Following the Imagination Pavilion’s transformation into the Imagination Institute, a new 3D film attraction—Honey, I Shrunk the Audience (HISTA)—opened on November 21, 1994 at EPCOT. A spin-off of the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids franchise, the show featured the original Szalinski family cast, with Rick Moranis as Wayne and Eric Idle as Dr. Nigel Channing, who would later appear in the pavilion’s ride.
Guests attended the Inventor of the Year Award ceremony, where Wayne’s latest invention accidentally shrinks the entire audience. What followed was a chaotic and immersive experience: camera flashes, Quark’s sneeze, a mouse stampede, and a hydraulic lift simulating Wayne’s son Adam picking up the shrunken crowd. The theater’s upgraded effects—gimbal-mounted seats, air blasts, and water sprays—made the experience feel startlingly real.
One of the most beloved details was the “NERD” sign gag: when the camera flash hit the audience, a giant projection of the word “NERD” appeared on the screen—an inside joke aimed at Wayne’s son, but lovingly embraced by fans as part of the attraction’s quirky charm.
Though popular and thematically tied to the pavilion’s ride, Honey, I Shrunk the Audience closed on May 9, 2010, to make way for the return of Captain EO following Michael Jackson’s death in 2009. The attraction never returned, but its legacy lives on in the quirky spirit of the Imagination Institute—and in the hearts of fans who still shout “NERD!” with affection.
