Yesterland

“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids”
Movie Set Adventure


REMEMBER:
You are about to become the size of an ant!
“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” Movie Set Adventure

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013

Do you enjoy being miniaturized by theme park attractions?

Toy Story Midway Mania shrinks you to the size of a toy. Honey, I Shrunk the Audience shrinks your entire theater to the size of a shoe box. And Adventure Thru Inner Space initially shrinks you to the size of a snowflake, but eventually makes you smaller than an atom.


There’s another attraction that shrinks you—but it’s not as well known. It’s called “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” Movie Set Adventure.

Or maybe it’s called Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Play Set Adventure. For some reason, that’s what it says on the Streets of America marquee—even though that’s not what it’s called elsewhere.

“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” Movie Set Adventure

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013

Marquee on the Streets of America

After you pass under the marquee, you can glimpse the “movie set” with tree-size blades of grass.

Here’s what the official website tells you to expect:

This interactive kids’ playground sets the scene with larger-than-life props from the hit movie. Scale the Everest of anthills, crawl inside a discarded LEGO® brick, and dodge the spritz from the biggest leaky garden hose you’ve ever seen.

Ideally, you’ve brought young children. To stay with them, plan on climbing, sliding, hopping, crawling, and—depending on how hot it is—avoiding or seeking flying streams of water.

“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” Movie Set Adventure

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013

No shrinking ray needed

You probably saw the movie Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. The title comes from a remark by inventor Wayne Szalinski, played by Rick Moranis, to his wife Diane, played by Marcia Strassman. Their two children and the two neighbor children must survive a trek across the lawn after accidentally being miniaturized and tossed out with the trash.

“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” Movie Set Adventure

Photo by Allen Huffman, 2007

Wait time and description

“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” Movie Set Adventure

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013

Just like the world that the Szalinski children had to survive

“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” Movie Set Adventure

Photo by Chris Bales, 2000

Big ant

“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” Movie Set Adventure

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013

Spider web

“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” Movie Set Adventure

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013

Multi-level adventure

“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” Movie Set Adventure

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013

Crowded on busy days

“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” Movie Set Adventure

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013

Cookie!

“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” Movie Set Adventure

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013

Giant product placement

“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” Movie Set Adventure

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013

Out-of-scale (compared to the grass) can of Play-Doh

“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” Movie Set Adventure

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013

Going up

“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” Movie Set Adventure

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013

Going down

“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” Movie Set Adventure

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013

Super Soaker nozzle

“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” Movie Set Adventure

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013

Time to leave the movie set


“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” Movie Set Adventure opened at Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios) on December 17, 1990.

It had been less than six months since the release of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids in U.S. movie theaters on June 23, 1989. The 94-minute adventure-comedy was an unexpected box office hit, so Disney built it into a franchise with sequels, theme park attractions, and even a television series:

  • Honey, I Shrunk the Kid (1989) — movie
  • “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” Movie Set Adventure at Disney-MGM Studios (1989)
  • Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992) — movie sequel
  • Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves (1997) — direct-to-video sequel
  • Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show (1997-2000)
  • Honey, I Shrunk the Audience at Epcot (1994-2010)
  • MicroAdventure! at Tokyo Disneyland (1997-2010)
  • Honey, I Shrunk the Audience at Disneyland (1998-2010)
  • Chérie, j’ai rétréci le public at Disneyland Paris (1999-2010)

“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” Movie Set Adventure closed April 2, 2016, to make way for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

Probably the biggest legacy from the franchise is how common it has become since 1989 to use shrink and shrunk incorrectly. The correct grammar would be, “Honey, I shrank the kids,” or “Honey, I have shrunk the kids.”


Click here to post comments at MiceChat about this article.


Osborne Family Lights
Studio Catering Co.
Home


© 2023 Werner Weiss — Disclaimers, Copyright, and Trademarks

Updated June 16, 2023