Princess Jasmine[1][2] is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Pictures' 31st animated

feature film Aladdin (1992). Voiced by American actress Linda Larkin – with a singing voice provided
by Filipina singer Lea Salonga – Jasmine is the spirited daughter of the Sultan, who has grown weary
of her life of palace confinement. Despite an age-old law stipulating that the princess must marry a
prince in time for her upcoming birthday, Jasmine is instead determined to marry someone she loves
for who he is as opposed to what he owns. Created by screenwriters and directors Ron Clements and
John Musker with co-screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, Jasmine is based on Badroulbadour,
a princess who appears in the One Thousand and One Nights folktale "Aladdin and the Magical
Lamp."

Originally conceived as a spoiled, materialistic princess, the writers eventually rewrote Jasmine into
a stronger and more prominent heroine following the elimination of Aladdin's mother from the
script, while borrowing story elements from the romantic comedy Roman Holiday (1953). Several
months after securing the role, Larkin was nearly fired from the project because Disney executive
Jeffrey Katzenberg felt that her voice was not suitable for a princess, but Clements and Musker
managed to convince him otherwise. Discovered by casting director Albert Tavares, Lea Salonga was
cast as Jasmine's singing voice based on her performance in the musical Miss Saigon; this
unprecedented casting decision made Jasmine the first Disney Princess to have her speaking and
singing voices provided by two different actresses. Animated by Mark Henn, Jasmine's design is an
eclectic combination of unique sources, including an anonymous theme park guest, Henn's own
sister, and actress Jennifer Connelly.

Unlike most of Disney's princesses, Jasmine is a supporting character in her own film, taking the
secondary role of the love interest. The character has garnered mixed to positive reviews, with much
of her character arc compared unfavorably to her predecessors Ariel from The Little Mermaid (1989)
and Belle from Beauty and the Beast (1991), but has been praised for her personality and her
chemistry with Aladdin. She is the sixth Disney Princess and the franchise's first non-European
member, as well as its first West Asian princess.[3] Due to this, the character is credited with
introducing racial diversity to Disney's princess genre. Jasmine has made subsequent appearances in
Aladdin's sequels The Return of Jafar (1994) and Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996), as well as its
television series and a Broadway musical adaption of the film. Both Larkin and Salonga have been
awarded Disney Legends for their contributions to the role. Naomi Scott played the character in the
2019 live-action adaptation of the original 1992 film.

Conception and writing

Jasmine is based on the princess who appears in the Middle Eastern folk tale collection One
Thousand and One Nights,[4] specifically the story "Aladdin and the Magical Lamp."[5] Lyricist
Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken had first begun to develop Aladdin while they were still
writing songs for The Little Mermaid (1989), but further development was abandoned in favor of
working on Beauty and the Beast (1991) instead.[6] However, Aladdin was finally resurrected as
Beauty and the Beast neared completion.[6] While the princess in the original tale is named
Badroulbadour, the studio decided to rename the character the more familiar "Jasmine" after
actress Jasmine Guy.[7] Additionally, the name was also among the decade's most popular at the
time.[7] In Ashman's original treatment of the film, Aladdin had two potential love interests: both
Jasmine and a "Judy Garland-y tomboy," whose romantic feelings for Aladdin were not reciprocated
by the hero.[8] Screenwriter Linda Woolverton eventually drafted a screenplay based on the film The
Thief of Baghdad (1940), a revision that included a handmaiden for Jasmine (an idea resurfaced in
the 2019 live-action film), who was ultimately replaced by a pet tiger.[8]