Why Robin agreed

While he had some gripes with the original script, Robin Williams took the part of Alan Parrish because he could relate to the character's struggles as an only child.

He recalled: "I've read 'Jumanji' to my [children]. They are fascinated and a bit frightened by the black-and-white drawings of monsters under the bed.

"But the story has something much deeper and more disturbing. It's the fear all children have of abandonment and separation from their parents. That's where my character comes in.

"I play a boy who has been swallowed up in the game. By the time he is able to come out, 26 years later, his parents are dead, and he feels lost and alone.

"That's something I can understand. As an only child, I had no siblings to play with, and my parents worked hard, and we moved around a lot."