Human Miniaturization
by mariojacobs | created - 11 Feb 2021 | updated - 27 Sep 2022 | PublicLand of the Giants is one of the most legendary science fiction series in TV history, together with other memorable shows like Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space and The Time Tunnel.
It aired in 1968 and was created and produced by the prolific writer and successful director Irwin Allen, nicknamed the "Master of Disaster".
A spaceship from Earth crash-lands on an Earth-like planet on which everything is 12x the size of its counterpart on Earth.
Here follows a list of movies/series/episodes where humans are depicted in a tiny or microscopic scale, miniaturized or shrunk.
Which title do you think is the most fascinating?
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1. Fantastic Voyage (1968–1969)
30 min | Adventure, Animation, Sci-Fi
The government employs a team of experts who are shrunken to microscopic size to infiltrate and combat otherwise impenetrable threats.
Stars: Marvin Miller, Ted Knight, Jane Webb
Votes: 236
2. Fantastic Voyage (1966)
PG | 100 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi
When a blood clot renders a scientist comatose, a submarine and its crew are shrunk and injected into his bloodstream in order to save him.
Director: Richard Fleischer | Stars: Stephen Boyd, Raquel Welch, Edmond O'Brien, Donald Pleasence
Votes: 20,824
3. Ant-Man (2015)
PG-13 | 117 min | Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Armed with a super-suit with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, cat burglar Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, pull off a plan that will save the world.
Director: Peyton Reed | Stars: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll, Evangeline Lilly
Votes: 721,960 | Gross: $180.20M
4. Innerspace (1987)
PG | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A test pilot is miniaturized in a secret experiment, and accidentally injected into a hapless store clerk.
Director: Joe Dante | Stars: Dennis Quaid, Martin Short, Meg Ryan, Kevin McCarthy
Votes: 65,110 | Gross: $25.89M
5. Land of the Giants (1968–1970)
TV-G | 60 min | Sci-Fi
A spaceship from Earth crash-lands on an Earth-like planet on which everything, including the human-like inhabitants, is twelve times the size of its counterpart on Earth.
Stars: Gary Conway, Don Matheson, Stefan Arngrim, Don Marshall
Votes: 2,859
6. I Dream of Jeannie (1965–1970)
TV-G | 25 min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy
A United States astronaut finds his life vastly complicated when he stumbles on to a bottle containing a female genie.
Stars: Barbara Eden, Larry Hagman, Bill Daily, Hayden Rorke
Votes: 17,446
7. The Fly (1958)
Not Rated | 94 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
A scientist has a horrific accident when he tries to use his newly invented teleportation device.
Director: Kurt Neumann | Stars: David Hedison, Patricia Owens, Vincent Price, Herbert Marshall
Votes: 25,650 | Gross: $3.00M
[SPOILER] Andre is partially shrunk
8. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
G | 100 min | Family, Fantasy, Musical
A poor but hopeful boy seeks one of the five coveted golden tickets that will send him on a tour of Willy Wonka's mysterious chocolate factory.
Director: Mel Stuart | Stars: Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson, Peter Ostrum, Roy Kinnear
Votes: 227,268 | Gross: $4.00M
Mike is shrunk by the Wonkavision
9.
Bewitched (1964–1972)
Episode:
Samantha's Wedding Present
(1968)
TV-G | 30 min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Endora gives Samantha a wedding present on their fifth anniversary much to Darrin's annoyance. Endora calls him a small, small man and Darrin begins to shrink.
Director: William Asher | Stars: Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York, Agnes Moorehead, George Tobias
Votes: 298
Endora casts a spell and Darrin begins to shrink. Bewitched (1964)
10. Gulliver's Travels (2010)
PG | 85 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
Travel writer Lemuel Gulliver takes an assignment in Bermuda but ends up on the island of Lilliput, where he towers over its tiny citizens.
Director: Rob Letterman | Stars: Jack Black, Emily Blunt, Jason Segel, Amanda Peet
Votes: 73,608 | Gross: $42.78M
11. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)
PG | 93 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
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.
Director: Joe Johnston | Stars: Rick Moranis, Matt Frewer, Marcia Strassman, Kristine Sutherland
Votes: 166,301 | Gross: $130.72M
12. The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
G | 88 min | Action, Adventure, Family
When a princess is shrunken by an evil wizard, Sinbad must undertake a quest to an island of monsters to cure her and prevent a war.
Director: Nathan Juran | Stars: Kerwin Mathews, Kathryn Grant, Richard Eyer, Torin Thatcher
Votes: 14,755 | Gross: $6.98M
13. A-Haunting We Will Go (1942)
Approved | 67 min | Adventure, Comedy
Stan and Ollie get involved with con men, crooks, a genial magician, and two interchangeable coffins with disastrous but funny results.
