Rick Moranis was one of the biggest comedy stars of the 1980s and appeared in countless box office hits and cult classics like Ghostbusters, Brewster’s Millions, Little Shop of Horrors, Spaceballs, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and Parenthood, but following the death of his wife in 1991, the actor started slowing down his output to look after his children, before eventually leaving the industry altogether.
The 67 year-old hasn’t appeared in a live-action movie since 1997’s Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves, and in the 23 years since, his only feature film credits have been three animated efforts, two of which went straight to video. Many fans were crossing their fingers that he could be convinced to join the rest of the original cast in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, but despite rumors that he might be involved, he’s said to have passed on the opportunity.
However, Moranis has agreed to star in upcoming Honey, I Shrunk the Kids sequel Shrunk on Disney Plus alongside Josh Gad, leading to renewed hope that a more permanent return to our screens could be on the horizon. Furthermore, Ryan Reynolds recently revealed a new commercial for his Mint Mobile service, surprising everyone with a Rick Moranis cameo, and based on some of the reactions you can see below, the news has gone down a storm on the internet.
Fine, I will retweet this ad but only because of the sheer joy of seeing Rick Moranis in something again, RYAN REYNOLDS. You win! (But also thank you for this gift.) https://t.co/PM5V8Ug5Os
— Preeti Chhibber is over on 🟦 ☁️ (@runwithskizzers) September 9, 2020
Rick Moranis came out of hiding to save 2020 pic.twitter.com/cRqPufMFiW
— Allison the disney diva (@Daviesallison1A) September 9, 2020
https://twitter.com/ChuckWendig/status/1303722258427453440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1303722258427453440%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Firl%2Fnews%2Fthe-internet-is-freaking-out-over-the-return-of-rick-moranis%2F
https://twitter.com/WhoIsItThisTime/status/1303703678193487881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1303703678193487881%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Firl%2Fnews%2Fthe-internet-is-freaking-out-over-the-return-of-rick-moranis%2F
I didn’t watch a movie where Rick Moranis wasn’t the star until I was 14 pic.twitter.com/Vb5sM4aOzi
— TZE CHUN (@thetzechun) September 9, 2020
https://twitter.com/ScottWamplerBMD/status/1303694781386817537?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1303694781386817537%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Firl%2Fnews%2Fthe-internet-is-freaking-out-over-the-return-of-rick-moranis%2F
Rick Moranis appearing in a random commerical, however silly it may seem, feels like a damn good omen for the rest of the year. I don't make the rules. https://t.co/9M6XcUrIYQ
— Charlotte Clymer 🇺🇦 (@cmclymer) September 9, 2020
who knew that ryan reynolds had the power to bring rick moranis out of hiding? i for one had not foreseen that big rick energy
— rachel syme (@rachsyme) September 9, 2020
Thank you, Ryan Reynolds, for providing us with a wellness-check on Rick Moranis in these dark times. https://t.co/YKwq1BSVji
— Jenny Trout (@Jenny_Trout) September 9, 2020
https://twitter.com/TheSting17/status/1303715412828467201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1303715412828467201%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Firl%2Fnews%2Fthe-internet-is-freaking-out-over-the-return-of-rick-moranis%2F
get you a man who looks at you the way that Ryan Reynolds looks at Rick Moranis pic.twitter.com/iBQjd3RXhC
— Luke (@qLxke_) September 9, 2020
I will support Rick Moranis in everything he does until the end of time. The man is far too good for us, and yet he came back anyway. A blessing. https://t.co/wlKuC3qkh7
— Sarah McGonagall (@gothspiderbitch) September 9, 2020
Quite how Reynolds convinced Rick Moranis to make only his second live-action appearance in over two decades after 2007 TV special Bob & Doug McKenzie’s Two-Four Anniversary is anybody’s guess, especially in a brief commercial to shill a discounted mobile plan. And while 2020 has been characterized by wildly unexpected and usually terrible news, at least this time something positive has happened for a change.