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Shrunken people have been a staple of cinema for a long time, sometimes as integral parts of the film’s narrative or as parts of a dream sequence. In horror there’s been Attack of the Puppet People, in action there was Dollman with Tim Thomerson, and characters were shrunk down in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Mars Attacks!, and Fantastic Voyage. Now we have The Miniature Wife on Peacock, with Elizabeth Banks and Matthew Macfadyen, which is essentially one six-hour movie. And it’s a really enjoyable one, with a light tone, an assembly of charming, mostly well-drawn characters, and a predictably dynamite lead performance by Banks.
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And, once you’re done bingeing it—because it is very bingeable—you might want to watch something of a similar nature. So, what follows are some lighthearted shrunken people movies you can pop in as a chaser to the main drink.
5) Innerspace
A more comedic take on Fantastic Voyage, Joe Dante’s Innerspace doesn’t quite rank with his best works (The Howling and Gremlins) but does beat stuff like Small Soldiers. It also gave Martin Short one of the best movie roles of his career.
With some spy movie elements and a fun premise, this is a goofy but fairly smart ’80s timepiece. It’s also where Dennis Quaid met Meg Ryan, so at the end of the day Innerspace is responsible for Jack Quaid.
4) Downsizing
Downsizing finally found its audience on Paramount+ about four months back, but it’s still a pretty under-the-radar movie that died a swift death in theaters. And that’s odd, because it’s led by Matt Damon.
But truth be told this Alexander Payne movie does bite off more than it can chew, and its emotional beats don’t always fully play as sincere. However, points for originality of premise, and Hong Chau’s amazing performance.
Stream Downsizing on Paramount+.
3) Ant-Man
Time has been pretty kind to Ant-Man. It had a pretty tough production, going from one vision to another, and while it does have a more generic feel than its immediate sequel (not so much Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which was not director Peyton Reed’s fault), it still works quite well.
Paul Rudd’s casting was a stroke of genius. He’s such a likable performer that we’re immediately excited to meet this new superhero not just because he’s a new superhero, but rather because of who’s playing him. That hadn’t really been the case since Robert Downey Jr. started playing Iron Man. The heist angle is fine but not extraordinary and the villain is just one of those opposite-the-hero MCU adversaries, but this is one of the most purely enjoyable Saturday afternoon movies of the overarching university.
Stream Ant-Man on Disney+.
2) Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids is one of those movies everyone should see when they are in their childhood years. It really captures the imaginative abilities and wonder inherent in the mind of every youth.
The film is the combination of some very distinctive visions. For one, the story came in part from From Beyond and Re-Animator‘s Brian Yuzna and Stuart Gordon. Two, it was the directorial debut of Steven Spielberg protégé Joe Johnston, who went on to helm the similarly wonderful The Rocketeer, Jumanji, October Sky, and Captain America: The First Avenger.
Stream Honey, I Shrunk the Kids on Disney+.
1) The Incredible Shrinking Woman
An early film from Batman Forever‘s Joel Schumacher, The Incredible Shrinking Woman benefits greatly by the presence of comedic geniuses Lily Tomlin and Charles Grodin as well as some wonderful practical effects (e.g. the “tiny” furniture seen above). It is also, of course, the film most related to The Miniature Wife.
In this case, Tomlin’s character is exposed to experimental perfume from her ad exec husband’s company, whereas Banks’ character is exposed to her scientist husband’s experiment (attached to a Tonka truck) in the Peacock show. Like the 2026 show this movie is quirky and wouldn’t be what it is without note perfect lead role casting.
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