Nora Shepherd, is one of the supporting characters in the animated series, voiced by Melanie Chartoff.
Biography[]
An abridged version of Nora Shepherd appears in the animated series, as the guardian of Judy and Peter Shepherd. On occasion, the game has taken her into the dimension of Jumanji as well, often being the one the solves the clue to escaping, but her memory is always erased with vivid traces left behind.
Nora sinks in quicksand.
In Ransom of Redhead, Nora plays a central role, interrupting Judy and Peter's attempt to play Jumanji again, believing it was the source of their bad school grades, insulting the game and throwing the dice away. Jumanji dislikes Nora's interference and pulls her inside it's realm with the kids, forcing her to land on the back of a trio-horned reptilian beast and riding away into one of Van Pelt's traps. Back at Van Pelt's lodge, the creature runs off, leaving Van Pelt blaming Nora for letting it escape, but she falls head over heels for him, giving him an idea that she would make good bait for Alan and the kids to come and rescue her. Nora's sensibility and nagging housekeeping drive Van Pelt crackers and soon he allows her to escape so that she would lure the trio to his hunt. Despite believing all this time that she's dreaming, the trio pull Nora out of a pond of Quicksand and use her recording equipment to lead Van Pelt into a dead end so they can evade him, until the hunter finally catches the four when they land over the edge of a cliff. When Nora admits she isn't always right about everything, she ends up solving their clue, allowing the three to return home, with Nora's recorder having a bullet hole left by Van Pelt.
In Perfect Match, Nora plays a central role yet again when she takes Judy and Peter as wedding guests against their will citing that her friends invited her and wanted to be professional about it. Peter snuck Jumanji into the car and rolled the dice, ending up bringing Nora and her car along with them, crashing into a Rhino (which Nora mistook for a Cow) and rendering Nora stuck in the airbag for a while. In order to convince Queen Gina to leave Alan alone, Judy and Peter set Nora up on a date between them. Gina however interrupts their date and continues her forced marriage to Alan so she can undergo the Jamazon tradition of sacrificing the groom after they are announced. Nora breaks free from her bonds and challenges Gina to a duel, beating her and fortunately solving the clue by having won the trio's freedom by besting Gina. Although Nora is retuned to the real world, she vaguely remembers her adventure and still feels the vibes from it, then she decides to skip the wedding and go to an amusement park.
In Truth or Consequently, the trio return to Brantford as part of their turn. When Nora returned home from shopping, she was astounded to see Alan, having not remembered who he was , and called Officer Bentley, thinking Alan was after her children. As part of their search for her kids, Nora and Bentley's comical mishaps from the 1995 film are repeated.
Twisted Nora on the Brantford game box painting.
In Brantford: The Game, an inner dimension within Jumanji existed a mockery paralleled version of Brantford and a warped version of Nora, who was even featured as a portrait on the Brantford game's painting. Unlike the real Nora, the hideous alternative views Peter as the smarter child.
Nora as an Ostrich.
In The Magic Chest, Nora decided to sell antiques from the Mansion's attic to Mr. Olsen from the Brantford Pawnshop. When the trio came into Brantford as part of their turn, Nora found a gold coin from the Magic Chest and touched it, turning into an Ostrich. While she didn't act hostile like other victims, she did have a tendency to adopt the animalistic characteristics such as eating an insect to her own disgust. Like other encounters with Alan, Nora didn't seem to remember him. After the turn ended, Nora met the kids with a large sum of cash she made from Mr. Olsen, promising to buy Judy something she always wanted, before soaking Peter with the super soaker he always wanted.
In Good Bye, Jumanji, Nora appears as soon as the trio finally succeed in getting Alan out of the game for good. Strangely, Nora vaguely remembers Alan and even invites him to tuna casserole for dinner and Crunchy Munchies for dessert. Judy and Peter suspect that they may end up forming a relationship, giving them hope that they will soon be calling him, Uncle Alan.
Episode Appearances[]
Nora appeared in all episodes, with the exception of "Master Builder", "No Dice", "Love on the Rocks", "El Pollo Jumanji", "The Red and the Black", "Eye of the Sea", "Mud Boy" (mentioned) and "Oh, Grow Up!"
| Jumanji 1995 Film | ||
| Brantford Characters | Alan Parrish • Sarah Whittle • Judy Shepherd • Peter Shepherd • Sam Parrish • Carol Parrish • Carl Bentley • Nora Shepherd • Martha Shepherd • Jim Shepherd • General Angus Parrish • Caleb Sproul • Benjamin Sproul • Mrs. Thomas • Billy Jessup • Ralph Smigel | |
| Antagonists | Van Pelt | |
| Animals | Rhinoceros • Elephant • Monkey • Crocodile • Lion • Bat • Mosquito • Spider • Pelican • Zebra | |
| Vegetation | Pod • Purple Flower | |
| Weather | Monsoon • Earthquake • Quicksand • Tornado • Thunderstorm | |
| Objects | Jumanji (board game) | |
| Locations | Jumanji Realm • Brantford • Parrish Mansion • Parrish Shoe Company • Sir Sav-A-Lot • Brantford Pawnshop | |