Why Rick Moranis Disappeared From Hollywood

There are actors who define a period of time in the eyes of audiences, who star in groundbreaking, hugely influential projects that are beloved years after they are released, and whose screen presence makes them unforgettable. 

One of those actors is Rick Moranis. For many ’80s and ’90s kids, Moranis was a face greatly familiar to them, a source of comfort in family friendly movies like “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” or their guide into the world of more risqué movies with adult themes and humor like “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Spaceballs.” It didn’t matter the tone or the genre, Moranis was consistently funny, endearing, and charming — whether as an innocent floral shop worker who discovers a talking, singing carnivorous plant, or a Darth Vader spoof with plans for world domination (and a penchant for silly ties). 

Despite working in so many big hits and franchise-starters, Moranis all but vanished from Hollywood. For many fans, this came as a shock, especially because Moranis was in his prime, still appearing in quality and popular movies, with no sign of stopping. 

So, why did Rick Moranis disappear from Hollywood, and what has he been up to? Let’s look back at his career and where it led.

Born in Toronto in 1953, Rick Moranis began his career as a comedian in the mid-’70s, performing on stage and TV, moving up to doing live performances on comedy shows like “90 Minutes Live” with comedy partner Ken Finkleman. Moranis got his big break when he joined the third season of the popular “Second City Television” (or “SCTV”), a sketch comedy show akin to “Saturday Night Live.” Hiring Moranis was surprising since was never a part of the Second City stage troupe, and he was following in the footsteps of Eugene Levy, John Candy, Harold Ramis, and Catherine O’Hara (the last three of who departed just when Moranis joined the cast).

During his tenure, Moranis became known for his impressions of celebrities like Merv Griffin and Woody Allen (seen above), and his recurring segment called “The Great White North” featuring the characters Bob and Doug McKenzie, played by Moranis and Dave Thomas.

After three years, Moranis made his feature debut by both starring in and co-directing “Strange Brew” with Dave Thomas, bringing their “SCTV” characters to the big screen, and he followed that up with an appearance on “Streets of Fire” – one of the most underrated movies of the ’80s.

It was in the mid-’80s that Moranis became a household name, having a rather busy few years between 1984 and 1989 by appearing in some of the biggest classics of the decade. It began, of course, with “Ghostbusters,” a movie that defied the rules of genre cinema and became a global phenomenon. To this day, it remains shocking how well that movie works, and how it balances genres and tones without crumbling down.

A multi-talented actor who had shown his range on “Second City Television,” Moranis proved adept at seamlessly blending in no matter the tone of the project he was in. He demonstrated his singing chops (in slow motion, no less) in “Little Shop of Horrors,” while also delivering the best “Star Wars” character spoof in his role as Dark Helmet in “Spaceballs,” a character that works whether you’re familiar with “Star Wars” or not. 

And then, if you were a kid at the time and not really allowed to watch “Ghostbusters” or “Little Shop of Horrors,” Moranis was introduced to younger audiences in “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.” This movie also kickstarted a franchise and has possibly the easiest movie premise to explain — this is a good thing. 

The 1990s came with some big slumps for Moranis. He starred as Barney Rubble in “The Flintstones,” a big budget movie with spectacular production design, yet also a movie that failed to make an impact and vanished from public consciousness. He also made not one but two sequels to “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,” to decreasing levels of quality. In between projects, Moranis passed on starring in “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,” which Jim Carrey credits with giving him a career in movies – though at least it saved Moranis from being associated with that movie’s staggeringly transphobic twist.

In 1997, Moranis had what would be his last live-action role in a movie, in “Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves.”

Unfortunately, Moranis’ wife, costume designer Ann Belsky, passed away in 1991 from breast cancer. After her passing, Moranis decided to step away from acting to raise their two kids. “I took a break, which turned into a longer break,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2015. “Stuff happens to people all the time, and people make adjustments, change careers, move to another city. Really, that’s all I did.”

“I was working with really interesting people, wonderful people,” Moranis said of his Hollywood heyday. “I went from that to being at home with a couple of little kids, which is a very different lifestyle. But it was important to me. I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. My life is wonderful.”

To be fair to Moranis, he didn’t exactly vanish without a trace, nor did he completely abandon Hollywood. Rather, he mostly moved to voice over acting, appearing in “Brother Bear” and its sequel, as a moose named Rutt. Moranis also reprised his role as Dark Helmet in an episode of “The Goldbergs” (voice only), and he returned as as Bob McKenzie in the 2007 “Bob & Doug McKenzie’s Two-Four Anniversary” TV special. Then there was “Bob & Doug” the TV series, which Moranis executive produced but didn’t act in (he was instead replaced by Dave Coulier).

Unfortunately for “Second City Television” and Rick Moranis completionists, there is another project that will possibly never see the light of day. Back in 2018, it was announced that Martin Scorsese himself would direct a “SCTV” reunion for Netflix, bringing back Moranis, as well as Dave Thomas, Martin Short, Eugene Levi, Catherine O’Hara and others. Sadly, the reunion has since been shelved by the streamer.

More recently, Ryan Reynolds managed to convince Rick Moranis to appear in an ad for Mint Mobile with him, which you can watch above.

The “Ghostbusters” franchise was rebooted in 2016, and then again in 2021 with “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” but Moranis appeared in neither of them despite some of his co-stars having cameos in those movies – despite initial reports to the contrary.

As he told The Hollywood Reporter, “I’m happy with the things I said yes to, and I’m very happy with the many things I’ve said no to,” Moranis said. “Yes, I am picky, and I’ll continue to be picky. Picky has worked for me.”

Still, there is one franchise that Moranis doesn’t rule out. “I’m surprised that Disney hasn’t done “Honey, I Shrunk the Grandkids,'” he said in that same interview. In fact, back in 2020 it was reported that Moranis would actually return to the big screen with a reboot of “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,” reportedly titled “Shrunk.” That movie was slated to also include Josh Gad as Moranis’ character’s now-grown son, with director Joe Johnston returning. Sadly, in 2023, Gad took to Twitter to say that COVID-related scheduling and budgetary issues had all but derailed the project. 

Given he is now working on a reboot of “Spaceballs,” it seems “Shrunk” may not be happening, but maybe there’s another chance for Moranis to return and play one of his previous roles again. May the Schwartz be with him.