For me, that’s the case with 1989’s “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.” Honestly, I can’t even tell you specifically when I watched this movie growing up. I just remember the realistic set pieces and the adventure a group of kids went on in the process. Specifically, I remembered the giant ant they befriended.

“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” stars Rick Moranis (a popular name in that time period) as Dr. Wayne Szalinski. Wayne has been dedicated to perfecting his shrink ray in the attic of his family’s home, in the hopes he can secure grant funding. Meanwhile, his wife Dianne (Marcia Strassman) is selling houses to provide and his kids Amy (Amy O’Neill) and Nick (Robert Oliveri) are helping keep the house together.

Next door, Russell “Big Russ” Thompson, Sr. (Matt Frewer) and his wife Mae (Kristine Sutherland) are preparing to go on a fishing trip with their two boys — Russell “Little Russ” Thompson Jr. (Thomas Wilson Brown) and Ronald “Ron” Thompson (Jared Rushton).

Everyone’s plans go awry when Ron hits a baseball into the attic and accidentally activates the shrink ray. When he and Nick go to grab it, the pair end up microscopic. They’re soon followed by Little Russ and Amy, who go in search of them.

PHOTO PROVIDED Amy O’Neill, Robert Oliveri, Jared Rushton and Thomas Wilson Brown are pictured in a still from “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.”

Before long, Wayne returns home to find the house empty. After a failed attempt to market his machine earlier that day, when Wayne sets foot in his attic he becomes angry at himself and wrecks the machine. While sweeping up pieces of it, he accidentally cleans up the kids and brings them out to the trash can on the opposite side of the yard.

And so begins the groups adventure to get back to the house and, hopefully, return to normal size.

All while both sets of parents’ try to figure out just what happened to their children. Cue Wayne’s realization when he notices his “thinking couch” has shrunk down.

“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” is a really enjoyable film. Not only is it comedic, but it also has its serious moments. A group of kids trekking across a backyard when they’re smaller than ants really is a dangerous journey.

The set pieces are absolutely phenomenal, even almost 40 years later. It goes to show that sometimes, CGI shouldn’t be the way to go. Realistic effects, although sometimes cheesy, age significantly better when they’re done right.

That’s the case with this movie. From giant blades of grass that create a unique jungle landscape; ants and scorpions; even cereal and milk that resembles a swimming pool — this movie didn’t skimp on the realism for what it could be like to be smaller than life.

And, even when the green screen effects were a little noticeable, they were such quick scenes you don’t fully realize it until after it’s over.

Honestly, the set pieces more than anything were my favorite part of this movie. It’s no wonder theme park attractions would eventually be made to replicate this larger-than-life world!

I can’t say for certain, but I’d guess the set pieces and general story are why it did so well at the box office. The movie grossed $222 million worldwide (the equivalent to over $400 million by today’s standards) and was Disney’s highest grossing film for five years. Not too bad for Joe Johnston’s directoral debut.

The movie went on to be the start of a franchise, the creation of theme park rides, a television series and an animated short.

“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” is the perfect movie to watch with the family. It’s a smooth 90 minutes and offers a fun, colorful world with easy to follow dialogue and a very interesting storyline.

The movie is rated PG and may be watched on Disney+, YouTube, Google Play, Vudu and Amazon Prime.

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Laura Jameson is Managing Editor of The Express.