Synopsis of Saturday Morning Show

Based on the hit 1995 Robin Williams film, Jumanji told the story of a board game gone horribly, horribly wrong. The cartoon series twisted the film’s premise around, but most of the characters remained the same.

As in the film, young Peter and Judy Shepherd came to live with their Aunt Nora. Exploring the house, they found in the attic a dusty old board game called Jumanji. Kids will be kids, and soon enough Peter and Judy had the game out and ready for play, little knowing that the game had a life of its own. When they rolled the dice, a rhymed message appeared on the board, and Peter and Judy were sucked inside a strange jungle world.

Lost and alone in this frightening new land, Peter and Judy ran across long-haired jungle man Alan Parrish (the Robin Williams character in the film), who had been sucked in by Jumanji many years earlier. The three joined forces, looking for a way out. Opposing them were English hunter Van Pelt, his lackey Oafal, mad inventor The Master Builder, and a crowd of mischief-making monkeys.

Jumanji ran on UPN’s Sunday morning schedule, traditionally a much slower day for cartoons than Saturday. The show did well enough, lasting two seasons before being replaced by the popular Big Bad Beetleborgs.

Release History

9/8/96 - 9/13/98 UPN

TV Sub Categories

animated
action/adventure

TV Studio

Interscope/Titler Films/Columbia TriStar Children's Television

Television Cast

Peter Shepherd Ashley Johnson
Judy Shepherd Debi Derryberry
Alan Parrish Bill Fagerbakke
Aunt Nora Melanie Chartoff
Van Pelt Sherman Howard
Officer Carl Bentley Richard Allen
Professor Heinrich Ibsen William Sanderson
Professor J.H. 'Trader' Slick Tim Curry
Tribal Bob Richard Allen
Rock Pamela Segall
Brute Billy West
Dead-Eye Kevin Schon
Fang Danny Mann
Manji Witch Doctor Danny Mann

Other Saturday Morning Links