- “The goal for you I'll recite in verse; return the jewel and lift the curse. If you wish to leave the game, you must save Jumanji, and call out it's name.”
- —Nigel Billingsley
Nigel Billingsley is a field guide within the video game version of "JUMANJI", serving a supporting role in the gameplay and a major role in the 2017 film and 2019 film's backstory.
Information[]
Because Nigel is an NPC (non-player character), his ability to respond to the player's actions is limited; possessing only a set pool of dialogue from which he cannot deviate. This is because his character exists primarily to provide exposition and set up details. Similarly, he cannot go beyond his role in the story, as while Nigel within the background, could have attempted to return the jewel himself before Van Pelt was ready to resist, doing so would invalidate the main mission for the player characters rendering the game pointless.
Upon completing the game, Nigel will arrive to shake the players' hands and to send them home.
Jaguar Shrine Adventure[]
In the story of the game, Nigel was hired by Professor Van Pelt to guide him and his army through "JUMANJI" on a quest to find the Jaguar Shrine, resting place of the Jewel of "JUMANJI", claiming he wished to document the jewel in his writings. However, he was instead there to claim the jewel for himself, causing a curse to befall "JUMANJI" and possessing him with a dark power, granting him mental control over the jungle creatures.
Nigel begged Van Pelt to put the jewel back, but he refused due to his corruption, so while the camp slept that night, Nigel stole the jewel and ran after his cover was blown by Van Pelt's Vulture. After Nigel escaped Van Pelt and his army, he sent a letter to Dr. Smolder Bravestone and his companions to come and help him return the jewel and lift the curse.
Once the four adventurers entered the game's starting level From The Deep, Nigel arrived in his jeep in the nick of time to help them flee from agitated Hippopotamuses. Nigel proceeded to drive the quartet as possible while briefing them on their adventure objective, but then abandoned them to their fates at The Mighty Roar, as part of his programming.
After the now five avatars succeeded in lifting the curse on the "JUMANJI" realm, Nigel arrived at the Jaguar Shrine to shake their hands individually to congratulate them on their success and return them home safely for winning the game.
Mountain Fortress Adventure[]
Because "JUMANJI" returned to be played again, Nigel and his role was restored. In the new story, Jurgen the Brutal, a vicious Jumanjian warlord, had returned to the land of "JUMANJI", and stole the mystical Falcon Jewel from the Avian Province, making its power diminish and sending the land into a drought. Nigel was then forced to send out another letter to Bravestone and his crew to return and save "JUMANJI" once more.
When Spencer's friends returned to find him, Nigel was there to greet them again, this time in a plane. He then proceeded to fly the quartet while briefing them on their adventure objective, telling them in a cutscene that he had again sent a letter to Dr. Smolder Bravestone and his companions, asking them to return and help stop the Jumanjian conqueror, Jurgen the Brutal. He then gave them a map and dropped them out of the plane at "The Dunes" level as part of his programming.
After the now seven avatars succeeded in retrieving the jewel, Nigel arrived on a dog sled to shake their hands individually to congratulate them on their success and return them home safely for winning the game.
Abilities[]
- "JUMANJI" Knowledge: As the field guide, Nigel has excellent knowledge of the "JUMANJI" world and all who live in it.
- Jeep: Nigel drives a jeep to travel safely through "JUMANJI", giving new players a ride on entry. However, he cannot exceed his programming and will leave the avatars to their fates once they reach The Mighty Roar.
- Plane: After finishing the level From The Deep in the Mountain Fortress Adventure, Nigel flies a plane into the next level and gives the players an explanation about the game's mission objective to them, then drops them out of the plane into the desert level The Dunes.
- Dog Sledding: When the Mountain Fortress Adventure is complete, Nigel will ride a dog pulled sled in and meets the winning players to tell them that they've finished the quest.
Continuity[]
- Like Shelly, Nigel is essentially another adaptation equivalent of the original "JUMANJI" book's Guide, as Nigel is a field guide himself, and is ignorant of most interactions that do not correspond with his pre-programmed automated script.
- Nigel's script involves rhyming verses, akin to the "JUMANJI" board game's riddled messages.
- In the closing credits of "Welcome to the Jungle", his symbol next to his actor's credit on the Map of "JUMANJI" is a Jeep.
- Rhys Darby reprised his role as Nigel in the 2019 Video Game, making him the only cast member to do so.