Jumanji (released in theaters on Dec. 15, 1995), the film starring Robin Williams and directed by Joe Johnston, remains a cornerstone of 1990s family cinema.
In 1969, young Alan Parrish discovers a mysterious, drum-beating board game buried at a construction site. During a match with his friend Sarah Whittle, Alan is magically sucked into the game’s jungle dimension after a bad roll.
Twenty-six years later, orphaned siblings Judy (Kirsten Dunst) and Peter Shepherd move into the abandoned Parrish mansion with their aunt Nora (Bebe Neuwirth).
They discover the game in the attic and begin to play, inadvertently releasing a now-adult Alan (Williams) and a swarm of giant mosquitoes.
To undo the chaos—which quickly escalates to include a troop of mischievous monkeys, a stampeding herd of rhinos, and a man-eating plant—they must find the traumatized, grown-up Sarah (Bonnie Hunt) and finish the game.
The stakes are heightened by the arrival of Van Pelt (Jonathan Hyde), a relentless Victorian big-game hunter who has been stalking Alan for decades. (Hyde also plays Alan’s stern father in the 1969 prologue, a clever thematic touch).
As the town of Brantford is systematically dismantled by tropical terrors and the bumbling interventions of police officer Carl Bentley (David Alan Grier), the quartet must navigate the house-turned-jungle.
The film culminates in a frantic race to reach the board’s center, where every roll of the dice brings a new catastrophe, forcing Alan to finally face his childhood fears and complete the journey he started nearly thirty years prior.
While its CGI—pioneering at the time—is now a nostalgic relic, the film’s practical effects and tense, atmospheric direction give it a sense of genuine peril often missing from modern family fare.
Jumaji‘s massive success spawned a long-running animated series and eventually a blockbuster sequel Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle starring Dwayne Johnson in 2017. Jumanji: The Next Level followed in 2019.
Robin Williams in Jumanji (Photo/TriStar Pictures)
Reception for Jumanji
Jumanji grossed $11.1 million on its opening weekend, finishing No. 1 at the box office, ahead of Toy Story, Heat, Father of the Bride Part II and Sabrina.
The film would gross $262.8 million worldwide.
Legacy
Jumaji‘s enduring legacy is inextricably linked to the performance of Williams. He brings a poignant vulnerability to Alan, portraying a man who is physically an adult but emotionally stunted by years of survivalist isolation.
His chemistry with Hunt provides the film’s heart, while a young Dunst proved her burgeoning star power.
Jumanji successfully tapped into the universal childhood anxiety and wonder associated with “play,” turning a simple board game into a life-or-death gauntlet.
The 1995 original is still cherished for its darker, “Gothic” adventure tone and its message about the importance of facing one’s past. It remains a definitive example of high-concept 90s storytelling that continues to captivate new generations of players.
