Book vs. Movie 2: Jumanji

Jumanji has to be one of my favorie movies from when I was younger. When looking for movies to compare to books, I went through my own personal collection of movies, and came across Jumanji. Yes, I still own my original copy of the VHS! At the time of its release (1995), I didn't know that it was based on a book. I recently came across a copy of the book at a bookstore and purchased it for my classroom. The book was written by Chris Van Allsburg, and it won the Caldecott Medal in 1982.

The movie stayed true to the book in many ways, and was different in some ways as well. The similarities include the children finding the game, the rules of the game (the main characters (Alan, Judy, Peter, and Sarah), and the game coming alive with each turn.

The differences begin with where the children found the game. In the movie, they find the game in the attic of their house, but in the book, it is found in a park under a tree. In the movie, the chidlren had lost their parents to a car accident and were living with their Aunt Nora. In the book, their parents were alive. In the end of the movie, Alan and Sarah tie a rock to the game and throw it into a creek. The book has a different disposal method. The children, Peter and Judy, put the game back under a tree, and two children find it. In the movie, Alan is sent back in time after finally completing the game, and is given the opportunity to save Peter and Judy's parents by preventing them from going on the trip on which they would have had their car accident.

I really liked the movie better in this case. I thought is was more action packed and adventerous. It was also suspenseful. In the book, you never really felt like the characters were in danger or had to "conquer" the game. The movie is much more entertaining. Of course, movie magic allows for more excitement!