Movies about Shrinking
Humanity has spent the entirety of its existence trying to make itself as big as possible, meaning there’s something quietly radical about making ourselves small. Meet the humble shrinker: They don’t long for empire or domination, but to reduce themselves to the meek heights of the universe’s smallest elements. Animals, structures, oversized foods—everything is a wonder and a challenge to the shrinker. They’re usually more interested in scientific and sociological discovery than weaponizing their technology, and because a shrunk person is much less intimidating than a giant one, they can go unnoticed amongst the hectic demands of human life. Sometimes, their new diminutive state attracts a lot of celebrity, but because shrinking is inherently an act of humbling, rarely do they take advantage of it. As everyone’s favorite pocket-sized superhero (citation needed: who’s ride-or-die for Ant-Man?) voyages to subatomic extremes, it’s time to scrutinize the best shrinking films in tiny detail.
Here are the 10 best movies about shrinking:
An excellent entry into the “stop wasting my time” cinematic universe, Alexander Payne’s most recent film doesn’t just waste a good premise, but by stretching its promising elevator pitch into a bloated 137 minutes, you become convinced the story should have just been an above-average SNL skit. Middle-class citizens unhappy with their lack of undeserved social mobility in the wake of economic downturn jump all-in on shrinking themselves down to enjoy a gated community high-life. It gets credit for diving into the political implications of shrinking technology, and manages to be mildly interesting for a few scenes at a time, but ironically, this film needs to be a hell of a lot shorter.
The late, great Albert Pyun made non-stop contributions to the B-movie canon—for better or worse in the case of Dollman. When space cop Brick Bardo (a perfectly straight-laced Tim Thomerson) travels across the galaxy to Earth, he finds out that he’s only 13 inches tall—and what’s worse, he’s in a Full Moon Picture. It’s a point of controversy about whether or not Bardo actually shrinks or if his planet is just proportionally smaller, but seeing as the same filmmaking techniques, production design and special effects are used in Dollman as these other shrinking movies, you’ll forgive our grievous transgression for including it here. The film opts for cheapness too often to be accepted into the shrinking movie hall of fame (a budget rather than talent constraint), but watching a sci-fi lawman finally deliver whoopass while only a foot tall is worth the price of admission (note: this film was never released in theaters).
8. Útok loutkových lidí
Rushed into production after the success of a different ‘50s shrinking film, this 79-minute sci-fi tale feels like an over-extended Zóna Twilight episode in both good ways and bad. People keep going missing after coming into contact with an eccentric dollmaker, and it’s signposted pretty immediately that he’s been shrinking them into action figure-sized display pieces, but it takes another 25 minutes before we get down to that sweet shrinking action. Something that this film shares with some of the best “shrinkers” is having a significant group of people shrunk down, meaning they’re less isolated in their plight to regain height. That’s right, there’s a real sense of community in Útok loutkových lidí, but neither that nor the characters forced to perform theater with a marionette doll can push it higher up this list.
7. Mravenčí muž Série
Když první Mravenčí muž film was in production, Stan Lee told Paul Rudd how glad he was that this Avenger was getting the big-screen treatment because he had always felt frustrated in trying to capture the scale of his half-inch hero on the comic page. Modern visual effects came to Marvel’s aid, with a couple of refreshingly small-scale adventures as palate cleansers for grander, bulkier ensemble pieces—that is, until Ant-Man became the center of a universe-altering superbad in Kvantumánie. Still, the sequences where our heroes shrink down and interact with all sorts of regular-sized environments and objects are delightful, offering a lightness in adventure that’s lacking from the too-often lumbering action we’re used to from Marvel properties.
6. Trpaslík a obr
The world’s first shrinking movie was created by Georges Méliès, but it’s not the only landmark visual effect captured in the one-minute film. Méliès (who also stars in the film) doesn’t get around to shrinking himself until he’s duplicated his own body and then enlarged himself. Such boundary-pushing transfigurations undoubtedly evoked pure terror in the 1901 audience, meaning that when the OG Méliès shrinks himself back down (after tormenting his clone by showering confetti on him), the crowd must have breathed a deep sigh of relief. It’s very nice to see how much of early cinema was just French people fucking around and finding out.
