Jumanji | BBFC reclassifies 1995 original from PG to 12A

Jumanji is 30 years old later this year, and ahead of a re-release, the film now has a 12A certificate in the UK rather than PG. As a rule, when the British Board Of Film Classification – the BBFC to its mates – takes another look at a film a few decades after its original ... Jumanji | BBFC reclassifies 1995 original from PG to 12A

Jumanji is 30 years old later this year, and ahead of a re-release, the film now has a 12A certificate in the UK rather than PG.

As a rule, when the British Board Of Film Classification – the BBFC to its mates – takes another look at a film a few decades after its original release, the subsequent UK certificate for the film tends to be softer. 18-rated films such as Die Hard and Aliens are now a 15 for instance, although occasionally, a movie goes in the other direction. The Empire Strikes Back is no longer a U, and Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves is no longer a PG.

Next in line for an alteration? The 1995 family favourite, Jumanji. The Robin Williams-headlined movie was given a PG certificate on its original release, but as it approaches its 30th birthday, it looks set for a UK re-release later this year. As part of that process, it’s been resubmitted for certification, and has been given a tougher certificate as a result.

See also: the lost Jumanji sequel set in the White House

There are two things to note about the new classification. Firstly, as you can see here, Jumanji now sports a 12A certificate in the UK. This has been awarded for “moderate threat” and not for “dodgy-looking CG monkeys.”

Also, the version that’s gone through reclassification is listed as precisely one second shorter than the 1995 original. It is, of course, easy to read too much into this, and also of course, that’s just what I’m about to do. A few possibilities.

Firstly, the film may have been just on the fractional edge of a 103 minute and 59 second runtime in 1995, and they’ve just rounded the other way to get to 103 minutes and 58 seconds this time.

Or: Jumanji is now being distributed by Park Circus for its re-release, and could the logo at the start just be a bit of a second shorter?

Or: was there an F-bomb we all missed in 1995 that’s only just been spotted? Did Robin Williams scream “I’m stuck in this ‘clucking’ game” and we all missed it?”

(No. Made that one up.)

Or: has one second been snipped out somewhere? I’m not entirely sure it has been, especially if the rating has gone from PG to 12A. Had it gone the other way, that might have been more feasible.

Bottom line: everyone who wants to watch Jumanji in a UK cinema will still be able to when the re-release rolls around. But those under 12 will now need to be accompanied by an adult, or hope that they’ve gone to one of those multiplexes where nobody really checks what screen you’re going to.

The listing for Jumanji at the BBFC is here.

Thanks to Mark Harrison for the heads up.