Just when he thought he was out, Disney+'s Shrunk officially sucks Rick Moranis back in
There have been whispers of Rick Moranis’ return to acting milling around since the announcement of Disney+’s Shrunk series, a continuation of the Honey, I Shrunk The Kids franchise. Admittedly, it was a little hard for us to believe. The Canadian actor has seemingly enjoyed life away from the limelight after stepping away from the industry in 1997, aside from a handful of voice acting roles and the occasional special. Now, Deadline reports that Moranis’ mighty return to the shrink ray is a “done deal.”
The film’s original director, Joe Johnston, will be returning to guide the Josh Gad-led series. Gad is slated to play the son of Wayne Szalinski, Nick, who aspires to be a brilliant scientist like his father. Much like Wayne, he’s unable to do so without permanently traumatizing his kids and ends up shrinking them. If the series concludes without a scene of Nick and Wayne commiserating about children actively getting in the way of greatness over a few beers, then what was all this for?
There are no further confirmed details at this time, however earlier reports did note a synopsis that could play into Moranis’ return, if true.
Aware that the family ties have loosened over time but seemingly afraid to confront anyone directly. He has been tinkering alone in his attic for decades, dealing with the grief of losing his wife. When we first meet him, he has accidentally shrunk himself and is flying around on a shrunken drone — seemingly lost in a continuous of tinkering and experimenting that often puts himself and his family in jeopardy. He later reveals he shut himself away to try and invent a solution to help shrink Diane’s cancer but found it hard to cope when he ran out of time. His guilt and shame is palpable. Through the crisis of the kids getting shrunk, the truth emerges and the bonds begin to redevelop between him and his kids.
This would account for the 2014 passing of Moranis’ co-star Marcia Strassman. However, it’s definitely a heavier premise than we’re used to seeing from Disney’s original programming, so we’re keeping a cautious eye on how this story develops. We wonder if Nick’s sister Amy will make an appearance. Someone needs to be the voice of reason here.