Joe Dante Innerspace is the rare shrinking movie to not overly invest in oversized sets and compositing a small person alongside a larger one. Instead, it’s a self-confessed rip-off of Fantastic Voyage, where a submarine explorer is shrunk down and injected into a hapless nobody’s bloodstream. It’s basically an exercise in Kuleshov effect-ing a shrinking movie: We are presented with Dennis Quaid messing around in veins, nerves and windpipes; we see the effects in Martin Short’s peerless slapstick acting. There’s a weird, deranged electricity throughout Innerspace, commonly found in Dante’s films, and it proved you could improve on the stories from the Golden Age of science fiction by injecting some of that sweet ‘80s silliness.
4. Neuvěřitelná smršťovací žena
Another ‘80s remake of a ‘50s sci-fi movie, this Joel Schumacher flick also injects a metric ton of silliness into its B-movie plot, but trumps Innerspace with the sheer volume of shrinking hijinks involved. Lily Tomlin’s exposure to a smorgasbord of slightly toxic household products triggers a drastic shrinking process—catapulting her to celebrity. Trust Schumacher to direct Tomlin and the faultless Charles Grodin towards the exact right blend of goofy and deadpan comedy, making the romantic ideal of a regular-sized and shrunken couple. Largely maligned on release, Shrinking Woman is a lasting remnant of exceptionally-cast outlandish comedies where getting silly was a finely tuned skill.
3. Alenka v říši divů
The most iconic instance of fictional shrinking came from Lewis Carroll’s absurdist fairytale, where young Alice samples from a bottle marked “DRINK ME” that, alas, makes her shrink to a completely unhelpful size. After some confusing repartee with a talking doorknob, she ends up shrinking znovu after a cake makes her grow to an embarrassing height, and once a few tears have been spilt, she makes it out of her conundrum by coasting away inside the bottle she drank from. Carroll’s use of shrinking comes at the start of Alice’s adventure in Wonderland, and effectively sets the tone for her journey while highlighting the key side-effect of shrinking: Disorientation, with a dream-like, overwhelming bafflement of your surroundings being hellishly out of proportion. Still, there’s a clear communication breakdown in Wonderland that should really be addressed.
2. Neuvěřitelný zmenšující se muž
Sometimes, Americans were so afraid of the Ruskies that they made science fiction movies, never clearer in this atomic-anxiety B-movie written in part by Jsem legenda a Zóna Twilight scribe Richard Matheson. After being exposed to a strange cloud, a ‘50s man begins rapidly shrinking, leading to a lot of visually striking (if amusing) shots of him half the height of his wife, chair and, eventually, cat. Soon, he becomes small enough to fall under floorboards, and presuming him dead, his wife abandons his solitary and subterranean shrunken plight. The scaled sets, while restricted by budget, are really creative, and Shrinking Man works brilliantly in near-silent stretches where it becomes a proper survival film. Plus, its downer ending reaches a state of philosophical beauty. It’s undoubtedly the best film out of any listed here, even if its shrinking sequences were fated to be outmatched.
1. Zlato, já jsem ty děti zmenšila
Every time you put on a Walt Disney movie from the ‘80s (especially one you didn’t watch as a child), there’s always a moment of thinking, “Oh, is it going to be like tento for the whole film?” Fears of a cheap and irritating film vanish from your mind, however, once this family classic really gets going, and like Dante and Schumacher’s ‘80s romps, Zlato, já jsem ty děti zmenšila director Joe Johnston (in his feature debut) takes advantage of modern visual effects to update the ‘50s sci-fi vision for new audiences. Miláček is not exactly a brilliant film, but certainly the most impressive—the massive-scale sets and size-contrast composite shots look better than any film listed here. What’s more, the ‘50s are emulated again with seamless big-insect stop-motion, helping to sell the required fantasy-adventure tone for these kids’ adventure in tiny-land. Everything in regular-sized-land, led by a peak-of-his-powers Rick Moranis, sells the high stakes of losing your children in your own backyard. Watching Zlato, já jsem ty děti zmenšila, you’re easily charmed, and it’s easier for kids to want a shrinking adventure of their own.
