“What Year Is It?” The Classic ‘Jumanji’ Turns 25!

December 15, 2020

It’s time for ’90s kids to start feeling old, as the Robin Williams classic Jumanji has just turned 25. Directed by Joe Johnston, the iconic film was first released in theaters on Dec. 15, 1995. Jonathan Hensleigh, Greg Taylor, and Jim Strain wrote the screenplay based on an original novel by Chris Van Allsburg. It stars Williams in one of his most celebrated roles alongside David Alan Grier, Bonnie Hunt, Jonathan Hyde, Babe Neuwirth, Bradley Pierce, and a young Kirsten Dunst.

Jumanji gets its title from the supernatural board game at the heart of the story. In the year 1969, teenager Alan Parrish (Halloween H20‘s Adam Hann-Byrd) manages to find an old, mysterious board game buried in the dirt after he’s led there by the sound of beating drums. As is the custom anytime one pulls a magical game from the ground, Alan takes it home to play it as soon as possible, also inviting along his neighbor Sarah Whittle (Laura Bell Bundy).

Unfortunately, Alan doesn’t make it long into the game before an unlucky roll gets him literally sucked into Jumanji. He is forced to remain trapped within its animal-filled world until another player rolls a five or an eight, but that will have to wait until a pair of snoopy kids, Peter and Judy (Pierce and Dunst), find the game in the Parrish home’s attic in 1995. You know how we’ve just reached the 25th year anniversary of the release of the film? Add another year and that’s how long Alan has been stuck in the game, having spent 26 long years surviving in the jungle.

This is when the fun really begins. As Peter and Judy decide to play, they quickly realize that the game has magical powers, spawning wild animals from Jumanji directly into the real world. Of course, this sets loose all kinds of creatures in the neighborhood, from lions and bats to monkeys and rhinos, much to the chagrin of the local law (Grier). Even a quarter of a century later, the special effects used for the animals — combining puppetry, animatronics, and digital effects — look fantastic, contributing greatly to the overall enjoyment of the film.

When Peter rolls a five, a much-older Alan (Williams) emerges, apparently unaware of just how much time has passed since he started playing the game. Initially heartbroken when he realizes his life has passed him by, Alan reluctantly agrees to continue playing Jumanji to help the kids finish, as only completing the game can restore things back to how they were. An older Sarah (Hunt) also joins in after the others convince her to take part. Miraculously, the entire process is reversed after the game is finished, transporting Alan and Sarah back to 1969.

Not every critic was in love with Jumanji in 1995. Roger Ebert was particularly critical of the film, only giving it 1.5 stars on a scale of 4. That didn’t affect its box office performance, as Jumanji was a big hitter at the theater. Despite what some critics may have been saying at the time, there are others — including me — who insist that Jumanji is one of the all-time greatest family films and one of Williams’ most memorable movies.

The financial success of Jumanji would also spawn a franchise. A year after the release of Jumanji, an animated series adaptation debuted on UPN Kids. This was the style at the time, as nearly every hit comedy from the era was given cartoon spinoffs. Most were quick to crumble and were very short-lived, but the Jumanji animated series lasted for three seasons.

More recently, the franchise was rebooted in 2017 with the sequel Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. Starring Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart, and Jack Black, the film was tremendously successful, spawning the 2019 sequel Jumanji: The Next Level. That movie also crushed it at the box office, and another follow-up film is already in development.

Still, for many longtime fans of the franchise, the original Jumanji will always remain the best of them all. It would have been amazing to see Williams appear in one of the newer films, had he still been with us, but his unforgettable performance in the first Jumanji will always be there for us to enjoy. Happy 25th anniversary, Jumanji!