Honey, I Shrunk the Audience
| Honey, I Shrunk the Audience | |
|---|---|
| Park | EPCOT, Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Park (Paris) |
| Land / area | Imagination! pavilion, Future World (EPCOT); Tomorrowland (Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland); Discoveryland (Paris) |
| Type | 3D film with special effects |
| Opened | November 21, 1994 (EPCOT) |
| Closed | May 10, 2010 (Tokyo Disneyland, last location) |
| Designer | Walt Disney Imagineering
|
| Status | Closed |
Honey, I Shrunk the Audience was a 3D film attraction with in-theatre special effects, based on the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids film series, that played at four Disney parks around the world. Guests wore polarised 3D glasses and sat on a moving platform while inventor Wayne Szalinski's award ceremony went wrong and shrank the whole theatre. It opened first at EPCOT on November 21, 1994, then at Tokyo Disneyland as MicroAdventure! on April 15, 1997, at Disneyland in California on May 22, 1998, and at Disneyland Park (Paris) as Chérie, j'ai rétréci le public on March 28, 1999. All four versions replaced Captain EO and were in turn replaced by its tribute revival in 2010.[1][2]
History
EPCOT announced the new show in November 1993 as a replacement for Captain EO in the Imagination! pavilion's Magic Eye Theater. It was first announced as Honey, I Shrunk the Theater, then renamed Honey, I Shrunk the Audience in February 1994. Captain EO closed at EPCOT on July 6, 1994, and the new film opened that November to strong guest response, sponsored by Kodak.[1]
The concept then travelled, though not in the order many guests assume. Tokyo Disneyland was second, opening MicroAdventure! in Tomorrowland on April 15, 1997, after its Captain EO closed on September 1, 1996. Disneyland in California followed on May 22, 1998, as part of its remodelled Tomorrowland. The Paris version opened last, on March 28, 1999 in Discoveryland, replacing a Captain EO that had closed on August 17, 1998, under the French title Chérie, j'ai rétréci le public.[1][3]
The EPCOT theatre gained a FASTPASS entrance in 2000, and in 2003 all versions received a new pre-show. The original had been built around Kodak's "True Colors" — sung by Cyndi Lauper in Paris — while the replacement showed scenes about families making memories, ending with Eric Idle delivering the safety instructions.[1]
After Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009, demand to see Captain EO again changed the show's future. Disney announced its return on December 18, 2009. Disneyland's version closed first, at midnight on January 4, 2010, followed by Paris on May 3, EPCOT on May 9 and Tokyo on May 10, 2010. Although the closure was initially described as temporary, the show never returned, and all four theatres hosted the Captain EO Tribute instead.[1]
The show
Guests entered the Imagination Institute theatre for the Inventor of the Year Award, honouring Professor Wayne Szalinski, played by Rick Moranis, reprising his film role alongside Marcia Strassman as Diane, Robert Oliveri as Nick, Daniel and Joshua Shalikar as Adam, and Eric Idle as Institute chairman Dr Nigel Channing. The film was directed by Randal Kleiser, who had directed Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, with music by Bruce Broughton, and ran about 23 minutes.[1]
The ceremony unravelled from the start. Szalinski arrived out of control on a flying machine, and while the crew searched for him, Nick demonstrated his father's copying machine — accidentally multiplying Adam's pet mouse into hundreds that seemed to pour under the seats. A holographic pet projected to scare the mice off became first a cat, then a lion lunging at the audience. When Szalinski demonstrated his shrinking machine on a family's luggage, it misfired and shrank Nick and the entire audience instead.[1]
At miniature size, ordinary things became threats: Adam picked up the whole theatre to show his mother — the moving platform, which could shift the audience several inches, made the gag physical — and his pet snake lunged forward before the family dog, Quark, chased it off. Szalinski repaired the machine and restored everyone, but the closing joke reversed the premise: Quark had run through the beam and emerged giant, pushing through the curtain to sneeze over the audience.[1]
See also
- Captain EO
- Imagination!
- Discoveryland
- List of Disneyland Park (Paris) attractions
- List of defunct Disney attractions
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Honey, I Shrunk the Audience!. Wikipedia. Retrieved 2026-11-15.
- ↑ Disney Extinct Attractions: Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. Laughing Place. Retrieved 2026-11-15.
- ↑ (Once upon a date) March 28, 1999: Opening of the attraction: Honey I Shrunk the Audience!. Disneyland Paris News — Fans Corner. Retrieved 2026-11-15.