VFX artists explain why the original stampede scene from Jumanji still holds up 29 years after its release. The 1995 movie, directed by Joe Johnston, revolves around the eponymous board game and chaos that ensues when Judy (Kirsten Dunst) and Peter Shepherd (Bradley Pierce) discover its magic. Along with Dunst and Pierce, the film stars Robin Williams as Alan Parrish, a man stuck in Jumanji for over two decades. Various Jumanji movies have since been made, but the original is often considered a classic, and the performances and visual effects continue to be praised.
During Corridor Crew’s latest video, the VFX artists reacted to the stampede scene from Jumanji. Check it out below:
Almost immediately, Wren stated: “This entire sequence, I’m flabbergasted by it,” as he revealed, it holds up because a lot of what the audience sees actually happened on set. Likening the stampede to something they previously filmed involving a tank, they explained that actors shoot before demolition even occurs. Read more of Corridor Crew’s comments below:
Wren: “Why is this shot great? Because we first see Robin Williams in the shot running out as we’re seeing the books start to fly off the shelf, because the whole bookshelf, the whole set, was destroyed for real.”
What Makes Jumanji’s Original Stampede So Memorable?
Prior to the stampede, Judy and Peter had already experienced what the game was capable of when bringing monkeys and lions into their world. During that sequence in Jumanji, the board cautioned that a loud noise would signal impending danger and soon enough, the bookshelves start rattling. Rhinoceroses and elephants, among more creatures, storm past the group and briefly steal the game from Alan, resulting in chaos throughout the town of Brantford.
The CGI from Jumanji’s original stampede scene may be outdated, but the action remains memorable and as Corridor Crew mentioned, the wreckage was practical. In the video, they revealed that large objects were used to crash the set and, as Jordan Allen explained, the key was “having the actual shape of the ramming geometry be the shape of the rhino.” That sequence is part of what makes the film unique compared to later Jumanji sequels, which mostly take place inside video games, as opposed to pulling creatures/characters into the real world.
The two sequels, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Jumanji: The Next Level, were released in 2017 and 2019, respectively.
It’s interesting to see how VFX artists react to this particular scene, and to learn more about the making of Jumanji. Aside from the stampede, other notable moments from the movie include the intense crocodile encounter and Peter’s monkey transformation. A lot of these continue to hold up years later, but blowing through the film’s set makes for an extra memorable effect.
Source: Corridor Crew/YouTube
