An Underrated Disney Sci-Fi Movie Has a Forgotten TV Show Spinoff (And You Can’t Stream It)

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Released on June 23, 1989, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids isn’t often mentioned among the greatest science fiction films of the 1980s. Despite being somewhat forgotten, it was a huge success. Directed by Joe Johnston’s first feature film and starring Rick Moranis as Wayne Szalinski, the movie was made with a budget of $18 million but earned an impressive $222 million worldwide. This made it Disney’s most successful live-action film ever at the time. However, even with these impressive numbers and its lasting impact into the 1990s, the film is surprisingly absent from most discussions looking back at classic sci-fi movies.

After the success of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Disney tried to build a franchise. The sequel, Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, came out in 1992 and earned $58 million despite costing only $22 million to make. The franchise also expanded to Disney’s theme parks with the Honey, I Shrunk the Audience 4-D attraction, which was popular at Epcot from 1994 to 2010. However, the third movie, Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves, went straight to video in 1997, suggesting the idea was losing its appeal. In 2019, a fourth film, Shrunk, was planned with Rick Moranis returning after a long break from acting, but Disney put it on hold indefinitely in 2023. Surprisingly, a television series with three seasons and 66 episodes exists within this franchise, yet remains largely unknown to most fans.

The Honey, I Shrunk the Kids TV Series Is Mysteriously Unavailable on Streaming

The TV series Honey, I Shrunk the Kids first aired on September 27, 1997, the same year as the movie Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves. It was the biggest attempt yet to expand the franchise. With Peter Scolari taking over the role of Wayne Szalinski – previously played by Rick Moranis – and Barbara Alyn Woods, Hillary Tuck, and Thomas Dekker as his family, the show developed its own unique style instead of just copying the films. The series moved the family to the made-up town of Matheson, Colorado, and changed Wayne’s job to fit within a research company called GENTEK. This new setting gave the writers a consistent base from which to create a wide range of different episode ideas.

During its three seasons, Wayne featured a wide array of gadgets – from devices that altered brain activity to time-traveling machines – which consistently landed the Szalinski family in exciting and unusual situations inspired by spy movies, horror stories, and detective dramas. The show’s hour-long episodes allowed for detailed storylines, something rarely seen in Saturday morning television. Despite its creative premise, Wayne was cancelled after three seasons due to falling viewership and Disney’s rule about not renewing shows past 65 episodes – a limit the series barely reached. While it originally aired in the late 90s, reruns appeared on the Disney Channel from 2001 to 2004, and then again on Discovery Family from 2010 to 2013. After that, the show largely faded from view.

The classic movie Honey, I Shrunk the Kids is streaming on Disney+, along with related theme park footage and other content. However, the TV series based on the same story isn’t available on the platform at all. This is surprising, considering Disney has made Disney+ the home for almost all of its shows and movies, even older, less well-known ones. It’s particularly odd because Disney was still planning a new movie based on Honey, I Shrunk the Kids as recently as last year, and the TV series has 66 episodes directly connected to the franchise.

As a big fan of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, I’ve been wondering why the TV show is so hard to find! It seems like the original deal they made to show it on TV back in the 90s is probably causing problems with getting it back out there now – a lot of those older deals made it tricky to release things digitally. But without anyone officially saying why it’s not streaming, we’re all just guessing. Right now, you can only buy episodes, which is a pretty big expense, and that’s probably why a lot of people aren’t even aware it exists anymore. It’s a shame, really!

Did you ever see Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-03-31 21:15