Director: Alfred L. Werker | Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Dante, Sheila Ryan
Votes: 1,376
[SPOILER] At the end Stan is shrunk by magic
14. The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)
Approved | 81 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
After Scott Carey begins to shrink because of exposure to a combination of radiation and insecticide, medical science is powerless to help him.
Director: Jack Arnold | Stars: Grant Williams, Randy Stuart, April Kent, Paul Langton
Votes: 19,967
15. Willow (1988)
PG | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A young farmer is chosen to undertake a perilous journey in order to protect a special baby from an evil queen.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Warwick Davis, Jean Marsh
Votes: 129,838 | Gross: $57.27M
16. Hook (1991)
PG | 142 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
When Captain James Hook kidnaps his children, an adult Peter Pan must return to Neverland and reclaim his youthful spirit in order to challenge his old enemy.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams, Julia Roberts, Bob Hoskins
Votes: 273,200 | Gross: $119.65M
17. The Banana Splits Adventure Hour (1968–1970)
TV-G | 60 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A pop group consisting of four anthropomorphic animals host a variety of cartoons, songs, and skits.
Stars: The Krofft Puppets, Frank Aletter, Kim Kahana, Jan-Michael Vincent
Votes: 1,932
Micro Ventures
18.
RuPaul's Drag Race (2009– )
Episode:
Henny, I Shrunk The Drag Queens!
(2021)
TV-14 | Game-Show, Reality-TV
The queens flex their acting skills in a new sci-fi adventure, playing tiny shrunken drag queens. Cynthia Erivo 'Genius: Aretha' guest judges; Scarlett Johansson 'Black Widow' makes a virtual appearance in the workroom.
Stars: RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley, Cynthia Erivo
Votes: 558
19. Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959)
G | 93 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
A wily old codger matches wits with the King of the Leprechauns and helps play matchmaker for his daughter and the strapping lad who has replaced him as caretaker.
Director: Robert Stevenson | Stars: Albert Sharpe, Janet Munro, Sean Connery, Jimmy O'Dea
Votes: 9,363
20. Tom Thumb (1958)
Approved | 98 min | Family, Fantasy, Musical
A boy (Russ Tamblyn), no bigger than a thumb, manages to outwit two thieves (Terry-Thomas and Peter Sellers) determined to make a fortune from him.
Director: George Pal | Stars: Russ Tamblyn, June Thorburn, Peter Sellers, Alan Young
Votes: 2,860
21. Thumbelina (1994)
G | 86 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
This retelling of the Hans Christian Andersen classic fairy tale has the digit-sized heroine evading the clutches of various toads, moles, and beetles before she can proceed with her courtship with her dream lover, Prince Cornelius.
Directors: Don Bluth, Gary Goldman | Stars: Jodi Benson, Gary Imhoff, Gino Conforti, Barbara Cook
Votes: 18,639 | Gross: $11.37M
22. Downsizing (2017)
R | 135 min | Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
A social satire in which a man realizes he would have a better life if he were to shrink himself to five inches tall, allowing him to live in wealth and splendor.
Director: Alexander Payne | Stars: Matt Damon, Christoph Waltz, Hong Chau, Kristen Wiig
Votes: 124,454 | Gross: $24.45M
23. The Ant Bully (2006)
PG | 88 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
After Lucas Nickle floods an ant colony with his water gun, he's magically shrunken down to insect size and sentenced to hard labor in the ruins.
Director: John A. Davis | Stars: Paul Giamatti, Nicolas Cage, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep
Votes: 41,839 | Gross: $28.14M
24. The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981)
PG | 88 min | Comedy, Sci-Fi
A housewife grows smaller and smaller in reaction to chemicals found in cosmetics and household products.
Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Lily Tomlin, Charles Grodin, Ned Beatty, Henry Gibson
Votes: 5,140 | Gross: $20.26M
25. Help, I Shrunk My Teacher (2015)
90 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Felix has shrunk the hated school principal, Dr. Schmitt, to a height of six inches. Together with his friend Ella, Felix must get the principal back to her normal size while his rival Mario tries to stop him.
Director: Sven Unterwaldt Jr. | Stars: Anja Kling, Oskar Keymer, Axel Stein, Justus von Dohnányi
Votes: 764
26. Dr. Cyclops (1940)
Passed | 77 min | Adventure, Drama, Horror
A mad scientist working in the South American jungle miniaturizes his colleagues when he feels his megalomania is threatened.
