HONEY, WE SHRUNK OURSELVES
US, 1997, 78 minutes, Colour.
Rick Moranis, Eve Gordon, Stuart Pankin, Allison Mack, Robin Bartlett, Bug Call, Jake Richardson, Mila Kunis.
Directed by Dean Cundey.
In the late 1980s, there were two Disney comedies which entertained family audiences, Honey, We to the Kids and Honey, We Blew up the Neighbours. This sequel comes from the mid-90s.
Once again, Rick Moranis is the eccentric scientist, the inventor, still with his shrinking machine in the attic. His wife is loving but exasperated. He is invited to display his machine at the Smithsonian, goes to his brother’s factory office to promote inventions, but his wife and his sister-in-law decide that they need a holiday. He has one son. His brother has two children. Off the mothers go on their holiday but have to return to deliver some medication.
In the meantime, his wife wants him to get rid of a large totem statue, so, sending the kids to the shops, he and his brother take the totem upstairs, put in front of the shrinking machine and are successful in shrinking it. With magnifying glasses, they examine the space to discover where the miniature man is – in the meantime, a vibration shaking the wall, a ball goes down the chute, presses the button and the two brothers are shrunk. In the meantime, the wives come back, go to the attic – another ball and vibration, they too are shrunk.
In the meantime, the kids decide to make hay while the parents are away, not dreaming that everything they do is seen, that everything they say is heard. They invite friends to a party, make all kinds of mess, the daughter’s girlfriends all enjoying the chatter, some boys turning up – including one who is full of himself makes an advance on the daughter who sternly tells him to back off (to her mother’s admiration).
The main aspect of the film is to see all the pratfalls and all the ingenious situations which the fathers get themselves into and the situations in which the mothers find themselves. Eventually, the inventor has a bright idea to alter the player speakers so that everybody can hear what they are saying, like a voice of God.
There is a lot of slapstick comedy for the younger audience, and many parents audience may well be amused at watching the shenanigans and will be pleased how, ultimately, after the mess, the children handle everything, including restoring everyone to the right size.
It is all quite amusing.
