The scientist father of a teenage girl and boy accidentally shrinks his and two other neighborhood teens to the size of insects. Now the teens must fight diminutive dangers as the father searches for them.
On the brink of perfecting his state-of-the-art matter-shrinking machine, the suburban paterfamilias and indefatigable inventor, Professor Wayne Szalinski, realizes that his device truly works, when it zaps both his kids and next-door neighbors' sons. Now, to return to the relative safety of their home while being reduced to a mere quarter-inch size, they must venture out into the dense and perilous landscapes of their now-immense backyard: a hostile environment where nearly everything spells trouble. Can they exit the green maze of grass in one piece?
Wayne Szalinski is a crazy scientist who invents a shrinking machine that is so powerful it only blows things up. When a baseball is hit through the window and lands in the path of its laser, it begins working. Wayne's two kids plus the boys next door end up getting shrunk. He accidentally sweeps them up and puts them out with the trash, so they have to travel through the thick grass back to the house, while braving giant bugs, a sprinkler, and a lawnmower.—Jason Ihle <[email protected]>
A preoccupied inventor just can't seem to get his electromagnetic shrinking machine to work. Then, when he accidentally shrinks his kids and next-door neighbors' sons down to 1/4-inch tall and tosses them out with the trash, the real adventure begins. Now they face incredible dangers as they try to make their way home through the jungle of their own backyard: a sprinkler, dive-bombing bees, a runaway lawnmower, and much, much more.—Kelli Barron
Wayne Szalinski, a brilliant scientist and inventor, has been tirelessly working on a machine that can shrink and grow objects. His obsession with perfecting it concerns his wife Diane and their children, Amy and Nick. Next door, the Thompsons-Big Russ, his wife Mae, and their sons, Ron and Little Russ-prepare for a fishing trip. Little Russ is not as enthusiastic about the trip as his father.
Just as Wayne heads to a conference, Ron accidentally hits a baseball into the Szalinskis' attic, activating the machine and blocking its laser. Ron and Nick venture into the attic to retrieve the ball, only to be shrunk by the machine. Amy and Little Russ meet the same fate when they search for their siblings.
Wayne, meanwhile, is ridiculed at his conference for failing to demonstrate his machine's capabilities. Returning home, he finds the broken window and, in frustration, damages the machine further, inadvertently sweeping the shrunken children into a dust pan and trash bag. The tiny kids manage to escape and begin their perilous journey through the overgrown backyard.
The parents, worried about their missing children, call off their plans and contact the police. Wayne figures out what happened but activates the sprinklers, nearly drowning Amy, who is saved by Little Russ. Wayne and Diane join forces to find the kids and eventually inform the Thompsons, who are initially skeptical.
The shrunken kids encounter various dangers, including a bee and a scorpion. They also form a bond with a friendly ant they name Antie. After a series of adventures and near-misses, the kids manage to communicate with their parents, who then repair the machine.
Finally, Big Russ volunteers for a test, successfully restoring himself and the children to their original sizes. By Thanksgiving, the Szalinskis and Thompsons have become close friends, celebrating with an oversized turkey and a giant dog biscuit for their loyal dog, Quark.
