Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Information

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is a 2017 American action adventure comedy film directed by Jake Kasdan and written by Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Scott Rosenberg, and Jeff Pinkner, from a story by McKenna. It is the second installment in the Jumanji franchise, based on the 1981 children's book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg and serves as a stand-alone sequel to Jumanji (1995). The film is also a tribute to Robin Williams, star of the original film.

The film stars Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, and Bobby Cannavale. Set twenty-one years after the first film, the plot follows four teenagers who are transported into the video game world of Jumanji, playing as the characters they chose, and uniting with another player, must overcome the game's magical power in order to win and return home.

Principal photography began in Hawaii in September 2016. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle premiered at the Grand Rex in Paris on December 5, 2017, and was theatrically released in the United States in 3D on December 20, 2017. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who called it a "pleasant surprise" and praised the cast, and has grossed over $519 million worldwide.

Plot

In 1996, in Brantford, New Hampshire, teenager Alex Vreeke receives the Jumanji board game, found by his father on a beach. When Alex refused it, the game magically transforms into a video game cartridge. When he plays it, he is teleported into the game.

Twenty years later in 2016, four students in Brantford High School are placed in detention together: Spencer Gilpin, who is writing essays for his former friend, Anthony "Fridge" Johnson (who is also in detention), while Bethany Walker and Martha Kaply have both disrespected their respective teachers during class. Assigned by the school's principal to clear out its basement, the four find Jumanji, now a five-player action-adventure console game. With one of the playable characters (video game avatars) inaccessible, the teens select the others, and are teleported into the game.

They find themselves in a jungle, each now in the forms of their game avatars. Spencer is a tough, muscular explorer named Dr. Smolder Bravestone, Fridge is a short zoologist named Franklin "Mouse" Finbar (whom he had selected upon misreading the name as "Moose"), Martha is a gorgeous commando and martial art expert named Ruby Roundhouse, and Bethany is an overweight, male cartographer named Professor Sheldon "Shelly" Oberon. They soon realize that they are in a video game, and each have three lives. If they lose all three, they will actually die. Each of their avatars also comes with special skills and weaknesses.

They learn from Nigel, an NPC guide, that the big-game hunter, Russel Van Pelt, wants to obtain a jewel, the "Jaguar's Eye", allowing him to manipulate Jumanji's animals. To escape the game, the players must return it to an enormous jaguar statue and call out "Jumanji". Along the way, the group begins to lose lives through various means when completing game levels. The group start working together to obtain a clue from a snake but are cornered by Van Pelt's men. They are rescued by Alex, the fifth player, whose avatar is a pilot named Jefferson "Seaplane" McDonough. Recuperating in a treehouse built by previous player Alan Parrish (protagonist of Jumanji), Alex learns that he has been in the game for twenty years. They commandeer a helicopter and fly for the jaguar statue to return the jewel. Upon landing Alex loses his last life after a mosquito bites him, but Bethany performs CPR in time and transfers one of her lives to Alex in the process, saving him from dying.

Arriving at the statue, the players find themselves facing Van Pelt's forces and predatory guards. Using their resources and teamwork, the players distract the villains while Spencer returns the jewel to the statue and calls out the game's name. The game ends, disintegrating Van Pelt into many rats, and the players revert to their former selves and return to the real world, but discover that Alex did not come with them. On their way home, they discover that the Vreeke household - once the neglected home of Alex's father "Old Man" Vreeke - has been restored. An adult Alex appears; he emerged in 1996, and history was changed. He is now married and has named his eldest daughter after Bethany out of gratitude for saving his life.

Spencer and Fridge reconcile, Bethany becomes a better person and makes plans to go backpacking for another adventurous encounter, Martha starts dating Spencer, and the teens are now friends after their experiences in the game. The four hear Jumanjis drumbeats, but they take the game behind the school and destroy it with the bowling ball they found in detention to prevent anyone from playing it again.

