The Addams Family 2 – More Fine Yet Unremarkable Animation

2019’s The Addams Family was a perfectly fine animated adaptation of the creepy, cooky, mysterious, spooky, and all together ooky family. But regardless of the quality of a film, if it makes a decent dent at the box office, a sequel is inevitable. Meanwhile when it comes to animated films, there is generally more to them than the films themselves. It is all about getting the most of out of the IP be it vertical integration and/or merchandise opportunities. With all that being said, cue that inevitable sequel with The Addams Family 2. Fans of the titular family or even the original animated film will certainly be at home here as will fans of the animated genre in general. Though the film for the most part may not reinvent the wheel in terms of the genre, it is a wholesome and simple yet unchallenging watch. It may not bring anything new to the table, however, what it does, it does very well and that moderately-successful execution provided a surprising amount of laughs and doing just enough to get by within its reasonably short running time, clocking in at just over the 90 minute mark.

The Addams Family 2 saw Gomez (Isaac) and Morticia Addams (Theron) coming to terms with the fact that their children, Wednesday (Chloë Grace Moretz) and Pugsley (Javon ‘Wanna’ Walton), were growing up. Looking to rekindle that family bond, the family, including Uncle Fester (Nick Kroll), embarked on a road trip for one more big family vacation across America, visiting all the morbid landmarks. Considering the family we are dealing with, this wasn’t the usual road trip. Despite all the moments of weirdness from the trademark morbidly eccentric family, the film had a touching message about the importance of family above all even if it had a funny way of showing it. The focus here was the relationship between Wednesday and her family as she found herself drifting apart and coming to terms with what that meant for her. As much as it was a family road trip, it was also a journey of self-discovery for her that saw its own share of ups and downs.

Beyond all the hijinks that saw the Addams’ literally took their show on the road and interacting with regular humans. Wednesday’s journey of self-discovery grounded it all and gave it a purpose. The angsty teen made for a relatable contrast to her crazy family but this didn’t mean she didn’t have some crazy moments of her own as she went about things the only way she knew how while other forces helped to plant seeds of doubt. While those hijinks along the way featured several hilarious and unexpected moments and countless gags, both big and small, that journey was far more compelling to watch. That being said, some other characters had some moments of their own, including Uncle Fester and Lurch (Conrad Vernon). In the end, while the outcome was an inevitable, it was still a somewhat effective one. It’d be more effective if the film’s villain, Cyrus Strange (Bill Hader) was more developed and more than just a footnote.

When it came to the animation, The Addams Family 2 doesn’t come close to the top tier studios but still offers plenty of vibrant color and detail with its characters and environments, opening things up a little more this time around. Ultimately, the best part of the film was the voice acting with everyone delivering fun performances with Moretz as Wednesday Addams leading the way. Though the material may be on the corny side, their commitment to it was at least admirable.

At the end of the day, The Addams Family 2 may not necessarily set itself apart from other animated films but it definitely delivers a fine experience that is sure to do the job.

still courtesy of MGM

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.