Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves (1997)

Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves (1997)

4/10

Starring

Rick Moranis

Eve Gordon

Bug Hall

Robin Bartlett

Directed by Dean Cundey

Disney decided to round up the whole shrinking-and-making-bigger movie series with a final installment, making it a trilogy of the adventures of Wayne Szalinski’s (Rick Moranis) lab malfunctions. After Honey, I Shrunk the Kids in 1989 and Honey, I Blew Up the Kid in 1992, Disney decided to cut back on the huge expenses. They spent a lot of money making the second movie, hoping it would be a huge hit like the first, but it fell short. This last movie in the franchise cost way less than half of what it took to make the first one.

For me, this movie is also below par compared to the first, but it wasn’t as good as the second either. Disney went back to a smaller idea here, focusing on the now-shrunk adults trying to make it through the house.
A lot has changed in this final movie, with the new focus being on Adam and his cousins. Amy and Nick have moved out, and the story now centers on Wayne’s extended family. Rick Moranis is the only recurring cast member in this installment.

The plot starts with an introduction to the new characters: the new Adam, his cousins, aunt, and uncle. Wayne’s wife and sister-in-law are going on vacation, and the men are left to care for the kids while they’re gone.
Wayne is also told to get rid of a statue he bought, which he really likes. When the women leave for their trip, Wayne tricks the kids into going to the mall to buy toothpicks so he can shrink the statue. He figures that way, he can keep it without his wife noticing.

Of course, things don’t go as planned. Certain events lead to the women returning home, and they end up getting shrunk along with the men. Now, they have to find their way around the house to get their kids to notice them and help undo the shrinking.

In the end, the franchise spawned a TV series on the Disney Channel that ran for three seasons. The show was more focused on the first film and didn’t include Adam.
The scaled-down idea of this movie was Disney’s way of testing direct-to-video live-action films. This was their first attempt at a direct-to-video live-action movie, and it did well for them, even though the film was a critical bomb and, in my view, didn’t add much value to the franchise.