Jumanji

Story

In 1969 Alan Parrish becomes trapped in a board game and is released 26 years later by Judy and Peter Shepherd. The game releases a swarm of wild animals and natural disasters on participants and they have to finish the game to defeat it and reverse the damage it’s done.

Why we chose it

A film that’s all about action, adventure and thrilling sequences – not for the very young or the faint hearted.

Where it came from

The story is loosely based on the 1981 children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg. In interviews Allsburg has said that as a child he thought it would be exciting if there were a board game where, if you landed on a square, something would actually happen. As an an adult he said he liked the idea of the game bringing uncontrollable nature into the relative calm inside the house.

Where it went next

After the film an animated television series ran for 3 series between 1996 and 1999 where Judy and Peter are sucked into the world of the game and try to help Alan escape, but always fail at the last minute.

In Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) four teenagers are sucked into an old video game and have to battle dangerous enemies in order to escape.

Jumanji video games followed in the 1990s and again after the 2017 film.

Associated stories

Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005) is a direct spin off from Jumanji, written by Chris Van Allsburg. Two brothers play a mysterious board game which teleports them into outer space, where they have to finish the game to return home.