Back before a Disney live-action film meant that the studio was just remaking one of its classic animated franchises, the Mouse House used to develop original family-friendly films that weren’t tied to existing IPs. And one of the shining stars of that era is the beloved 1989 classic, “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.” Now, 30 years later, Disney is doing what it does best, taking a hit property from yesteryear and remaking it for a new audience.
Slashfilm is reporting that Disney has signed actor Josh Gad to star in an upcoming reboot-quel (why is this now such a popular thing?) of it’s classic ‘Shrunk the Kids’ franchise, simply titled “Shrunk.” The report says that Disney is following in the footsteps of so many films recently and not doing a full-blown reboot, but instead, using the legacy of the original film in a new sequel that will act as a launching point for a brand-new franchise.
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In the film, Gad will play the grown-up son of Rick Moranis’ character from the first film, who 30 years after the original film grows up to be a scientist that somehow accidentally shrinks his own children. Really, someone needs to take this sort of whacky size-changing technology away from this family, right? They’ve clearly demonstrated a history of not being able to utilize technology in a safe manner.
Disney is said to want “Shrunk” to be a theatrical release and not a new Disney+ project. This makes sense, as the original “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” was a massive hit at the box office back in ‘89, having earned over $222 million worldwide off a modest $18 million budget.
The studio is on the hunt for a filmmaker to take over the project.
