New Character Details Revealed For “Honey, I Shrunk The Kids” Sequel, “Shrunk”
Disney’s upcoming “Honey, I Shrunk The Kids” sequel, “Shrunk”, is currently in the early stages of production and will star Rick Moranis as Wayne Szalinski and Josh Gad as his son, Nick. New details have been revealed on the characters in the film:
[NICK SZALINSKI] Lead Male (39) Wayne’s (Rick Moranis) grown son from the original – Husband to Fay, Father to Maddie and Theo – Clearly still suffering some form of PTSD after the events of the first film and the subsequent death of his mother, he’s a frayed ball of nerves, frustration and anxiety with a tendency to coddle and over-protect his kids. His wife, Fay is the breadwinner in the marriage and has a more laissez-faire attitude to parenting – encouraging Nick to loosen up and help the kids come out of their shells / bedrooms – paying particular attention to Theo who is totally opposed to attending a summer camp they’ve suggested for him. Nick’s sister, Amy, went the opposite route and is far more of a free spirit, prizing adventure and experiences over routine and stability – which puts him and his slightly awkward children at odds with the outgoing confidence his sister/ their cousins. Nick’s relationship with his father, Wayne, has been strained since losing his Mom, Diane, to cancer some 20 plus years ago – he resents that as Diane’s health declined, Wayne seemed to shut himself away in his attic and bury himself in work, constantly tinkering with his crazy inventions instead of trying to bring the family together. As Nick’s 40th birthday party approaches, he is dreading being forced into uncomfortable situations with his family. Set Josh Gad
[AMY SZALINSKI] Lead Female (42) White “Long blonde hair with a few braids and beads” – “The type that gives you extra meaningful energy vibe hugs that go on uncomfortably long” – Nick’s fun-loving, free-spirited older sister. If Nick became overly cautious and fearful after the events of the first film and her mother’s death, Amy went the other way, choosing not to put down roots and instead reveling in the adventurous traveling lifestyle her magazine job affords her and her family. Her ex-partner Xander fell by the wayside some time ago which complicated matters – especially in terms of home-schooling her two daughters – but she hasn’t really looked back. She has recently arrived in New York for brother, Nick’s 40th birthday party and is staying at her Dad’s home in New Jersey – the house from the original film – where she will eventually decide to stay, literally and figuratively closing the travel book her mother gave her before she died and laying down roots.
[MADDIE SZALINSKI] Supporting Female (15) White Nick and Fay’s eldest – “Bed-headed, lanky” – shy and awkward, she has her grandpa’s brain for quirky inventions, showing them off on her own Youtube channel to a small audience – and would clearly love closer ties to him, but pays the price for her father’s strained relationship with him. Much taller than almost everyone in her grade – especially her crush and upstairs neighbor, Felix, a cool skater who Maddie thinks is out of her league, but later with the help of Zosia’s observations, comes to find her confidence and realizes he likes her too. Her ingenuity with mechanics and electronics draws scorn from Zosia but does come in handy on a number of occasions – getting them out of some sticky situations. Her relationship with Zosia is a little tense and competitive – Zosia is a little dismissive of hernand has far more confidence – but after Zosia breaks her ankle, they put their differences aside and learn to work together to get themselves and their siblings out of danger.
[THEO SZALINSKI] Supporting Male (13) White A “Non-athlete with glasses” and an “oversized belly” – A timid, neurotic hypochondriac who has foreseen his death in a multitude of scenarios. He’s forbidden from eating candy and has a slight complex about his weight.
