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Jumanji
GenreAction/Adventure
Dark fantasy
Based onJumanji
by Chris Van Allsburg
Voices of
Theme music composerJim Latham
ComposerJim Latham
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes40 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Bob Hathcock
  • Kevin D. Campbell (season 1)
  • Peter Gaffney (season 2)
Running time22 minutes
Production companies
Release
Original network
Picture formatNTSC
Audio formatStereo
Original releaseSeptember 8, 1996 (1996-09-08) –
March 11, 1999 (1999-03-11)
Related

Jumanji (also known as Jumanji: The Animated Series) is an American animated television series based on the 1995 film which in turn is based on the 1981 children's picture book of the same name. The series ran for three seasons from September 8, 1996 to March 11, 1999.[1] In 1996, it was carried by the UPN Kids block on UPN, but later seasons were syndicated under the Bohbot Kids Network syndicated block.

Jumanji was produced by Adelaide Productions and was the first show made by that company, with character designs by Everett Peck.

Plot

Judy and Peter Shepherd are two kids that found a board game called "Jumanji". Each turn, the two of them were given a "game clue" and then sucked into the jungle until they solved their clue. They meet Alan Parrish, who was trapped in Jumanji because he had never seen his clue. Judy and Peter would help Alan try to leave the game, providing the characters' motivation during the series. Also, Peter would sometimes be transformed into various animals whenever he cheated, sometimes using the abilities of whatever animal he becomes to an advantage. The kids also free another player trapped longer than Alan. Unlike Alan, he saw his clue but never solved it, but with the kids' help he solves it. He called himself the Master of Jumanji and tried to get other people to solve his clue for him, but once Alan points out that his clue (the Gateless Gate) is an illusion of Jumanji's and he accepts it, it solves his clue.

It's also revealed that like Judy and Peter, Alan would never have been able to survive his first day in Jumanji without help, as he possessed poor survival skills at the time. Ironically, his help came in the form of Judy and Peter from the future (to him anyway) who help him survive and teach him a few of the survival tricks they'd learned from him. In return, the 10-year-old version of Alan helps Judy and Peter return to their time, but later hits his head and forgets meeting them.

In the first episode, Alan reveals that there have been other players of the game throughout time, many of whom left their toys in the cave which is part of his home, but not all of them survived the game. In the final episode, using a crystal that shows the past, the kids and Alan find his clue by observing his roll and what the game said, and figure out why he never saw it: right after he rolled his mom called him to dinner and as he was leaving, the clue displayed while he had his back turned and he got sucked in. Once he knew his clue, Alan solved it with Judy and Peter's help and escaped Jumanji. Outside, the kids decide to destroy the Jumanji game now that Alan's free.

In the series, it is revealed that Jumanji is sentient to a degree and on occasion has sucked in Judy and Peter if they make it "angry".

Episodes

Main article: List of Jumanji episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
113September 8, 1996 (1996-09-08)February 23, 1997 (1997-02-23)
213September 20, 1997 (1997-09-20)February 23, 1998 (1998-02-23)
314September 8, 1998 (1998-09-08)March 11, 1999 (1999-03-11)

Changes

While the show followed the movie's plot, there were a few changes such as the exclusion of Bonnie Hunt's character Sarah Whittle and the age and relationship of the policeman Carl Bentley (played by David Alan Grier in the film) was changed somewhat.

In the original film and picture book, the board game's hazards would manifest in the real world, while in the animated show, the game's participants would be transported to a world ostensibly inside the game itself, an aspect carried through to the 2017 film and its related films.

Characters

Main

Villains

In Jumanji, there are many dangerous characters. Many appear only once or have background appearances in some episodes. These villains include:

Others

Principal cast

Additional voices

Crew

Broadcast

In 1996, it was carried by the UPN Kids block on UPN, but later seasons were syndicated by BKN. The series was also shown by CITV in the United Kingdom, TRTÉ in the Republic of Ireland and on Russian RTR channel. It has aired in Pakistan on Cartoon Network in English and currently airs on Filmax in Urdu and on Aruj TV in Pushto.

Episodes of the show are available on iTunes and Hulu. The show was rerun on Kabillion on Demand. The show has also been released through YouTube.

Home media

On August 28, 2012, Sony Pictures released Jumanji: The Complete First Season on DVD in region 1. This was a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available exclusively in the US and is part of the Sony Pictures Choice Collection in partnership with Warner Bros. online store.[3] It is also available through Amazon.com and their CreateSpace MOD program.[4]

Mill Creek Entertainment re-released season 1 on DVD in Region 1 on February 17, 2015,[5] followed by complete series on DVD in Region 1 in August 2017.[6]

Notes

References

  1. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 459–460. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  2. ^ "Jumanji Show Topics". Archived from the original on 1997-01-25. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  3. ^ "Archived copy". www.wbshop.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-13.((cite web)): CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ^ "Amazon.com: JUMANJI - THE ANIMATED SERIES - SEASON 1 (2 Discs): Bill Fagerbakke, Debi Derryberry, Ashley Johnson, Tim Curry, Sherman Howard, Bob Hathcock, Steve Ressel, Cathy Malkasian: Movies & TV". amazon.com. 4 June 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  5. ^ "Jumanji DVD news: Announcement for Jumanji - The Animated Series: Season 1 - TVShowsOnDVD.com". tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  6. ^ 'The Complete Animated Series', with All 40 Episodes on DVD Archived 2017-06-10 at the Wayback Machine