The Addams Family is a 2019 animated film about the iconic titular family known for their macabre appearance and culture.
The Addams Family is undeniably one of the most iconic entertainment properties of all time! It’s been more than two decades since we have had a theatrical adaptation of this popular franchise created by Charles Addams on the big screen, but this time it’s a CGI animated flick. If you don’t know much about this particular family, the main thing is that they’re pretty much a group of eccentric and creepy people that are highly recognized for their macabre appearance and culture. Directed by Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan, known for making the raunchy animated comedy Sausage Party, it also features a stellar cast of voice actors such as Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron, Chloë Grace Moretz, Finn Wolfhard and Nick Kroll. With such talented people involved with this movie, this might be as fun, dark and charming as the previous live-action adaptations, right?
The basic premise is that the Addams family has been peacefully living in New Jersey and not interacting with the outside world for many years. However, there is a cunning reality-TV host named Margaux Needler (Allison Janney) who believes that this group of people will ruin her neighbourhood and plans to get rid of them. Does the premise sound formulaic? Absolutely. Is the film predictable? Yes. Is it at least fun to watch? It actually is.
First of all, the main voice cast does their job really well. They all bring some funny and memorable moments to their characters, while staying true to the source material. The scene-stealer is the adorable Uncle Fester who is voiced brilliantly by Kroll, and he brings lots of laughs whenever he’s on screen. Some of the supporting cast members are left in the background, which sadly makes them underdeveloped and uninteresting. While all the characters are undeniably supposed to be eccentric caricatures, the main antagonist Margaux Needler is very bland and clichéd. She shares a lot of the same characteristic traits as Gladys Sharp from Over the Hedge, who is also voiced by Janney, so it shows the movie does lack some originality.
The animation is actually pretty impressive, which you have to commend the filmmakers for bringing the feel of the cartoon to life with the help of CGI animation. All the character designs are well-done, and they definitely stand out from one another. While the animation and voice acting are the best aspects of the entire film, the soundtrack is quite abysmal and jarring. Because they’re bringing these characters to a new generation of moviegoers, they assume it’s somehow a good idea to turn the iconic theme song into a terrible rap remix with Migos. Hip-hop is certainly not the right music genre that fits with the gothic vibe of The Addams Family.
It’s not as memorable as the live-action film adaptations, but it still succeeds as an enjoyable animated movie with some kooky humor and fun characters. Despite having a formulaic premise, clichéd villain and jarring soundtrack, The Addams Family is still a entertaining flick that both parents and kids will enjoy. It will also make you snap your fingers when the original theme song comes on.