The Correct Order To Watch The Jumanji Franchise

Chris Van Allsberg's picture book "Jumanji" was first published in 1981, and it quickly became a staple in elementary schools and libraries, read widely and joyously by several generations of kids. The book won a Caldecott medal, and Allsberg would go on to write other children's classics like "The Z Was Zapped," "The Polar Express," and the "Jumanji" sequel "Zathura." 

The premise is fun: Two kids, bored at home, find a jungle-adventure-themed board game called Jumanji in their attic. When they play it, however, they find that the dictated events of the game manifest in their house. When the game cards tell them they've run into chimpanzees, chimpanzees appear in their kitchen, and more and more animals begin wreaking havoc as the game progresses. It's only when the game ends that the mayhem ceases. 

In 1995, director Joe Johnston adapted "Jumanji" to film, expanding the story onto a longer timeline and inventing new conceits that the child board game players, the Shepherds (Kirsten Dunst, Bradley Pierce), encounter. Peter Shepherd, for instance, begins mutating into a monkey. Notably, the kids encounter Alan Parrish (Robin Williams), a character who began playing Jumanji back in 1969, but who was sucked into an alternate jungle dimension for several decades. He emerges from the Jumanji board, eager to find his 1969 gaming companion, finish his game, and be free of the cursed thing. 

"Jumanji" featured extensive photorealistic CGI, still something of a novelty in 1995, and made over $262 million on its $65 million budget. It wasn't well-liked by critics — the story is admittedly rather thin — but "Jumanji" was beloved by kids of a certain age.

The film spawned a TV series, as well as three sequels, released from 2005 through 2019. Here is the "Jumanji" franchise in its proper order.

The "Jumanji" filmed media franchise was release to the public in the following order:

• "Jumanji" (1995)
• "Jumanji: The Animated Series" (1996 – 1999)
• "Zathura: A Space Adventure" (2005)
• "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" (2017)
• "Jumanji: The Next Level" (2019)

"Jumanji: The Animated Series" is a direct continuation of the 1995 film, and features Alan (Bill Fagerbakke) and the two Shepherd children, Judy (Debi Derryberry) and Peter (Ashley Johnson), getting into additional magical jungle adventures. The show lasted for 40 episodes over three seasons. 

Jon Favreau's "Zathura" isn't a direct sequel to "Jumanji," and shares none of the same characters, but it's certainly part of the same universe. The premise is identical to "Jumanji": A magical board game, when played by two lonely kids, magically manifests in their living room. Only by finishing the game will the magic be undone. The twist is that Zathura is a sci-fi-themed board game, and the magical manifestations include robots and astronauts instead of lions and Colonialists. We'd recommend watching this franchise in release order for the most part, but since "Zathura" is a standalone story, you could save it until last if you want. 

It's worth noting that "Jumanji" was adapted into multiple video games over the years, including a PC game in 1996, and a PlayStation 2 game in 2006. Jake Kasdan's 2017 film "Welcome to the Jungle" updated its premise to match changing technology, forcing a quartet of teenagers to be magically transported into the "Jumanji" jungle dimension via a vintage "Jumanji" video game. While inside the game world, the teens are transformed into their on-screen avatars, now played by Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, and Jack Black. Made for about $150 million, "Jungle" made a whopping $962 million.

2019's "The Next Level," was a direct sequel to "Welcome to the Jungle," and featured the same cast and video-game-based premise. It was also a smash hit, making $801 million on a $125 million budget. 

As of this writing, Sony is working on fifth "Jumanji" movie. Most reportage is currently referring to it merely as "Jumanji 4" ("Zathura" isn't covered by the numbering system, it seems). 

Everyone wants it to happen, although the film has, as yet, no release date. It was initially slated for release in 2020, but was likely put on hold during the pandemic. It was also rescheduled for 2022 and 2023, and obviously didn't meet those deadlines. The project still seems to be on the table. Producer Hiram Garcia spoke with Collider a few years ago on the matter and said that "Jumanji 4" was:

"...[A]lso in the hopper! We're very focused on delivering the best version of that story. Obviously, when you're fortunate enough to bring a team back together for the third time you want to knock it out of the park. It's important for us to deliver something big for the fans while still expanding on our Jumanji story. So we are drilling down deep and collaborating closely with our writers, director Jake [Kasdan] and producing partner on this, Matt [Tolmach]."

The film will likely enter production in earnest after "Red One," the latest Dwayne Johnson film, is released on November 14, 2024. In that film, Johnson plays the head of security for Santa Claus (J.K. Simmons), and has to team up with a bounty hunter (Chris Evans) to rescue Santa, a.k.a. Red One, after he is kidnapped. 

Kasdan is likely to direct "Jumanji 4." It will likely be the final film in this particular continuity.