Honey I Shrunk The Kids

Honey I Shrunk The Kids is rated PG:

WAYNE SZALINSKI HAS HIGH HOPES that his latest project, the Amazing Shrinking Ray, will stand tall in the forest of technological achievements. As plans to dazzle the scientific community at a conference showcasing his creation completely consume the inventor's time, his wife Diane (Marcia Strassman), and kids Amy (Amy O'Neill) and Nick (Robert Oliveri) feel neglected.

Family frustration is also a problem for the Szalinski's neighbors. Overbearing Mr. Thompson (Matt Frewer) is constantly criticizing the shortcomings of his son Ron (Jared Rushton), while his youngest child Russ (Thomas Wilson Brown) and wife Mae (Kristine Sutherland) watch helplessly.

Thanks to a chain of unlikely events, all four children end up in front of the shrinking ray and you guessed it -- Zzzzapo! One minute they're ordinary kids getting ready for an excursion to the mall and a fishing trip, the next they're reduced to the size of lint on the attic floor. But their tiny problem becomes gargantuan when they are accidentally swept up with a broom and thrown out with the trash. Deposited in the back alley, and desperate to get back to the house, the minute youngsters find themselves forced to transverse the super-sized landscape full of lurking garden creepy-crawlies. Although they are not exactly friends at the beginning of their adventure, the foursome has plenty of time to get over their differences while endeavoring to survive. Even a romance begins to bud amongst the giant foliage.

Meanwhile, their puzzled parents are mortified once they figure out why their children have vanished. As the crisis forces them to put their priorities in focus, former mountains become molehills. The adults also have the opportunity to do some growing as they weed out their clashing personalities and work together in a rescue attempt.

Slightly silly and sprinkled with slapstick antics, Honey, I Shrunk The Kids' only content concerns are a kiss between teens and some tense moments with giant insects. Still, the film reinforces overcoming personal weaknesses, appreciating individual worth, and strengthening family relationships... all good tools for facing the real jungle out there.

Studio: (pictures (c)1989 Walt Disney Pictures).

Ron is afraid to tell his father that he has quit the football team, so he claims that he was cut. Instead of lying, how might the teen have expressed his disinterest in the sport? What could Ron’s father have done differently in order to prevent his children from being intimidated by him? How can both adults and children value and show respect for the different interests and talents of each family member?

This film spawned two sequels: Honey, I Blew Up The Kid and Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves. Another film that shows the world in miniature is A Bug’s Life. Clockstoppers also features some teens that learn the dangers of playing with Dad’s work.