Summary

• Jumanji franchise began as a children’s book in 1981, now a billion-dollar success story on the big screen.
• The movies took the original concept, transforming it into a big-budget action comedy formula.
• With a fifth movie in the works, the future looks bright for Jumanji, continuing the successful streak.

The Jumanji movies have seen four total releases in the series, with only three using the actual franchise name. What started as a children’s picture book in 1981 has become a genuine franchise, with the first four films grossing more than $1 billion worldwide over three decades, and have enjoyed a surprising amount of critical success. The original Chris Van Allsburg book introduces Judy and Peter Shepherd, who encounter a game called Jumanji that transports them into it – real-life animals and all.

The first film, Jumanji, remained true to the book, but each subsequent movie transformed the concept uniquely. Most recently, the franchise employed a big-budget action comedy formula, casting stars Kevin Hart, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Jack Black for Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle and Jumanji: The Next Level with overwhelming success. With four films officially out and the franchise soaring, another one is coming, with a fifth movie in the works and the future still looks bright for the series.

4 Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005)

Directed By Jon Favreau

Zathura: A Space Adventure contains no direct link to Jumanji, but is considered the second film in the Jumanji franchise since the children’s book it was based on, Zathura, was Chris Van Allsburg’s sequel to the original book. Jon Favreau directs a cast that includes a young Josh Hutcherson and Kristen Stewart as they find the Zathura game in their house, which, similar to Jumanji, comes to life as they play. This time, however, it’s a space adventure, replacing monkeys and elephants with meteors and aliens.

Zathura
was easily the worst box office performer in the
Jumanji
franchise.

Zathura was easily the worst box office performer in the Jumanji franchise, managing only $64 million on a $65 million budget. But as a whole, it’s a fun movie. The special effects remain top-notch, and the storytelling operates at a high level, offering thrills and humor without venturing into the occasionally somber territory that its predecessor dabbled with. There’s no Robin Williams, but overall it’s a more enjoyable experience for the kids.

3 Jumanji (1995)

Directed By Joe Johnston

Released in 1995, Jumanji became a staple of the ’90s. It assembled an all-star cast, featuring a young Kirsten Dunst, Bonnie Hunt, David Alan Grier, and Robin Williams in his iconic role as Alan Parrish – a man trapped in the Jumanji game for 26 years. In the film, Judy (Dunst) and her brother Peter (Bradley Pierce) discover the game in the attic of their new home — the Parrish mansion where Alan disappeared in 1969. As the game comes to life, they attempt to free Alan, while their town becomes engulfed in the adventure.

Like the third entry in the series over two decades later, the original Jumanji became a sleeper hit, widely regarded for its visual effects. They were spectacular, as director Joe Johnston (The Rocketeer, Captain America: The First Avenger) brought the animals and environments from the game to life. The story was dark for a kids’ movie, and the script weirdly approached the trauma the characters underwent. It struggled to maintain a consistent tone throughout, something the subsequent films did a better job with.

2 Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)

Directed By Jake Kasdan

Jumanji: The Next Level retained all the elements that made the franchise’s successful 2017 reboot better than the original two films: humor, a creative script, and a cast that had genuine chemistry. The sequel picks up a year after Welcome To The Jungle, as the high school students plan to meet up a year after they escaped the video game version of Jumanji (in 2019, the N64-style game is considered a relic).

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan all return as the game’s avatars, but with different characters inside of them: Black is now high school jock Fridge, Johnson is now Eddie Gilpin, original main character Spencer’s grandfather (Danny DeVito), and Hart is now Eddie’s old friend Milo (Danny Glover).

Watching the cast extend their range further is a joy in the sequel, and they continue to show effortless chemistry despite playing entirely new characters. Director Jake Kasdan (Walk Hard) returns and mixes a strong blend of humor and action that makes for an entertaining trip to the theater. The Jumanji sequels are really the best Jumanji movies. Overall, The Next Level is more of the same from Welcome To The Jungle – which is not a bad thing at all.

1 Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle (2017)

Directed By Jake Kasdan

Released in 2017, Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle was a massive hit that came out of nowhere, grossing nearly a billion dollars at the worldwide box office. Released 22 years after the original film, the 2017 version features four high school students who get transported inside the Jumanji video game when they meet in detention.

Once inside, they are given avatars that clash with their personalities; the nerdy kid becomes a strong explorer with no weaknesses (Dwayne Johnson), the jock becomes a short zoologist (Kevin Hart), the shy girl becomes a badass warrior (Karen Gillan), and the popular girl becomes an overweight male cartographer (Jack Black).

The cast is fantastic, especially Black, who gives one of the better comedic performances of his career

This could have been little more than throwaway fun, but the talent assembled turned it into a much better film than it had any right to be. The cast is fantastic, especially Black, who gives one of the better comedic performances of his career playing a self-absorbed high school girl stuck in a man’s body. Johnson is excellent at playing a dork, too. All of it is tied together nicely by director Jake Kasdan, who mixes an appropriate amount of humor and action into a supremely entertaining package. It’s the best Jumanji movie there is.

A Fifth Jumanji Movie Is Confirmed

The fourth movie in the Jumanji franchise was released in theaters in 2019 but it won’t be the last. Producer Hiram Garcia confirmed a fifth Jumanji movie. Garcia is also one of the producers of Disney’s Jungle Cruise movie, which also starred Dwayne Johnson. When speaking with Collider about potential sequels for both Jungle Cruise and the Jumanji movies, to the delight of fans, Garcia confirmed that another Jumanji movie is on the way.

“We actually have a great take on what we’re going to do for the next movie. So I know in talking with Jake [Kasdan], once he comes clear of ‘Red One’, that’s going to be his next priority for him and that’s something we definitely want to make.”

Red One comes out in 2024, and there is no word on whether Kasdan is actively working on the next Jumanji movie. Karen Gillian, who plays Ruby Roundhouse, said it is hard getting all these actors together since everyone stays busy. “I’m sure it’s tricky to wrangle everyone’s schedules, but I haven’t heard anything about it other than the fact that we will be doing it at some point.” This is good news and bad news, as it means there is no set schedule to make the movie, but the actress sounds confident that a new Jumanji movie is coming in the future.