Slash Film reports that Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Disney’s sleeper hit of 1989, will be returning to the big screen with a reboot entitled Shrunk. Frozen star Josh Gad will play the lead in the new film which is set in the same universe as the original.
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The original, which hit theaters in the summer of ’89, starred Rick Moranis (Ghostbusters) as brilliant but flawed inventor and scientist Wayne Szalinski as he is working on a new ray gun that can shrink down any object to miniscule proportions, but after failing numerous times is ready to give up on the project. That is until a freak accident shrinks down both his two kids, Amy and Nick, and his neighbor’s sons Russ and Ron and must find a way to fix it when they get lost in their backyard that is like a wild jungle filled with danger.
Receiving very positive reviews from critics and held the record for the highest-grossing live-action Disney film ever for five years with over $222 million at the global box office. The film spawned one theatrical sequel, Honey, I Blew Up the Kid and one direct-to-video sequel Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves, both of which earned markedly lower reviews than their predecessor.
The new film, which will be set three decades after the original, will focus on Nick Szalinski, Wayne’s son who was enlargened in the second film, as he repeats the problems of his father’s past and accidentally shrinks his kids and must find a way to fix the problem. Gad will take on the role.
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Though Disney has been developing a number of live-action remakes of their past projects for their upcoming streaming service, Disney+, Slash Film reports that Shrunk will actually be developed for a theatrical release. This marks prime marketing potential for the larger-than-ever studio as they bring back one of their biggest-selling stars in a prime position, Gad voices the fan-favorite Olaf the Snowman in the Frozen franchise, portrayed LeFou in the live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast and will star as Mulch Diggums in the upcoming Artemis Fowl adaptation.