Director: Ernest B. Schoedsack | Stars: Albert Dekker, Thomas Coley, Janice Logan, Charles Halton
Votes: 2,890
27.
The Avengers (1961–1969)
Episode:
Mission... Highly Improbable
(1967)
TV-G | 51 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A car carrying two Ministry officials, enroute to investigate the budget overruns on Professor Rushton's latest project, vanishes under escort. Steed goes to investigate, and discovers the ... See full summary »
Director: Robert Day | Stars: Patrick Macnee, Diana Rigg, Ronald Radd, Jane Merrow
Votes: 312
28. Beetlejuice (1988)
PG | 92 min | Comedy, Fantasy
The spirits of a deceased couple are harassed by an unbearable family that has moved into their home, and hire a malicious spirit to drive them out.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Michael Keaton, Annie McEnroe
Votes: 339,996 | Gross: $73.71M
29. Alice in Wonderland (1951)
G | 75 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Alice stumbles into the world of Wonderland. Will she get home? Not if the Queen of Hearts has her way.
Directors: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, Jack Kinney | Stars: Kathryn Beaumont, Ed Wynn, Richard Haydn, Sterling Holloway
Votes: 154,010 | Gross: $1.07M
30. Devil Doll (1964)
81 min | Horror
An evil hyponotist/ventriloquist plots to gain an heiress' millions.
Director: Lindsay Shonteff | Stars: Bryant Haliday, William Sylvester, Yvonne Romain, Sandra Dorne
Votes: 2,542
31. Attack of the Puppet People (1958)
Approved | 79 min | Sci-Fi, Horror
Lonely, deranged puppet-master designs a machine that shrinks people.
Director: Bert I. Gordon | Stars: John Agar, John Hoyt, June Kenney, Michael Mark
Votes: 2,887
32.
The Twilight Zone (1959–1964)
Episode:
The Invaders
(1961)
TV-PG | 25 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
When a woman investigates a clamor in the attic of her rural house, she discovers a small UFO with little aliens emerging from it. Or so it seems.
Director: Douglas Heyes | Stars: Agnes Moorehead, Douglas Heyes, Rod Serling
Votes: 4,015
When a woman investigates a clamor on the roof of her rural house, she discovers a small UFO and little aliens emerging from it. Or so it seems. The Twilight Zone (1959)
33.
The Twilight Zone (1959–1964)
Episode:
The Little People
(1962)
TV-PG | 25 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
On a desolate planet, two astronauts discover an entire society populated by incredibly small beings. One of the astronauts decides to rule the society as a god.
Director: William F. Claxton | Stars: Joe Maross, Claude Akins, Michael Ford, Robert Eaton
Votes: 2,670
On a desolate planet, two astronauts discover an entire society populated by incredibly small beings. One of the astronauts decides to rule the society as a god. The Twilight Zone (1959)
34. The Magic School Bus (1994–1997)
TV-Y | 30 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
An eccentric teacher takes her class on wondrous educational field trips with the help of a magic school bus.
Stars: Lily Tomlin, Daniel DeSanto, Lisa Jai, Tara Meyer
Votes: 11,186
It has many episodes where the bus and the class are shrunk down to cover whatever their respective lesson of the day. The Magic School Bus (1994)
35.
Doctor Who (2005–2022)
Episode:
Into the Dalek
(2014)
TV-PG | 47 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
The Doctor's greatest enemy surrounds a rebel ship. To save everyone, he and Clara must choose to venture into the most dangerous place in the universe. The Doctor is forced to examine his conscience and ask if he is a good man.
Director: Ben Wheatley | Stars: Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, Zawe Ashton, Michael Smiley
Votes: 7,019
The Doctor, Clara, and three rebel soldiers are miniaturized so they can enter the Dalek — nicknamed "Rusty" by the Doctor — to determine what is making it good. Doctor Who (2005)
36. Army of Darkness (1992)
R | 81 min | Comedy, Horror
When Ash Williams is accidentally transported to 1300 A.D., he must retrieve the Necronomicon and battle an army of the dead in order to return home.
Director: Sam Raimi | Stars: Bruce Campbell, Embeth Davidtz, Marcus Gilbert, Ian Abercrombie
Votes: 194,325 | Gross: $11.50M
37. The Secret World of Arrietty (2010)
G | 94 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama
The Clock family are four-inch-tall people who live anonymously in another family's residence, borrowing simple items to make their home. Life changes for the Clocks when their teenage daughter Arrietty is discovered.
Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi | Stars: Bridgit Mendler, Amy Poehler, Will Arnett, Mirai Shida
Votes: 104,323 | Gross: $19.20M
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