Disney has shut down any speculation of Rick Moranis returning for a Honey, I Shrunk the Kids reboot. Disney+ has a clear agenda of releasing a slew of reboots this decade, likely due to the success of Disney’s live-action remakes. Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Cheaper By the Dozen, Home Alone, The Parent Trap,and several other classics will get a modern twist on the streaming platform. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids could easily join the lineup. It wouldn’t be the first time Disney monetized off the franchise. Sequel Honey, I Blew Up the Kids! premiered just three years later, and Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves followed in 1997. Honey, I Shrunk the Audience! was a popular Disneyland attraction that ran for over 15 years.
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids is a zany family movie that warned kids of the perils of intruding in your mad scientist neighbor’s laboratory. Scientist Wayne Szalinski’s kids and their neighborhood friends run into his laboratory in pursuit of the baseball they were playing with. They accidentally trigger his shrink ray and shrink to a size so small that ants look like giants. Wayne throws out the invention in frustration not realizing that his kids went along for the ride. The kids are left to navigate obstacles like vicious lawn mowers and sprinklers on the quest to return to their proper size. Moranis played wacky Wayne in all three versions of the film.
However, according to Cinema Blend, the trilogy is likely the last time fans will see Moranis don his inventor helmet. Recent rumors stated that Moranis would be starring in an upcoming Honey, I Shrunk the Kids reboot. Skeptical that the actor would be so willing to jump on a reboot after being selective with roles in the past, Cinema Blend reached out to Disney to verify the information. Instead of the typical statement refusing to confirm or disclose any information, Disney flat out denied that Moranis has been in touch with the studio.
This doesn’t mean that a reboot is out of the realm of possibility. News first broke of a potential reboot in early 2019. The reboot is alleged to be called Shrunk and star Frozen’s Josh Gad as a grown-up version of Wayne Szalinski’s son Nick. In December 2019, the original film’s director Joe Johnson was finalizing talks with the studio to direct the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids reboot as well. Should this reboot go forward, Shrunk would prove the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and tell a story of Nick shrinking his own kids. When will the Szalinskis learn?
While the reboot trend is already tiring before it has even begun, at least it’s a little more innovative than the remakes that Disney has been pumping out. Reboots not only give adults the opportunity to indulge in nostalgia and share their old favorites with their own children, they are also telling new stories. They take beloved characters and tropes from classic movies and take them on new adventures that teach lessons and make commentary on topics that are relevant today.
However, sometimes it’s better to admit that good franchises have already run their course and let new stories have their time to shine. Moranis certainly seems to lean on this side of the spectrum. While he won’t be appearing in Shrunk, Josh Gad is a great next of kin. Shrunk currently doesn’t have a release date, but fans can stream the original Honey, I Shrunk the Kids on Disney+ in the meantime.
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Source: Cinema Blend