Cast

Jumanji

• Dwayne Johnson as Dr. Smolder Bravestone, an archaeologist and explorer who is Spencer's avatar. Bravestone's strengths are stamina, courage, reflexes, climbing, smoldering charisma, and boomerang throwing. He apparently has no weaknesses. He is the archetypically masculine, intelligent, and courageous video game hero of the story. He is credited as "Spencer".
• Jack Black as Professor Sheldon "Shelly" Oberon, a cartographer, cryptographer, archaeologist and paleontologist who is Bethany's avatar. Though Oberon's strengths are his fields of expertise, because of his obesity, his endurance is his weakness. He/she is credited as "Bethany".
• Kevin Hart as Franklin "Mouse" Finbar, a short zoologist and weapons specialist who is Fridge's avatar. Fridge chose him due to misreading the character's nickname as "Moose". Finbar is Bravestone's weapon valet and is skilled in cranial assault. His weaknesses are cake, strength, and speed. He is credited as "Fridge".
• Karen Gillan as Ruby Roundhouse, a commando, martial artist, and dance fighter who is Martha's avatar. Roundhouse is proficient in karate, tai chi, jujutsu and capoeira, and her only weakness is venom, such as that found in various animals in the game. Similar to Bravestone, Roundhouse is the archetypically intelligent, athletic, beautiful, and scantily clad video game heroine of the story. She is credited as "Martha".
• Nick Jonas as Jefferson "Seaplane" McDonough, Alex Vreeke's avatar. McDonough is a mysterious guide, adventurer, and pilot in the game, who waits for and joins the other avatars escape Jumanji. McDonough's strengths are piloting and making margaritas. His only weakness is mosquito bites, which is bad for him since the jungle is teeming with mosquitoes. He is credited as "Alex". He lives in a treehouse built and once occupied by Alan Parrish (previously portrayed by Robin Williams and Adam Hann-Byrd in the 1995 film Jumanji).
• Bobby Cannavale as Russel Van Pelt, a corrupt explorer seeking to control the "Jaguar's Eye", whose power he is demonically possessed by. He serves as the main antagonist in the world of Jumanji, and thus making him the boss of the film's video game scenario. Jonathan Hyde played a different version of Van Pelt in the 1995 film.
• Rhys Darby as Nigel Billingsley, an NPC guide in the game.
• William Tokarsky as Trader, an NPC food trader.
• Rohan Chand as Boy at Bazaar, a young NPC guide.

Reality

• Alex Wolff as Spencer Gilpin, a nerdy gamer at Brantford High School who goes to detention with Fridge, Martha, and Bethany, for writing Fridge's homework for him; he discovers the Jumanji video game. He later becomes Martha's love interest. He is credited as "Young Spencer".
• Madison Iseman as Bethany Walker, a pretty and popular but self-centered teenage girl at Brantford High School and goes to detention with Spencer, Fridge, and Martha, after talking on her phone during a quiz and displaying an arrogant contempt towards her class in the process. She is credited as "Young Bethany".
• Ser'Darius Blain as Anthony "Fridge" Johnson, a Brantford High School football jock who lacks confidence to succeed academically, and goes to detention with Spencer, Martha, and Bethany for having Spencer write his essays for him. He is credited as "Young Fridge".
• Morgan Turner as Martha Kaply, a teenage girl at Brantford High School who goes to detention with Spencer, Fridge, and Bethany, for objecting to physical education class and disregarding her teacher as a result and Spencer's love-interest. She is credited as "Young Martha".
• Mason Guccione as Alex Vreeke, a teenage boy who played, and was trapped inside, the Jumanji video game in 1996.
  • Colin Hanks as Adult Alex Vreeke
• Marc Evan Jackson as Principal Bentley, the principal who makes Spencer, Bethany, Fridge, and Martha clean up the basement as part of their detention.
• Sean Buxton as Alex's Father / Jogger
  • Tim Matheson as Older Alex's Father (Old Man Vreeke, uncredited)
• Maribeth Monroe as Teacher
• Missi Pyle as Coach Webb, the gym teacher.

Production

Development

In July 2012, rumors emerged that a remake of the film Jumanji was being developed. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Columbia Pictures president Doug Belgrad said: "We're going to try and reimagine Jumanji and update it for the present." On August 1, 2012, it was confirmed that Matthew Tolmach would produce the new version, alongside William Teitler, who produced the original film.

In August 2015, Sony Pictures Entertainment announced that they had scheduled the film for a December 25, 2016 release. Internet reception to this was negative, with some posters remarking that the announcement came too soon after the death of Robin Williams, who portrayed Alan Parrish from the original film, and had died in August 2014. The news was heavily criticized by Bradley Pierce, who played Peter Shepherd in the original Jumanji, as well as by E! News, which stated that they felt that the remake was "unnecessary and kind of insulting." On October 23, 2015, Scott Rosenberg was hired to rewrite the script for the film, whose production was a high priority for the studio. On January 14, 2016, Deadline reported that Jake Kasdan had been hired to direct, from a script by Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner, based on a draft by original writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers.