[WAYNE SZALINSKI] Supporting Male (66) White Rick Moranis – 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 shrunken himself and is flying around on a shrunken drone – seemingly lost in a continuous cycle 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 true emerges and the bonds begin to redevelop between him and his kids. Set Rick Moranis
[ZOSIA SZALINSKI] Supporting Female (14) White “Boho-chic with beaded necklaces and dangling earrings” – she has gained a lot of confidence and self-belief from all her travels but a hefty amount of snide sarcasm and impatience along with it. Despite them growing up in Manhattan, her cousins seem lame and parochial to her and she has a low tolerance for their reticence and lack of adventure. She seems a little taken aback by Felix’s interest in Maddie over her and Theo’s weight and constant complaining stokes her ire. However, she’s smart and adaptive in a crisis, coming into her own and taking command when the kids find themselves shrunk. But she is sometimes cocky and is eventually humbled when she breaks her ankle and is forced to work alongside Maddie to help get them all to safety. Despite their adventures, her and Katt voice their desire to lay down roots and live a less transient life for a while.
[BIG RUSS THOMPSON] Cameo Male (65) White “Bathrobe and baseball hat, pack of cigarettes” – Wayne’s loud-mouthed, adversarial neighbor-turned friend from the first film. Still living in the house next door, still hot-tempered but is quick to help Wayne dust of the old shrink ray and load it into a van when Wayne shows up on his doorstep at two in the morning. Also appears at Nick’s 40th party with his grown kids.
[FAY SZALINSKI] Cameo Female (38) “Fashion forward, corporate lawyer vibe” – Nick’s wife. The breadwinner in their marriage – away on a business trip in Singapore for almost the entire film, appearing on an early Facetime call and at the party at the very end. She is less anxious and protective of the kids than her husband, suggesting that they need to be pushed out of their comfort zone to help their growth.
[FELIX HANOVER] Cameo Male (15) “Cute, skater boy” – Maddie’s upstairs neighbor and much shorter classmate – Runs his own popular Youtube channel featuring his skate videos. He hangs out with a group of cool skater kids which leads a nerdy Maddie to think he’s out of her league but it later becomes apparent that Felix seemingly has a crush on Maddie too – ‘liking’ and commenting on one of her invention videos and coming over a little shy around her.
[KATT SZALINSKI] Cameo Female (9) White “Rough ponytail, snapping gum” – A sassy, fearless animal lover with a penchant for theft and shoplifting. Early on, while others look on in disgust, she steps up to help a rat stuck in the grill of a drain that will later rescue her and her sister and their cousins from an angry pigeon after they are shrunken. She steals the tablet from her grandfather’s attic that turns out to be the update of the ray gun that shrinks them. She also brazenly steals gum from a kiosk when Theo says he doesn’t have any money.
[MAUREEN] Cameo Female (45) “A woman who looks likes she can deadlift a Prius” – Con-Ed Construction Worker tearing up the pavement outside Nick’s apartment building. Gruff, unapologetic – much the same as Mel, but a woman.
[MEL] Cameo Female (55) Con-Ed Construction Worker – tearing up the pavement outside Nick’s apartment building. Gruff, macho, bully. Has an adversarial relationship with Nick, constantly commencing drilling and jack hammering before 7am – which disturbs and distracts Nick from his model making. Doesn’t seem to care, almost reveling in the annoyance it causes Nick. Unwittingly thwarts Amy, Nick and Wayne’s efforts to comb the area for their shrunken kids.
[PHYLISS] Cameo Female (85) “Eccentric NYC old lady chic. Crazy colors. High tops. Huge glasses” – Nick and Fay’s neighbor. Warm and friendly with a super positive outlook – she has a daily ritual of heading into the park and feeding the birds.
The film is going to be directed by Joe Johnston, who directed the original “Honey, I Shrunk The Kids”, along with “Captain America: The First Avenger”, “Nutcracker and the Four Realms”, “The Rocketeer” along with others . David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman are producing the film.
It will be coming to cinemas first, before arriving on Disney+. The first three “Honey” movies are all available now to stream on Disney+.
Are you excited for the upcoming “Honey, I Shrunk The Kids” sequel?
Roger Palmer
Related Article
Josh Gad Provides Update On “Honey I Shrunk The Kids” Sequel
Josh Gad Gives “Honey, I Shrunk The Kids” Sequel Update
