One of Tom Hanks’ best movies hits Disney Plus next month.
The Mouse House inherited countless classics from 20th Century Fox to fill their streaming service with, but in many cases, it’s taken some time to clear the rights to get them up on D+. And that’s the way it’s been with 1988’s Big. But the comedy film is now set to finally land on the site next month, as Disney Plus has announced that it’ll be adding the movie to its library in the US on December 4th.
Hanks had already been in hits like Splash and The Money Pit, but Big was a huge turning point for his career at the time, as it was the first occasion that he was noticed by the Academy. His role as Josh Baskin, a 13-year-old who wishes he was big and wakes up looking like he’s 30, won him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Of course, director Penny Marshall’s film also got the nom for Best Original Screenplay.
Big co-stars Elizabeth Perkins (Miracle on 34th Street), John Heard (Home Alone) and Jared Rushton (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids) and was a storm at the box office, earning $151.7 million on the back of a slim $18 million budget. It stands at a whopping 97% on Rotten Tomatoes as well, with the critical consensus reading: “Refreshingly sweet and undeniably funny, Big is a showcase for Tom Hanks, who dives into his role and infuses it with charm and surprising poignancy.”
It was such a hit back in the day, in fact, that it kickstarted the ‘aged-up’ subgenre of comedy movies that continues even now. For instance, it was a major influence on recent DC superhero flick Shazam! If you’ll recall, the Zachary Levi vehicle featured a scene that pays homage to the famous floor piano dance sequence.
The film is still remembered fondly in pop culture, then, but if you haven’t seen it in a while, be sure to catch Tom Hanks in Big this December on Disney Plus.