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Review of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (James Horner)

1999 Bootleg

2009 Intrada

2024 Intrada

FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:

Buy it... if you are absolutely prepared for a wacky tone of exuberant children's music clearly inspired by Raymond Scott, Carl Stalling, Danny Elfman, and James Horner's own familiar styles.

Avoid it... if you have little patience for scores that fail to combine their many strikingly disparate parts into a cohesive listening experience on album.

FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: (James Horner) One of the rare family films to woo its target audience with outstanding special effects but only a marginally effective human plotline, 1989's Honey, I Shrunk the Kids was a spectacle that tried hard to convey a sincere message about families and friendship but ultimately became overwhelmed by its impressive visuals. It represented the directorial debut of Joe Johnson, special effects wizard responsible for contributing to some of the more noteworthy fantasy films of the 1980's. Physical character actor Rick Moranis led an otherwise unfamiliar cast in portraying an amateur scientist who never invents machines of any worth until a breakthrough with a shrinking device. But when both his and his neighbor's kids accidentally shrink themselves with it, the two sets of parents go looking for them in an effort to mount a rescue before the inventive children are killed by any combination of mundane household and yard elements or, more fantastically, by the small creatures of the yard that are now monsters by comparison. The film was Walt Disney's way of pulling inspiration from a number of tried and tested formulas of eras past and creating a family reconciliation tale out of them, but a lack of genuine heart in the dramatic aspects of the plot didn't help the studio's cause. Despite relatively poor reviews from critics, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids became a pop culture icon after its box office success, shortly spawning a sequel and a television spin-off. One fellow crew member from many of Johnson's previous productions was James Horner, with whom he would start a formal collaboration with Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. The composer also wrote the music for the Tummy Trouble animated short shown before this film and featuring Roger Rabbit. Horner had already reached the mainstream by 1989, nominated for multiple Academy Awards and writing top notch action and drama music for a wide range of genres. Despite getting his feet wet in the family-oriented genre with live action projects like The Journey of Natty Gann and animated counterparts like The Land Before Time, he was yet to fully flourish in children's films.

Still, the music in many such Horner children's ventures sounded as mature as in most of their adult-aimed counterparts, and for Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Horner once again contracted the services of the London Symphony Orchestra. The ensemble is resounding and robust in nearly all corners. But more so than in many of his subsequent scores in the genre, this entry is distinctly rooted in the silliness of an unpredictable, overblown, cartoonish atmosphere. In fact, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids is precisely the kind of exuberant children's score that could drive a grown person insane after prolonged exposure, especially with the bevy of percussive madness aiding slurred saxophone and brass performances. There are three basic parts to the score, and Horner rotates between them equally by the work's conclusion. First comes the wild primary theme of vintage swing, emulating Raymond Scott's 1930's work that itself inspired much of Carl Stalling's later Warner Brothers cartoon material. This frantic theme represents Moranis' character and his quirky inventions, serving a healthy dose of wacky, uncontrolled personality to the film. Aided by saxophone, harmonica, and electric organ, this idea was often brushed aside at the time as a fanciful imitation of Nino Rota's music. (Even famed critic Roger Ebert made this comparison, dismissing Horner's work as being "no help," "familiar," and a "retread.") Some of the underlying piano rhythms in this theme's snazzier performances are highly suggestive of Danny Elfman's early music, especially the Pee Wee scores and Beetlejuice, and these similarities may prove very distracting for a learned collector. The second part of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids would tend to promise more to a collector of Horner's music, for it is a lightly dramatic theme for the bonding of the children and their families. Heard as a bridge in the main theme, this idea is romantically conveyed in "Night Time" and "Thanksgiving Dinner," both cues using a lovely accompaniment by Horner's usual exotic woodwind textures and solo horn solace. The end credits performance of the idea particularly stands out. Unfortunately, this theme is completely generic within the context of the composer's career and offers little in terms of extended arrangements to which to become attached.