Rory Doherty je scenárista, dramatik a kulturní spisovatel žijící v Edinburghu ve Skotsku. Můžete sledovat jeho myšlenky o všech příbězích @roryhasopinions.
12 Movies About Growing And Shrinking, Just Like Ant-Man And The Wasp
Ant-Man a The Wasp is now in theaters, and while it is a Marvel superhero film, the movie is filled with moments of people and things growing to immense sizes and shrinking to the size of bugs. However, it’s not the only movie featuring this sci-fi trope, which feels very at home during the 1950’s science fiction craze. And while this theme isn’t new at all, it is predominantly featured in quite a few films over the past 60 years.
From Disney’s Alice shrinking in order to get into inside a door to Wayne Szalinski ruining his life by using his shrinking/growing machine, there are actually some solid movies about this concept—as well as a few mediocre ones. So we decided to take a quick look at some other movies featuring people growing and shrinking in size for you to check out before or after you see Ant-Man a The Wasp.
V naší recenzi na Ant-člověk a osa, GameSpot’s Mike Rougeau said, «Ant-člověk a osa is hilarious, fun, silly, self aware, and creative. Filled with pseudo-science gobbledigook, crazy action, and multiple villains all vying for screen time, it’s one of the most comic-booky MCU movies yet. The fates of all our favorite heroes after Mstitelé: nekonečná válka may still be up in the air, but in the meantime, Ant-člověk a osa is a welcome distraction.»
Pro více informací o Ant-Man a The Wasp, learn about the mid and post-credit scenes, the history of the character in the comics, and why the movie is set before Nekonečná válka. Otherwise, check out these other movies about getting large or going small.
Honey, we shrunk the history of movies about shrinking people
A short history of miniaturising people on screen – in eight mini classics.
One of the most entertaining things about cinema is its ability to visualise the impossible. It can take you to distant galaxies, make you believe a man can fly, or imagine life from the perspective of an ant.
Or an ant-sized person.
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Films where our heroes have been shrunk and are forced to grapple with an outsized world have long been a fascination for popular cinema, from the very earliest pioneering days to modern stories such as Alexander Payne’s latest satire, Downsizing.
Each era has used the scenario for very different purposes, in ways that often reflect the anxieties of the time. The story of miniaturising people on screen is also a story of the evolving special effects and wizardry that have shrunk actors down to (micro)size.
Here are eight miniature gems.
Alenka v říši divů (1903)
Directors: Cecil M. Hepworth and Percy Stow
Shrinking is a big part of Lewis Carroll’s beloved story, which has been adapted to film countless times. The first ever adaptation, a British short film from the early 20th century, breaks down Carroll’s story into bite-sized episodes, with perhaps the most impressive being the moment showing Alice drinking from a vial and shrinking to fit through a door.
The effect is thought to have been achieved through the manipulation of lenses, similar to the pioneering effects achieved by Georges Méliès around the same time. The result is a work of great ambition at a time when filmmakers were curious at the possibilities of their new medium.
The Devil-Doll (1936)
Režie: Tod Browning
A more melancholy motivation is at the centre of this cult classic, starring Lionel Barrymore as a wrongly convicted felon who uses a scientist’s shrinking technology to exact revenge on those who put him in prison.
Playing as much on mind control as it does miniaturisation (Barrymore’s lead controls the ‘Devil Dolls’ to do his bidding), The Devil-Doll is nonetheless one of the first mainstream feature films with a shrinking story, though the theme had also been broached in James Whale’s classic monster movie Bride of Frankenstein (1935).
