Jumani : The Animated Series is an adaptation of the popular children's live-action film Jumani, directed by Joe Johnston and starring Robin Williams, Jonathan Hyde, Kirsten Dunst, Bradley Pierce, and Bonnie Hunt. The concept of the film and the animated series revolves around two young children, Judy and Peter, who play a board game that comes to life and takes them on a challenging adventure of two worlds collided. In both the film and series the children meet the much older Alan Parrish, who had played the game as a child and who became trapped in the world of the game with no way out. To escape from the game-world and return to reality the game must be "beat" through its own rules.

Jumanji was one of my favorite films during my childhood. It was one that I could revisit time and time again. I would always discover something new and fascinating about it that would entice me to revisit the film again. It was one of those films I regularly wanted to see. I would want to put it on rotation. I loved the journey of the bizarre concept and the brilliant execution from director Joe Johnston; even though I had no idea who the director was at the time. I used to not even consider those elements in films when I was a child. Yet I was enthralled by the vision and scope and sense of creativity which is displayed in this and other films I cherish from my youth.

Nothing felt dumbed down for youthful digestion - it didn't make me feel like I was being talked down to as a child. Rather, the film seemed ambitious as an action-adventure feature and it deftly combined the adventure with a sense of comedy and human pathos.  You really grew to care about the children; alongside the spellbinding character performed to perfection from the genius that is Robin Williams. I suppose in some ways, Williams bravura performance was the ultimate element to the film that kept things so undeniably fascinating.

It's got wacky inventive animation (which stands out as one of the better aspects of the show). It works in bringing the entire series an odd sensibility (one which is somewhat reminiscent of the animation on Beetlejuice's animated counterpart yet still distinctive enough in its own right). The series has good writing and direction and the voice cast does a good job of representing these characters.  Ashley Johnson voices Peter, Debi Derryberry voices Judy, and Bill Fagerbakke voices Alan Parrish. This is something  which especially benefited the show. Fegerbakkle does excellent work in this character role and it's something which makes the show much more enjoyable and entertaining to watch.

Unlike the theatrical film, the animated series makes the Jumanji game take on a lot of different elements even more because every episode has an opportunity to do so with the storyline. The animators and creative team behind the animated version have really done a great job making something which works in unison with the film, but that still stands on its own as a worthy and entertaining creation. This series is well worth adventuring into exploration for fans of the film.

The DVD:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

There are no supplemental materials on this made on Demand DVD release from Sony Pictures.

Final Thoughts:

I absolutely recommend this set to serious Jumanji fans as well as to those who grew up watching this animated program and who enjoyed it during its initial run (or while it aired in syndication). This is an entertaining and well-made program based upon the successful theatrical film of the same name and origin, and those types of animated programs are rare to find. It's fun, quirky, and worth the time the series devotes to delving further into the adventurous Jumanji board game come-to-life. This isn't an amazing made-on-demand release though. This set has below-average PQ/AQ and no supplements were included at all, but the show itself is worth checking out.

Recommended.

Neil Lumbard is a lifelong fan of cinema. He aspires to make movies and has written two screenplays on spec. He loves writing, and currently does in Texas.