The final part of the score for Honey, I Shrunk the Kids is Horner's action material, which ranges from ominous passages of the pounding of a rather anonymous motif on brass and pipe organ to the spirited imitation of Aaron Copland's "Rodeo" that was heard in several scores from this period in Horner's career. Both sides of these action ideas are conveniently summarized in "Ant Rodeo," one of the score's more vibrant attractions. The difficulty with the entirety of the score for Honey, I Shrunk the Kids is that, like some of Horner's later children's adventures, these parts never completely merge into a convincing or memorable whole, rarely overlapping with purpose. The zany primary theme is so dominant in the score's personality, overwhelming action cues in its regular use, that the other elements, all of which at least sufficient if not recommended for repeat enjoyment, are brushed aside. Some listeners may not survive the first ten minutes of the listening experience, a period totally overwhelmed by this theme's silly incarnations. Generally, the score serves its purpose well in context, though with a plot as wild as this one, that doesn't guarantee a completely tolerable album presentation. It is indeed a score that requires a certain mood and, at times, a healthy dose of patience. The music was circulated in the form of a rather common bootleg with other Horner scores starting in 1999 before Intrada Records cleaned it up, added fifteen or so minutes, and pressed 3,000 copies of the work officially in 2009. In 2024, the label returned to expand and remaster the presentation once again for another limited run. Added for that album is the pleasant but anonymous "A Long Way Home," the totally manic "Bee Flight/After the Bees" that features a moderately dramatic conclusion, and the cute extension of the bonding theme in "Letting Antony Go." A trio of short extra cues closing the product includes some notable continuation of the score's themes, and it's unfortunate that these tracks were not placed in the otherwise chronological ordering of the music. Even with these extra cues, the entire score only amounts to just over an hour in running time, but the sound quality on that 2024 product is absolutely superb. Unfortunately, neither Intrada album includes the relevant Tummy Trouble animated short music also by Horner. On any album, approach the score cautiously and with a mood for the zany.

• Music as Written for the Film: ***
• Music as Heard on All Albums: **
• Overall: **

TRACK LISTINGS:

1999 Natty Gann Records Bootleg:
Total Time: 77:05

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: • 1. Main Title (1:56) • 2. Breakfast (1:46) • 3. Apple Experiment (2:04) • 4. The Baseball (0:33) • 5. The Shrinking Starts (0:17) • 6. Ron and Nick (0:14) • 7. Shrunk/Destroying the Machine (5:36) • 8. Stuck in the Garden (4:07) • 9. Quark to the Rescue (3:34) • 10. Bees! (2:09) • 11. Getting Into a Spin (1:08) • 12. Ant Safari (0:47) • 13. A New Pet (1:52) • 14. A Place to Sleep (5:10) • 15. Scorpion Attack/Anty Dies (3:30) • 16. End Title (3:28) In Country: • 17. Main Title (4:55) • 18. Letters From Vietnam (2:26) • 19. Dwayne's Wishes (2:30) • 20. A Night With Tom (3:47) • 21. Listen Sam (2:40) • 22. Night Camp (1:21) • 23. The Road to D.C. (1:59) • 24. Dwayne E. Hughes/At the Vietnam Memorial/Finale and End Credits (9:50) Testament: • 25. Testament Suite (9:26)

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2009 Intrada Album:
Total Time: 51:04

• 1. Main Title (1:59) • 2. Strange Neighbors (1:49) • 3. Shrunk (5:37) • 4. A New World (3:31) • 5. Scorpion Attack (3:34) • 6. Test Run (2:08) • 7. Flying Szalinsky (1:59) • 8. Night Time (5:04)

• 9. Watering the Grass (4:13) • 10. Ant Rodeo (3:45) • 11. The Machine Works (2:05) • 12. Lawn Mower (5:45) • 13. Eaten Alive (2:44) • 14. Big Russ Volunteers (1:24) • 15. Thanksgiving Dinner (5:27)

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2024 Intrada Album:
Total Time: 61:33

• 1. Main Title (1:58) • 2. Strange Neighbors (1:49) • 3. Test Run (2:08) • 4. Shrunk (5:38) • 5. A New World (3:31) • 6. A Long Way Home (3:33) • 7. Bee Flight/After the Bees (2:48) • 8. The Machine Works (2:05) • 9. Watering the Grass (4:13) • 10. Ant Rodeo (3:45) • 11. Flying Szalinski (1:59) • 12. Letting Antony Go (1:51)

• 13. Night Time (5:04) • 14. Scorpion Attack (3:34) • 15. Lawn Mower! (5:44) • 16. Eaten Alive (2:45) • 17. Big Russ Volunteers (1:24) • 18. Thanksgiving Dinner and End Credits (5:28) The Extras: (1:58) • 19. Grand Slam (0:32) • 20. Laser Beam (0:31) • 21. Astride the Ant (0:47)

NOTES & QUOTES:

The insert of the 2009 and 2024 Intrada albums include detailed information about the score and film.

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The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from Honey, I Shrunk the Kids are Copyright © 1999, 2009, 2024, Natty Gann Records (Bootleg), Intrada Records, Intrada Records and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 8/20/09 and last updated 8/12/24.