Entertainment Weekly recently covered the news that the world will be getting its first Jumanji-themed theme park ride next year. It's being built in the Italian Gardaland Resort, and it will be unimaginatively named "Jumanji - The Adventure".
If you're a fan of the movie franchise and are eager to get "transported to the world of Jumanji, where an exhilarating adventure awaits...full of pitfalls, surprises, and dangers through the wild jungle", then brush up on your Italian and start planning your vacation now!
If the concept art is anything to go on, riders can expect to be accosted by giant, angry hippos; lunged at by venomous pythons; and screeched at by excited mandrills. The ride cars will literally be shaped like the jeeps from the movie. And all of this is set in a lush jungle atmosphere that's sure to recreate the visceral feeling of being lost and trapped in a hostile environment.
Other than the concept art and vague promises of "an immersive experience that expands on the world created by the films", we really don't have much to go on as far as what to expect from the ride. Will it focus mostly on the modern adaptations which have earned over $2 billion at the box office? Will there be tasteful homages to the original 1995 classic starring Robin Williams and Kirsten Dunst? Will it add something new that has not yet been explored in the movies already? And, most importantly: can visitors take a picture of themselves with life-sized cardboard cutouts of the cast as they exit the ride? That might seem like a silly question to some, but we think it would be a fun idea.
The ride is scheduled to open during the first half of 2022. Enjoy the concept art below.
