Jumanji
When siblings Judy and Peter discover an enchanted board game that opens the door to a magical world, they unwittingly invite Alan -- an adult who's been trapped inside the game for 26 years -- into their living room. Alan's only hope for freedom is to finish the game, which proves risky as all three find themselves running from giant rhinoceroses, evil monkeys and other terrifying creatures.
Despite a respectable budget of $65.0M, Jumanji became a solid performer, earning $262.8M worldwide—a 304% return.
4 wins & 11 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Jumanji (1995) exemplifies carefully calibrated narrative architecture, characteristic of Joe Johnston's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 44 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.6, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Alan Parrish
Sarah Whittle
Judy Shepherd
Peter Shepherd
Van Pelt
Main Cast & Characters
Alan Parrish
Played by Robin Williams
A man trapped in Jumanji for 26 years who must finish the game to escape and undo its chaos.
Sarah Whittle
Played by Bonnie Hunt
Alan's childhood friend who witnessed his disappearance and carries the trauma into adulthood.
Judy Shepherd
Played by Kirsten Dunst
An orphaned girl who discovers Jumanji and begins the game with her brother.
Peter Shepherd
Played by Bradley Pierce
Judy's younger brother who becomes partially transformed by the game's curse.
Van Pelt
Played by Jonathan Hyde
A big game hunter from Jumanji obsessed with killing Alan Parrish.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes 1869: Two boys bury the Jumanji game, terrified, hoping no one will ever find it. The drums beat ominously, establishing a world where childhood games hold dangerous power.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 13 minutes when Alan rolls the dice and is sucked into the Jumanji game, disappearing for 26 years. Sarah witnesses the horror and flees, traumatized. The ordinary world is shattered forever.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 27 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 26% of the runtime. This demonstrates the protagonist's commitment to Peter rolls and releases a wild adult Alan from the game after 26 years. Alan's return commits everyone to finishing the game—the only way to reverse its chaos. There's no going back now., moving from reaction to action.
At 52 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Structural examination shows that this crucial beat Van Pelt, the great white hunter, emerges from the game specifically hunting Alan. This isn't just random jungle chaos anymore—Alan has a personal nemesis representing his deepest fears. The stakes become life-or-death., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 79 minutes (76% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Alan learns his father spent the rest of his life searching for him, dying of a broken heart. Peter is transformed into a monkey. Van Pelt corners them. Everything Alan ran from has caught up with him at last., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 85 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 82% of the runtime. Alan stops running. He realizes he must finish what he started and face Van Pelt directly. For the first time, he chooses to confront his fear rather than flee, embodying his father's lesson., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Jumanji's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping Jumanji against these established plot points, we can identify how Joe Johnston utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Jumanji within the adventure genre.
Joe Johnston's Structural Approach
Among the 9 Joe Johnston films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.9, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Jumanji takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Joe Johnston filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional adventure films include The Black Stallion, The Bad Guys and Puss in Boots. For more Joe Johnston analyses, see Captain America: The First Avenger, The Pagemaster and The Wolfman.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
1869: Two boys bury the Jumanji game, terrified, hoping no one will ever find it. The drums beat ominously, establishing a world where childhood games hold dangerous power.
Theme
Alan's father tells him, "You're not a man until you learn to face what you're afraid of." This sets up the film's central lesson about confronting rather than fleeing from fear.
Worldbuilding
1969: Young Alan is bullied, struggles with his demanding father, and discovers the buried Jumanji game at a construction site. His strained relationship with his father and tendency to run from problems is established.
Disruption
Alan rolls the dice and is sucked into the Jumanji game, disappearing for 26 years. Sarah witnesses the horror and flees, traumatized. The ordinary world is shattered forever.
Resistance
1995: Orphans Judy and Peter move into the abandoned Parrish mansion. They discover the game in the attic, hear the drums calling, and begin playing despite mysterious warnings. The rules of Jumanji are established.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Peter rolls and releases a wild adult Alan from the game after 26 years. Alan's return commits everyone to finishing the game—the only way to reverse its chaos. There's no going back now.
Mirror World
Alan finds Sarah, now a traumatized recluse who has spent 26 years in therapy. Together with Judy and Peter—two orphans who understand loss—they form an unlikely family unit bound by the game's magic.
Premise
The players take turns releasing jungle chaos: giant mosquitoes, a lion in the bedroom, monsoon floods, stampeding animals through town. Each roll brings new dangers as the game's wild magic transforms their reality.
Midpoint
Van Pelt, the great white hunter, emerges from the game specifically hunting Alan. This isn't just random jungle chaos anymore—Alan has a personal nemesis representing his deepest fears. The stakes become life-or-death.
Opposition
Van Pelt pursues Alan relentlessly while the game unleashes quicksand floors, man-eating plants, and a monsoon. Alan learns his parents died searching for him. The town descends into chaos as every roll makes things worse.
Collapse
Alan learns his father spent the rest of his life searching for him, dying of a broken heart. Peter is transformed into a monkey. Van Pelt corners them. Everything Alan ran from has caught up with him at last.
Crisis
The group is separated and hunted. Alan must reckon with the consequences of his 26-year absence—the destroyed lives, his parents' deaths, the chaos consuming the town. Running is no longer an option.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Alan stops running. He realizes he must finish what he started and face Van Pelt directly. For the first time, he chooses to confront his fear rather than flee, embodying his father's lesson.
Synthesis
Alan races to make the winning roll while Van Pelt closes in. At gunpoint, Alan finally speaks the word "Jumanji" and wins the game. Reality reverses—all the chaos is sucked back into the game, time itself rewinds.
Transformation
Alan and Sarah are children again in 1969, but with their memories intact. Alan reconciles with his father, saves Judy and Peter's parents from dying, and he and Sarah throw Jumanji into a river. The cycle of fear is broken.