On April 15, 2016, Variety reported that Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart were in early talks to star in the film, though both actors had other projects to shoot, which might have created schedule conflicts. Later in April, Johnson confirmed his casting through his Instagram account. On July 2016, it was reported that Nick Jonas had joined the film's cast, along with the confirmed casting of Johnson, Hart, and Jack Black. In August 2016, Johnson clarified that the film would not be a reboot, but a continuation of the 1995 film, while Karen Gillan was also announced as having been cast. On September 20, 2016, Ser'Darius Blain and Madison Iseman were cast in the film, with Blain playing Anthony "Fridge" Johnson and Iseman playing Bethany. Following them, on September 22, 2016, Rhys Darby, Morgan Turner, and Alex Wolff joined the cast, with Darby playing Nigel, Turner playing Martha, and Wolff playing Spencer. In November 2016, Bobby Cannavale announced his casting in the film, and in December 2016, Tim Matheson also joined the cast, playing Old Man Vreeke.

James Newton Howard was originally attached to compose the film's score; after the film's release date was pushed back half a year, he was replaced by Henry Jackman.

In March 2017 during CinemaCon, it was announced that the complete title of the film is Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. The plot was revealed to involve teenagers cleaning out a school's basement who find a vintage video game version of Jumanji, and get sucked into the jungle setting of the first film. While many fans theorized whether the film was a sequel or a reboot, the second trailer, which was released on September 20, 2017, revealed that the film takes place over twenty years after the events of the first.

Filming

Principal photography began September 19, 2016 in Honolulu, Hawaii, and wrapped December 8, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Release

In August 2015, Sony set the film a release date of December 25, 2016. As filming did not start until September 2016, the release was pushed back a year to July 28, 2017, and then to December 20, 2017.

On November 29, 2017, it was announced Amazon Prime members in the United States would have early access to movie tickets for a single December 8, 2017 screening of the film, at select Regal, National Amusements, ArcLight Cinemas and AMC theaters. The screenings ended up selling out at 1,200 theaters and making $1.9 million.

Box office

, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle has grossed $244.4 million in the United States and Canada, and $275 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $519.4 million.

In the United States and Canada, the film was released on December 27, 2017 alongside The Greatest Showman, and was projected to gross around $60 million from 3,765 theaters in its six-day opening weekend, with the studio predicting a more conservative $45 million debut. It took in $7.2 million on its first day and $7.6 million on its second. Over the three-day weekend, it grossed $36.2 million (for a six-day total of $71.9 million), finishing second at the box office, behind Star Wars: The Last Jedi. During its second weekend, the film increased 38.4% to $50.1 million, again finishing in second place at the box office. The weekend-to-weekend increase of 38.4% marked the 4th-largest ever for a film playing in over 3,000 theaters; fellow 2017 Christmas release The Greatest Showman coincidently set record for best hold the same weekend. The film dethroned The Last Jedi for the top spot the following weekend, declining just 28.1% to $36 million.

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 77% based on 167 reviews, and an average rating of 6.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle uses a charming cast and a humorous twist to offer an undemanding yet solidly entertaining update on its source material." On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the film has a score of 58 out of 100, based on 43 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.

Dave White of TheWrap praised the cast and called the film a pleasant surprise, saying, "Jumanji: Welcome to The Jungle is the Christmas tentpole release that aims to please and succeeds, a funny family entertainment product that subverts more expectations than it was obligated to contractually." David Ehrlich of IndieWire gave the film a "C" and called it unnecessary but mildly amusing: "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is further proof that even the stalest whiff of brand recognition has become preferable to originality. Only part of the blame for that belongs to the studios, but after cannibalizing themselves for much of the last 20 years, Hollywood has clearly eaten their way down to the crumbs."

Writing for Variety, Owen Gleiberman was critical of the film, saying, "Excitement! Suspense! Childlike innocence! Ingeniously staged action set pieces! These are a few of the things you will not find, anywhere, in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle... It's supposed to be a board game come to life, but really, it's just a bored game."

Future

Jack Black, Dwayne Johnson, and Nick Jonas have discussed in interviews what a possible Jumanji 3 would be about. Karen Gillan has also said that the alternate ending for Welcome to the Jungle would have left the door open for another movie.