Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)

The scientist father of a teenage girl and boy accidentally shrinks his and two other neighborhood teens to the size of insects. Now the teens must fight diminutive dangers as the father searches for them.

Director:

Joe Johnston

Writers:

Stuart Gordon (story), Brian Yuzna (story)

Stars:

Rick Moranis, Matt Frewer, Marcia Strassman

Won 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rick Moranis	...	Wayne Szalinski
Matt Frewer	...	Big Russ Thompson
Marcia Strassman	...	Diane Szalinski
Kristine Sutherland	...	Mae Thompson
Thomas Wilson Brown	...	Little Russ Thompson (as Thomas Brown)
Jared Rushton	...	Ron Thompson
Amy O'Neill	...	Amy Szalinski
Robert Oliveri	...	Nick Szalinski
Carl Steven	...	Tommy Pervis
Mark L. Taylor	...	Don Forrester
Kimmy Robertson	...	Gloria Forrester
Lou Cutell	...	Dr. Brainard
Laura Waterbury	...	Female Cop
Trevor Galtress	...	Male Cop
Martin Aylett	...	Harold Boorstein

Storyline

On the brink of perfecting his state-of-the-art matter-shrinking machine, the suburban paterfamilias and indefatigable inventor, Professor Wayne Szalinski, realises that his device truly works, when it zaps both his kids and their friends. Now, to return to the relative safety of their home while being reduced to a mere quarter-inch size, the minuscule humans must venture out into the dense and perilous landscapes of their now-immense backyard--a hostile environment where nearly everything spells trouble. Can the kids exit the green maze of grass in one piece?

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Plot Keywords:

shrinking machine | sudden change in size | shrinking ray | neighbor neighbor relationship | teenage boy | 

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Taglines:

The most astonishing, innovative, backyard adventure of all time!

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Family | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Many times throughout the movie you can hear incidental musics that uses phrases from the incidental music used in The Goonies, another 80's fantasy adventure comedy focused around a misfit group of young teenagers.

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Goofs

After the kids are shrunk and Szalinski destroys his machine, he thoroughly sweeps the floor of the attic, ridding it of both the broken microchips and the kids. In spite of this, his shrunken thinking couch and chair are still on the attic floor undisturbed an hour or so later.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mailman: Good morning, Quark.

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Crazy Credits

The film opens with an animated boy and girl being shrunk and then they are chased by items such as a toaster, a dog, a vacuum, and at the end of the intro, they are trapped in an envelope

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Connections

Referenced in Muppets Tonight: Rick Moranis (1997)

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Soundtracks

Powerplay
Written and Performed by Gary Mallaber and John Massaro

User Reviews

Great Disney fun!

I rememeber seeing this film in summer 1989 in the movie theater when I was still in elementary school. On the big screen the FX are so cool! They don't translate as well on the small screen, though. It's also funny to see the Matt Frewer character making pot shots at Rick Moranis's character. The shrunken kids' adventure to cross the yard is also cool. The Roger Rabbit short "Tummy Trouble" before the start of the film is an added bonus! Great Disney fun!

Details

Official Sites:

Disney's Official Site

Country:

USA Mexico

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 June 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Grounded

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,262,961, 25 June 1989

Gross USA:

$130,724,172

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$222,724,172

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Pictures, Silver Screen Partners III, Doric Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1