return of Jafar and Aladdin and the King of Thieves, as well as its television series and a Broadway musical adaption of the film.

Screenwriter Linda Woolverton eventually drafted a screenplay based on the film The Thief of Baghdad, a revision that included a handmaiden for Princess Jasmine, who was ultimately replaced by a pet tiger.

Princess Jasmine's speaking voice is provided by American actress Linda Larkin.

Princess Jasmine's singing voice is provided by Filipina singer and actress Lea Salonga.

The final appearance of Princess Jasmine consequently inspired the studio to redesign Aladdin; accordingly, Katzenberg felt that the main character, who was originally depicted as a younger, "scrawny" underdog, did not resemble a suitable leading man for Princess Jasmine, which they feared would result in unconvincing chemistry between the couple.

Princess Jasmine possesses many qualities associated with traditional Disney Princesses, grace and beauty among them.

However, marketed by Disney as "a heroine of the 1990s," Princess Jasmine is "born-before-her-time," and thus her intelligence and ambitions tend to more-so resemble contemporary incarnations, namely Belle.

At only 15 years of age, Jasmine is already more resourceful than her two immediate predecessors, while sharing their same preference for assertiveness and empowerment over passiveness, traits echoed by several other Disney Princesses introduced throughout the decade.

Distinctively, Princess Jasmine is not Aladdin's protagonist, a role held instead by title character Aladdin, while Princess Jasmine herself occupies a secondary role as the film's love interest, consequently lacking significant character development.

Princess Jasmine's personality continues to rank among Disney's "strongest" heroines because she is not concerned about wealth or social class, despite her opulent upbringing.

Similarly, Princess Jasmine is not interested in marrying someone who is capable of only offering her everything she already owns, opting for excitement and companionship instead.

Princess Jasmine explores "the idea that enclosing yourself behind walls can make you more vulnerable, not less," as evidenced by the fact that the character is unprepared and knows little about money when she ventures into the marketplace for first time.

Princess Jasmine's story explores themes such as civil rights, racial tolerance, social hierarchy, and life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

The only named, speaking female character in the male-dominated film, Princess Jasmine lacks both female companions and a motherly figure.

However, Aladdin convinces Princess Jasmine that he truly is a prince who, much like her, only occasionally disguises himself as a commoner.

Princess Jasmine eventually befriends Iago after he helps mend her and Aladdin's relationship, frees the Genie, and ultimately risks his life to destroy Jafar once and for all, who has returned seeking vengeance.

Aladdin frees Cassim and accepts punishment for his actions until Princess Jasmine convinces her father that he was only helping his father out of love.

Princess Jasmine goes with Aladdin to rescue his father, and afterward, they return for their wedding, which Cassim attends from the shadows.

Princess Jasmine appears in the television series based on the film, which originally aired from 1994 to 1995.

Princess Jasmine appears in the Broadway musical adaptation of Aladdin, which premiered at the New Amsterdam Theatre in March 2014.

In 2013, Jasmine's design within Disney Princess marketing was updated, garnering mild controversy because some critics accused the character's skin color of being lightened.

In June 2013, Princess Jasmine appeared in the Disney Junior animated series Sofia the First, with both Larkin and Salonga reprising the respective roles.

Princess Jasmine appears in several video game adaptations of the Aladdin film series, specifically Disney's Aladdin in Nasira's Revenge, in which Jafar's twin sister Nasira plots to avenge her brother's death by capturing Princess Jasmine and the Sultan.

Princess Jasmine becomes a playable character at certain points throughout the game, navigating levels stealthily by hiding in a large vase.

Princess Jasmine appears in Kinect: Disneyland Adventures, located in Adventureland.

Jasmine became the fifth Disney Princess to be officially added to the game, as well as the first to be made available as a figurine.

In Disney Infinity 2.0, Princess Jasmine is equipped with a magic carpet in addition to the ability to summon wind and cyclones, inflicting various consequences upon enemies and targets.

Princess Jasmine is a playable character to unlock for a limited time in the video game Disney Magic Kingdoms.

In September 2016, a live-action version of Princess Jasmine debuted as a recurring character in the sixth season of the fantasy television series Once Upon a Time, in which she is portrayed by actress Karen David.

The character makes a brief first appearance in the season's fourth episode, "Strange Case," before finally starring in the fifth, "Street Rats," in which Princess Jasmine enlists the help of Aladdin to locate a powerful item capable of interrupting Jafar's control over the Sultan.

In September 2016, Princess Jasmine's outfit received a "modest" makeover; a redesigned, less revealing version of the character's blue outfit from the film debuted at both Disney World and Disneyland after 24 years.

Princess Jasmine's pants have been replaced with a floor-length dress.

Princess Jasmine introduced her new outfit to guests with a public appearance at the first Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.

When questioned, park attendants and cast members explain that the redesigns were made to be more accurate to the cultures from which the characters hail, although Princess Jasmine is from the fictional kingdom of Agrabah.

Princess Jasmine, along with Aladdin, is a meetable character at all the parks worldwide and is usually located in Adventureland.

Critical opinions of Jasmine have been generally mixed; some critics appreciated the character for continuing to "break the [passive] mold" that had been demonstrated by Disney's earliest princesses.

Princess Jasmine can be shown the world, but she stays in her palace.

Common Sense Media criticized Princess Jasmine for lacking an original predicament and premise, while Creative Loafing's Matt Brunson described the character as a "liberated" but "stiff" heroine.

Ancret continued to defend Princess Jasmine for being of her own mind, bravely defying Jafar on numerous occasions, and praised her distraction of the villain for being instrumental to Aladdin's success.

Princess Jasmine says to a generation of little kids about marriage that the law is wrong.

Famously, Jasmine was Disney's first princess of color; her unprecedented ethnicity is credited with ultimately inspiring the studio to become more ethnically diverse, as evidenced by the subsequent introduction of their non-white princesses Pocahontas and Mulan.

Slim in stature, Princess Jasmine lacks obvious character flaws in both her personality and speech.

The film Aladdin and the character of Jasmine are credited with beginning an expansion of Disney's princess characters.

Author Jelani Addams Rosa wrote, "Our favorite thing about Princess Jasmine is that her and Aladdin take turns rescuing each other," but at the same criticized her for being too judgmental.