It’s been a little over three years sinceRobin Williamspassed away, and it still stings. He was so talented and widely beloved, and especially for my generation, where Williams did a string of family films includingAladdin,Mrs. Doubtfire,Hook, andJumanji, the loss hit particularly hard.Jumanjioffered Williams a role he rarely got, which was to play the adventure hero, and he perfectly walked the line between a mild-mannered kid who had to grow up a wild man in the jungles of Jumanji.
22 years after the release ofJumanjiand a new adventure is on the way withJumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. Although it brings back none of the cast members from the first movie, it does connect to the first film, specifically to Williams’ character, Alan Parrish. While we were on set,Karen Gillan, who plays Ruby Roundhouse, revealed how the movies are connected [light spoilers ahead]:
“Well I’ve always wondered where Robin Williams’ character went for all of that time in the first one. It was sort of left to the imagination a little. That’s where this film comes in, we get to see exactly where he went and what it feels like and what it looks like I guess that’s the biggest difference.”
InJumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, four teenagers get sucked into aJumanjivideo game they discover during detention. The world they get sucked into is the same one Alan lived in for decades when he got sucked into the board game. So presumably, as these new characters traverse the world ofJumanji, they’re going to find traces of Alan Parrish’s life.
That’s a nice, subtle way of paying homage to the original without distracting from the plot, and it’s also a sweet nod to an actor we lost far too soon.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungleopens December 20th. For more from our set visit, click on the links below:
