The masters of kooky macabre humor are back just in time for Halloween. The Addams Family hasn’t been seen since the 1990’s live-action version. This time they return to entertain the young’ens in animated form. In the mist of Morticia (Charlize Theron) and Gomez’s (Oscar Isaac) wedding, a mob invades them forcing the family to relocate to a more comfortable ‘horrible place’. They end up in New Jersey.
Thirteen years later they are all settled in their mansion high atop a hill where they can be left alone. Far below the mountain are housing developments lead by popular television host Margux Needler (Allison Janney) who just won’t leave well enough alone. The Addamses venture down below to the cute little community of Assimilation and their trilling singing group.
Both groups meet each other with Wednesday (Chloe Grace Moretz) getting lots of screen time and the best lines as she wonders off outside the the mansion out of curiosity. After that, the story goes off in different directions loosing steam. Grandma (Bette Midler) had some cute lines (and nose). The standout scene is again is all about Wednesday and her ‘branching’ out to save the family from their haunted home as the outside visitors attempt to destroy it.
The tailored 90 minute running time is perfect for the kids and parents. Janney deserves the the best villain of the year award as she just shows interest in profiting her sale homes and assuring huge TV ratings and in her own way isn’t normal either especially her hair doo. Let’s not forget about Uncle Fester voiced by Nick Kroll, who had the perfect pitch, Finn Wolfhard who was the spokesman for Pugsley and Snoop Dog who had a hand in ‘It’. All-in-all the new take on the gothic Addams family is something for the trick-or-treaters to enjoy this month before some bigger Christmas fares arrive to scare them away. 2 1/2 stars (out of 5)
