Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
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Honey, I Shrunk the Kids is a 1989 American comic science fiction film. The directorial debut of Joe Johnston and
produced by Walt Disney Pictures, it tells the story of an inventor who accidentally shrinks his and his neighbor's kids to a quarter of an inch with his electromagnetic shrinking machine and accidentally throws them out with the trash, where they must venture into their backyard to return home while fending off insects and other obstacles.
It ended up receiving two sequels: 1992's Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, and 1997's Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves.
Summary
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.
Why It Rocks
- The idea of making the main characters become small and face dangerous conflicts as they find a way to reverse the shrinking is pretty original.
- Great acting, especially from Rick Moranis as Wayne Szalinski.
- Likable and interesting characters, such as Wayne and Diane Szalinski and their kids.
- The movie's title and poster are clever, exciting, and memorable.
- Nicely done character and story development.
- The ending is incredibly heartwarming.
- Incredible and amazing score composed by the late James Horner, who previously composed The Land Before Time and An American Tail, and even Natty Gann (the latter of which was also a Disney movie).
- The visual effects are very convincing, especially when the main characters have been shrunk down.
- The jokes are clever and pretty funny.
Bad Qualities
- Some parts can get a little too intense for their target audience. Like the scene where the kids almost got chopped to pieces by a lawnmower, get attacked by a scorpion, and especially the most famous scene where Nick almost gets eaten by Wayne.
- Some parts of the film feel rather forced. Particularly the scene where Wayne figures out that the kids have been shrunk.
Reception
Box office
The film opened on June 23, 1989, in 1,498 theaters. It opened at #2 on opening night, behind Batman, with a total of $14,262,961. It earned $130,724,172 domestic and $92,000,000 overseas, earning a grand total of $222,724,172. Attached to it was Disney and Amblin Entertainment's first Roger Rabbit short, Tummy Trouble, executively produced by Steven Spielberg, produced by Don Hahn, directed by Rob Minkoff, and also composed by James Horner.
Critical reception
The film has earned a 75% "fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes based on 32 reviews. Caryn James, of The New York Times, gave a positive review, saying: "As sweet, funny, and straightforward as its title". Variety gave another positive review stating, "[It's] in the best tradition of Disney -- and even better than that, because it is not so juvenile that adults won't be thoroughly entertained". A rare negative review came from Roger Ebert, of the Chicago Sun Times, who stated: "The special effects are all there, nicely in place, and the production values are sound, but the movie is dead in the water".
Awards
James Horner won an ASCAP Award for Top Box Office Films and was also nominated for a Saturn Award. The film was also nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film. Thomas Wilson Brown, Jared Rushton, Robert Oliveri and the Special Effects Crew were also nominated for a Saturn Award. The Special Effects Crew won a BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects. Amy O'Neill and Jared Rushton were each nominated for a Young Artist Award and director Joe Johnston was nominated for a Fantasporto Award.
The film was presented in the 100 Greatest Family Films, in which Amy O'Neill and Thomas Wilson Brown talked about it for MTV.
Trivia
- Chevy Chase, John Candy, and Martin Short were all considered for the role of Wayne. Candy was the one who recommended Rick Moranis for the part.