“They’re creepy and they’re kooky, mysterious and spooky, they’re all together ooky, The Addams Family”...or my family, but that isn’t how the song by Vic Mizzy goes. Yes, in case you haven’t guessed, I got a chance to watch the new animated adaptation of “The Addams Family” the other day and I now finally have time to write my thoughts down about it.
The film tells the story of the formation of the Addams family and their dream of finding a place that accepts them after being driven out of ‘the old country’ (which I would assume be Romania due to it’s horror ties). After arriving in New Jersey, newly weds Gomez and Morticia settle down in a secluded haunted house and raise a family together. Years later, their ‘happiness’ is threatened with the development of a new town. Will the Addams family be driven from their home again or will things finally change for them?
I am going to start this review by saying I enjoyed the movie more than I thought I would. I am a fan of “The Addams Family” (particularly the John Astin led series) but the previews for this animated film didn’t exactly wow me either. It looked cute but the previews also made it seem a little dry in the humor department. Thankfully there are plenty of moments to chuckle at in the film.
The film has a great voice cast with every actor filling their roles perfectly. Their performances range from funny to charming. I would actually argue that much of the success of the film comes from the cast (which just goes to show how important voice acting can be).
I enjoyed the character designs as well and thought they were faithful and eerily adorable. The designs are completely faithful to Charles Addams original ‘The New Yorker’ cartoons. That being said, I realized something while watching the movie and that is the Addams family were very much products of their time and aren’t as ‘shocking’ as they were even twenty years ago. The movie even sort of unintentionally points this out when one of the ‘normal’ girls befriends Wednesday Addams and adopts a Gothic style to her fashion choices. The Gothic look has become so popular and accepted over the years that the Addams family really don’t seem as bizarre as they probably did in the 1930s or 1960s or even the early 1990s. Times and styles have changed in favor of (or partly due to) the title family.
The beginning of the film starts a little clunky but settles in fairly quickly. The story isn’t anything complicated and is fairly predictable but it is a family film after all so that is to be expected. It does teach an important lesson about being yourself and not worrying about fitting in. Individualism is an especially important issue for children to learn and grow to be okay with in a society that constantly pushes them to conform to other’s expectations and standards.
I didn’t mind the production design but I did feel like they played things a little too safe to appeal to kids. Especially in animation where everything is typically exaggerated, things needed to be bumped up a notch. Instead, it felt sort of Tim Burton lite instead of a film inspired by his work.
As it stands, this adaptation of the classic cartoon is an entertaining family film but isn’t as unique or quirky as the other adaptations that came before it. If you do see it, I recommend seeing it in 3D because the film really embraces the format. I would recommend this film overall, I just wish it was more in line with it’s theme song.
Grade: B
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