it was "less about science then a masterful example of the 'what if' branch of speculative human drama". Aftermath Arnold commented on science films made after The Incredible Shrinking Man, saying that since his films were financially successful, AIP and Japanese studios developed similar productions, which he felt lacked in atmosphere or morals and were just stories about monsters. These included The Amazing Colossal Man and Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. Arnold was unable to sell a sci-fi story after these films began appearing and went to England to create The Mouse That Roared, which he felt was a fantasy film that still had a deeper meaning to it. Arnold later declared Mouse as his favorite picture and that he thought "almost as much of" as The Incredible Shrinking Man. Arnold spoke about the film later in life after watching a revival screening, saying he was happy that audiences enjoyed the film and that they "got all the nuances that I put in. It was a joy to me, just to watch their reaction to the film." Matheson discussed the film in an interview in John Bronsan's Horror People, where he declared he only enjoyed the film after his son pointed out the film's story structure, specifically that "it didn't have the usual story line, the usual happy ending. Actually it had no particular story line, it was very picaresque, it just wandered on." Matheson re-iterated his enjoyment in Cinefantastique, finding himself able to appreciate the film with subsequent watches, finding the visuals as "truly remarkable" and that Arnold created "quite a mood in the film." The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2009. Proposed sequels and remakes Matheson scripted a sequel, titled The Fantastic Little Girl. The film has Louise Carey certain that Scott is still alive. She returns home and finds herself shrinking and is injected with a new cure. The script also featured Scott in his microscopic world where he encounters strange eel-like creatures. The script was 43 pages long and described as inferior compared to the original film by author Bill Warren. Matheson said that, since the original film made "a lot of money", he was unsure why the sequel was not developed past the script stage. The script in its entirety was published in the 2005 book Unrealized Dreams. The reluctance for a home media re-release was due to