Jumanji: Why is the hunter his dad? Hunter and dad same actor, why?
The hunter represents the constant pressure of Alan's disapproving dad. Alan's dad wants Alan to attend boarding school, where he will learn the necessary skills to carry the family's legacy forward. Alan doesn't want to grow up like his dad and granddad. Before they can take the conversation forward, Alan ends up playing Jumanji and gets trapped in the jungle. In the jungle, the hunter, Van Pelt, is Alan's manifestation of the fear and pressure he has felt over the years.
When Alan rolls the dice and reads his punishment, "A hunter from the darkest wild makes you feel just like a child", he immediately realizes who's coming and makes a run for it. This tells us the two have played this cat-and-mouse game inside the jungle long enough.
That said, Alan's dad really loves him a lot and is only being harsh on him, so he turns out to be successful. We know this because when Alan goes missing, his dad spends all his time and money only looking for his son and stops caring for the family business.
Jonathan Hyde plays the role of Alan's dad and the hunter, and it wasn't for the sake of a fun double act.
Woah! They threw in so much thought around this in that first film.... Gotta go rewatch!!!!