Jumanji Movies in Order: The Complete Adventure Guide
If you love adventure movies, you just have to love the Jumanji franchise. But, with some of the movies in the franchise being spin-offs, standalone, and sequels, it is not easy to know the best way to watch Jumanji movies in order. This is where our article will help you.
Jumanji movies are based on the children’s books Jumanji (1981) and its sequel, Zathura (2002), written by Chris Van Allsburg. The first movie was released in 1995, and after that, we got sequels, spin-offs, and even an animated series. But let us first find out how many Jumanji movies are there.
How Many Jumanji Movies Are There?
There are four Jumanji movies and an animated television series that aired from 1996 to 1999. Let’s check them out by release date:
- Jumanji (1995)
- Jumanji (1996–1999)
- Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005)
- Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
- Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
Now we will sort them in the best order to watch the Jumanji franchise, and will let you know if it is important to watch them in the order, as well as if there will be more Jumanji movies.
Jumanji Movies in Order (Including TV Show)
The First Jumanji movie and TV show are standalone, while the other two movies, starring Dwayne Johnson, are their own continuity. Let’s see what it looks like and what the movies are about.
Jumanji (1995)
Roll the dice and play Jumanji! When young Alan Parish decided to play a board game with his friend Sarah, he had no idea that throwing the dice would instantly transport him to the strange jungle of Jumanji, where he would remain trapped for a full 26 years. Two orphans, Judy (Kirsten Dunst) and Peter (Bradley Pierce) want to play the same game and thus free today’s adult Alan (Robin Williams) from the inner world of the game.
But in order for everyone to overcome the growing power of the Jumanji game, the three of them must find the adult Sara (Bonnie Hunt) and reach the end of the game before she finishes them off herself.
Jumanji (1996–1999)
Judy Shepherd and her younger brother Peter accidentally find a secret and magical game called Jumanji. But these kids don’t know their lives will change forever once they play this weird game. At the very beginning of the game, Judy and her brother Peter are literally drawn into a parallel world. Suddenly, these children find themselves in the jungle, where they meet Alan, a passenger trapped in the game for 25 years.
Now Judy, Peter, and Alan are on the verge of their real life and the jungle they entered, thanks to the Jumanji game from which they must find a way out together. The three friends will learn numerous lessons about respect, friendship, and life on their magical journey.
Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005)
Danny (Jonah Bobo) and Walter (Josh Hutcherson) are brothers who disagree. They drive their parents crazy, and the older sister ignores them. Despite the quarrels, they are harmonious enough to play an old mechanical game on a Zathura board. However, after the first move, they discover that the game has thrown them, their sister, and the whole house into outer space.
The siblings suspect they will only return home if they finish the game. However, after almost every move, a new danger emerges, and they realize not only that they have to cooperate like never before but also how much they mean to each other.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
When four high school students discover an old video game they have never heard of before (Jumanji), they will be drawn into the fun world of the jungle and literally become avatars of their choice: Spencer will become a nerd explorer, athlete, Fridge will become a real Einstein, popular girl Bethany will become a middle-aged professor, and the fragile Martha will turn into a fearless warrior.
However, the fun will soon turn into something else when they discover that Jumanji is not playing – but surviving. To win the game and return to the real world, they will have to go through the most dangerous adventure of their lives, discover what Alan Parrish left behind 20 years ago, and change the way they look at themselves… Or they will remain trapped in the game forever.
Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
In the film Jumanji: The Next Level, we meet again the young heroes who have already conquered the game once. But when they re-enter Jumanji to save their friend, our heroes discover that nothing is as they expected.
Players will have to bravely go through unknown and unexplored parts, from arid deserts to snowy mountains, to survive the most dangerous game in the world.
Do You Need to Watch Jumanji Movies in Order?
You don’t have to watch all Jumanji movies in order, but it would probably be a better experience if you did. The first movie is a standalone movie, and even though there is a sequel to it, it is not closely related to it. The animated TV show is also standalone. But Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) are directly connected and should be watched by release date.
Will There Be More Jumanji Movies?
There will be more Jumanji movies! Untitled Jumanji sequel to Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) is officially announced and should be released in 2022. Will there be more Jumanji movies after that one? Depends on the box-office success of the movie.
