Everything you didn't know about Honey, I Shrunk The Kids

Have you ever wanted to see Disney make Re-Animator for kids? Well, not only does that movie exist in a very toned-down and tame fashion, it’s also celebrating its 30th anniversary this summer! Honey, I Shrunk the Kids debuted in 1989 and blew up the box office. True story, this is one of the most successful films from ‘89! It even became a Disney franchise unto itself. That’s why the latest episode of SYFY WIRE’s Everything You Didn’t Know is all about Honey, I Shrunk the Kids!

Stuart Gordon and Brian Yuzna, the team behind Re-Animator and From Beyond, came up with the story for Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, alongside Ed Naha. It was initially pitched as a kid-friendly horror movie ... in which at least one of the kids would have died! Sure, that would have been a dark turn for Disney, but that was only a few years after Return to Oz, and that Disney flick scared the bleep out of us!

However, Gordon didn’t get to bring his vision to the big screen. Instead, that job fell to Joe Johnston, who made his directorial debut in the movie. Before going on to helm Rocketeer, Jurassic Park 3, and Captain America: The First Avenger, Johnston infused Honey, I Shrunk the Kids with a B-movie aesthetic that paid homage to the classic ‘50s monster movies. It even had some very impressive practical effects.

Veteran funnyman Rick Moranis headlined the film, but he wasn’t the studio’s first choice. Both Chevy Chase and John Candy were in the running before him. But eventually Wayne Szalinski became one of Moranis’ signature roles, and he reprised his part in both Honey, I Blew Up the Kid and Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves. The only thing he didn’t come back for was the spinoff TV show.

For more details about the film and its sequels, check out the full video!