This year, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids opened in the US over 30 years ago. It’s a classic for kids of the ’80s and ’90s.
I watched it 12,000 times, and lots of other kids too. But there’s so much interesting stuff that happened behind the scenes you should know.
Read on to find out how this 1989 Disney comedy became a household name for so many children in the 1990s and beyond.
1. “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” Was Almost Called Teenie Weenies
The movie was originally named Teeny Weenies. It was changed to Grounded to appeal to a more adult audience because it appeared to cater more to children. Later, The Big Backyard was chosen instead of that name. One of the movie’s dialogue lines, “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,” ended up serving as the title.
He was awarded the “Dunce Cap Award” for 1989 by SPELL (Society for the Preservation of English Language and Literature) for its grammatically incorrect title (“Shrank” would be more appropriate).
2. It Started With A Horror Movie
Stuart Gordon and his wife, Carolyn, were famous for violent and bloody horror movies like Re-Animator and Dolls. They had kids and wanted to shift to family-friendly movies.
Gordon and Carolyn brainstormed ideas for the movie, which was influenced by 1950s science fiction and horror films: What if a crazy scientist unintentionally downsized his own children? An instant family favourite was created.
They hired horror writer Ned Naha and horror producer Brian Yuzna to produce and write the screenplay.
3. Chevy Chase Almost Played The Wacky Inventor
Due to his success in National Lampoon’s Vacation, Chevy Chase was the original inspiration for the script. But he was too busy filming National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, the second sequel, to play Wayne.
Another candidate for the position was John Candy. Although he declined, he recommended his friend Rick Moranis to director Joe Johnston. The Absent-Minded Professor star Fred MacMurray was also considered. Moranis later called himself the “Fred MacMurray of the Nineties.”
4. There Were Giant Life-Size Props
Disney was freaking out about the budget. So, to keep costs down, the movie features giant physical props built by a team of effects artisans on set. They were proportional to the size of the now-microscopic kid characters.
The cookie sculptor, Daniel Miller, said, “One side of the cookie is smaller than the other so that it seems to be going away further than it really is” in an informative behind-the-scenes documentary. Director Joe Johnston said the blades of grass were 35-40 feet high. “We have some very large, oversized pieces of machinery that come down with [the kids into the dust pan],” Stunt coordinator Michael Cassidy said. “Some of them are as big as 6 to 8 feet long, maybe 3 to 4 feet wide.”
5. The Cereal Bowl Was A Giant Tank
In the final cereal scene, Nick Szalinski (Robert Oliveri) finds himself in his father’s bowl of morning Cheerios. He pleads, “Dad, don’t eat me!” To achieve the illusion, filmmakers constructed a 16,000-gallon tank at Churubusco Studios in Mexico City (more on that later) and filled it with color, food thickener, and chlorinated water. By blending these ingredients, they were able to replicate the texture and appearance of real milk.
Truck inner tubes coated in foam became the cereal floating in the bowl.
6. A Dozen Puppeteers Brought The Ant To Life
Matt Frewer, one of the co-stars of the movie, detailed the creation of a giant ant named “Antie” as a beloved travel companion for the kids. “The ant was pretty amazing because he’s obviously an oversized giant ant puppet that was being operated by a puppetry crew,” Frewer raved in an interview with Fan Fest. “It was completely hysterical because there would be one guy on each leg, and one on each caliper. They would yell to each other, and the leg would come up, and the caliper would come up. It was really fun. They were a terrific crew.”
The ant, articulated and operated by a dozen puppet masters, had remote-controlled jaws. Antie heroically saves young Ron Thompson from a scorpion attack.
7. The Flying Bee Scene Took Multiple Techniques
Nick Szalinski and Russ Thompson Jr.’s inadvertent bumblebee ride in the film is a feat that remains intense and visceral 30+ years later. First, they used a wide-angle lens and flew a camera around the backyard set. Then they created a giant animatronic bee for the kids to ride on. Finally, they created a smaller puppet of the kids and the bee for more complicated shots. Altogether, the effect cost over $50,000, and executive and effects producer Tom Smith said it created “an incredible sense of flight.”
8. The Kids Almost Had To Struggle With Giant Dog Poop
A bunch of ideas for the movie didn’t make it in. As the script was rewritten producers suggested ideas like a “pile of dog sh*t” as big as the eight-story “Beverly Center” shopping mall. They also wanted more product placement by having the kids have groceries thrown at them.
9. The Original Director Was Almost Killed By Stress
Co-creator Stuart Gordon was going to direct the film. However, he started suffering from many medical issues, like a bloody nose and high blood pressure. His doctor told him that if he made the movie, the stress would kill him.
So, effects illustrator and art director Joe Johnston stepped in, and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids is his first directing job.
10. Made In Mexico
When presenting the film to Disney, they shot footage in a California backyard. But when planning the film, the studio wanted to keep costs down. So, they moved production to Mexico. The entire set, which included multiple homes with well-kept lawns and white picket fences, was built on a back lot of Churubusco Studios in Mexico City.
11. The Movie Helped Save Disney
In the late 1970s and 1980s, Disney was struggling so badly that by 1983, several hostile takeover bids had targeted Disney, including a well-known one headed by billionaire Saul Steinberg. Movies like Tron (1982), Condorman (1981), and The Black Cauldron (1985) showed that audience tastes had changed.
But the live-action movie was a smash hit, grossing over $222 million worldwide against a relatively small budget of $18 million. This live-action movie helped usher in a new wave of movies, and animated films like The Little Mermaid brought the studio back to its former glory.
The movie survived changing directors, building massive insects, and a move to Mexico. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids was a huge success that led to two sequels, a television series, and a theme park ride. It stands as one of the greatest family films Disney has ever made.
What fact is your favorite? What’s your favorite part of the movie? Let us know in the comments below!
