Intrada presents an expanded edition of James Horner's rollicking score to Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989). The original release, produced by Simon Rhodes and James Horner, was a sparkling and largely representative showcase for Horner's colorful and animated score. For this new edition, Intrada has inserted three additional tracks, often asked for by collectors: “A Long Way Home,” “Bee Flight” / “After The Bees” and “Letting Anthony Go.” As an added bonus, a few additional tracks are included as Extras to ensure every cue Horner recorded was present: “Grand Slam,” “Laser Beam” and “Astride The Ant.”
Horner’s main title music is a nod to Raymond Scott’s 1937 “Powerhouse B” tune, often referenced in Carl Stalling’s Warner Bros. cartoon scores and a perfect accompaniment for the Rube Goldberg-style contraptions of Wayne Szalinski. With the main title tune covering most of the film’s comic moments, Horner was free to use straight dramatic scoring to address the bizarre miniature landscapes in which the four young heroes find themselves. Horner uses a warm melody for the relationships between the film’s young heroes and their growing bond both among themselves. It all ties together into a musical adventure as exciting and colorful as the film itself, and is a true gem from Disney's orchestral film music legacy.
In the film, amateur scientist Wayne Szalinski (Rick Moranis) is in the midst of testing his shrinking machine but can't quite get it to work. When a baseball accidentally gets lodged in the machine and activates the shrinking function, the Szalinski kids and the next-door neighbor's kids are reduced to a quarter of an inch in size and swept out into the garbage at the far end of the backyard. Trapped in a fantastic alien environment, the kids must stay alive and fight their way across the lawn while Wayne launches a desperate search for the children.