The Devil-Doll’s use of superimposed images and enlarged props brought to life a complicated story that flits between genres, and is partly inspired by director Tod Browning’s experiences as a circus performer.
Dr. Cyclops (1940)
Director: Ernest B. Schoedsack
Directed by King Kong’s Ernest B. Schoedsack, Dr. Cyclops was the first Technicolor horror film, which had to evolve some of the techniques used in previous shrinking movies, given the increased level of interaction between big and small characters.
Using rear projection (‘small’ stars acting against a larger projection of a ‘giant’ character) and physical effects (such as a mechanical hand), Dr. Cyclops plays on the concept of shrinking to horrific effect. Albert Dekker plays the wonderfully mad scientist Dr Thorkel, who is given the power of a giant after miniaturising a group of unwitting ‘specimens’. His 12-inch victims must find a way to escape his clutches, and the claws of his cat, the subtly named Satanus.
The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)
Režie: Jack Arnold
Jack Arnold’s influential black-and-white horror used similar (albeit refined) techniques to Dr. Cyclops, but the scares came from more than attacks from over-sized animals. The story, following a father who begins to gradually shrink after being exposed to radioactive rain, harnesses the very real fear of nuclear war in the 1950s. Much like in Invasion of the Body Snatchers the year before, the helplessness of the hero’s plight echoed the feelings many had in America during the Cold War. Just as the nation’s own position and influence in the world threatened to shrink, this timeless work of terror was the subtle manifestation of those fears.
Fantastická plavba (1966)
Režie: Richard Fleischer
As the wariness of the 1950s gave way to the colourful expression of the 60s, Fantastic Voyage drew on the influence of Jules Verne to turn the shrinking process into a device for adventure instead of dread. It did, however, still have a Cold War theme, with a team of American government agents shrinking down to the size of a microbe to pilot a ship through the body of a scientist in an attempt to save his life. Along the way they face numerous obstacles, not least the very obviously dubious Donald Pleasence.
While using more straightforward effects than other shrinking films (as most of the plot takes place within the human body), Fantastic Voyage has proved highly influential, inspiring numerous TV parodies as well as Joe Dante’s 1980s tribute Innerspace (1987).
Zlato, zmenšil jsem děti (1989)
Režie: Joe Johnston
“Earthquake!” “No, worse – lawnmower!” The benchmark when it comes to shrinking on screen, Joe Johnston’s comedy turned the average American household into the adventure of a lifetime. The backyard becomes a forest, and items such as brooms and cereal bowls become death traps.
Heavily influenced by the past (particularly The Incredible Shrinking Man), Honey, I Shrunk the Kids presents a combination of forced perspectives, animatronics and giant sets, which make the Szalinski kids appear as though they are the size of insects. Coming towards the end of the heyday of practical effects, Johnston’s film pushed the limits of what was possible on screen.
Ant Man (2015)
Režie: Peyton Reed
Twenty-six years later the evolution of computer effects had brought about a creative environment where anything was possible. Initially an odd proposition for the Marvel Universe, Peyton Reed’s quirky action comedy introduced a character that didn’t need to be larger than life – in fact, quite the opposite. Despite his diminutive size, he was able to integrate seamlessly with his fellow Avengers.
British effects company Double Negative used a combination of computer animation and motion capture technology to create the shrinking sequences, which were developed to replicate a stop-motion feel. Ant-Man’s ability to shrink and grow on command made traditional action sequences thrilling by the shifts in perspective.
Zmenšení (2017)
Režie: Alexander Payne
Whereas other films have used the concept of shrinking to scare or thrill, award-winning filmmaker Alexander Payne (Sideways, 2004) uses the device to make you think. His tale of a world in which volunteers opt to shrink to five inches tall in order to lead a less wasteful life incorporates green screen and giant props as it explores contemporary issues, such as overpopulation and making the most of our resources.
The reason shrinking characters have been so popular in films is that they enable the viewer to see the world in a different way, and for Payne that means ideologically as well as physically.
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