Jumanji (1995)

Joe Johnston’s film, Jumanji (1995), tells the story of a boy named Alan Parrish living in Brantford, New Hampshire with his parents, Sam and Carol. When he is chased by bullies one day, Alan seeks refuge in Sam’s shoe factory where he comes across a new prototype made by their friend Carl Bentley. Unfortunately, Alan accidentally damages the shoe and although Carl takes the blame, he is fired from his job. As if that wasn’t enough trouble for one day, the bullies also steal Alan’s bicycle. Desperate to get it back, Alan follows the sound of tribal drumbeats to a nearby construction site where he discovers an ancient board game called Jumanji. He brings it home and later on argues with Sam about attending boarding school. Feeling rebellious, Alan plans to run away but is stopped when Sarah Whittle returns his stolen bicycle.

Alan introduces her to Jumanji and invites her to join in. As they roll the dice, the game piece mysteriously moves on its own, accompanied by cryptic messages in the crystal ball. One roll results in Alan being instructed to wait in a jungle until someone else rolls a five or eight, causing him to be drawn into the game. Meanwhile, Sarah is chased out of the mansion by a swarm of bats. Twenty-six years pass, and Judy and Peter Shepherd move into the now-empty Parrish mansion with their aunt Nora. They stumble upon Jumanji in the attic and decide to give it a try. Their rolls bring forth enormous mosquitoes and hoards of monkeys. Aware that everything will be reversed once the game ends, they continue playing.