The Addams Family 2(2021) picks up where The Addams Family(2019) left off with the oddballs going on a road trip in a fabulous RV that fittingly resembles a hearse.
The Production: 3.5/5
The Addams Family 2(2021) picks up where the 2019 film left off with the oddballs going on a road trip in a fabulous RV that fittingly resembles a hearse.
Parents Gomez(Oscar Isaac) and Morticia Addams(Charlize Theron) decide they could use some time for family bonding, and embark on a road trip with Wednesday(Chloe Grace Moretz), Pugsley(Javon Walton), Lurch(Conrad Vernon), and Uncle Fester(Nick Kroll). Their departure from home is expedited by the intrusion of an emissary, Mr. Mustela(Wallace Shawn), who claims that Wednesday may have been mixed up with another infant in the maternity ward, and requests a DNA test to confirm it. Morticia and Gomez attempt to keep one step ahead of Mustela on their meandering road trip from coast to coast, which consists of vignettes of the Addams Family interacting in various locales.
Wednesday Addams is a major focus of the story here, as in the earlier animated film, as she suffers ennui in self discovery of the meaning of life(or death) for her. Snoop Dogg returns as Cousin Itt in a meta role that has the furry character resembling the rapper in every aspect except appearance, which lends a layer of depth to the rock star lifestyle of the hirsute Addams cousin. When it seems as though Wednesday may not really be an Addams by birth, Cyrus(Bill Hader) steps in to replace Gomez as her father. Of course, there is never much question that Wednesday is the daughter of Morticia(just look at the family resemblance!), and before long Cyrus is exposed as the villain attempting to exploit Wednesday for his own selfish gain.
The Addams Family began as a one panel comic strip in the New Yorker magazine, and is the thematic grandfather of Gary Larson’s The Far Side in preceding that strip by some 30 or 40 years. The strips were the creation of Charles Addams, and have since inspired multiple TV series and films. This animated version of The Addams Family hews more closely to the Barry Sonnenfeld films of the 1990s than to the original TV series of the 1960s. Oscar Isaac nails the inflections of Raul Julia as Gomez, and all of the voice actors are excellent, from Charlize Theron as Morticia to Nick Kroll as Uncle Fester. Chloe Grace Moretz plays Wednesday as the world weary cynical teen with a gallows sense of humor. The animation is polished and precise CGI, and the story places this misfit family in a mixture of humorous situations. Wednesday suffers the most as she is an unwilling contestant in a child pageant, which demonstrates how tragedy and pain can equal humor.
The Addams Family 2 is produced by a host of talented individuals experienced in producing animated films, from directors Greg Tiernan(Sausage Party) and Conrad Vernon(The Penguins of Madagascar), who also lends his voice to Lurch, to screenwriters Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, Ben Queen, and Susanna Fogel, to a host of artists who worked on the previous Addams Family(2019). The result is a polished feature that provides nearly everything that one expects from the earlier film, even as it does not really challenge those boundaries. The result is an agreeable 90 some minutes for anyone who enjoyed the first film
Video: 5/5
3D Rating: NA
The Addams Family 2 on blu-ray is presented in its original 1:85.1 screen aspect ratio via the AVC codec. Colors are vibrant in this animation style with excellent shadow detail in spite of some of the darker (literally) portions of the video presentation. Fine detail is likewise excellent.
Audio: 4.5/5
The Addams Family 2 is available in English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1. Directional audio is fine if not exceptional in an aural presentation that is surprisingly immersive. The memorable theme song composed by Vic Mizzy for the 1960s TV series is recreated here in the soundtrack to full effect.
Special Features: 2/5
Special features included on the blu-ray(presented in 1080p) and DVD include all of the following:
We’re Altogether Addams(8:51): This featurette includes brief commentary from the major voice actors, and the title of this special feature is a subtle callback to the original theme song composed by Vic Mizzy.
Courage To Be Kooky(2:41): The voice cast have additional comments in this brief featurette.
The Addams Family Road Trip Checklist(4:04): This featurette includes some fun activities for younger viewers to create fun snacks and arts and crafts with supervision by older audience members.
Also included is a paper insert with validation code for digital copy of The Addams Family 2 via iTunes.
Overall: 3.5/5
The Addams Family 2 is a fun and agreeable follow-up to the 2019 film. The video and audio presentation are virtually flawless, but the special features are fairly minimal. The film is fun and does not overstay its welcome, even if it does not surpass the first film in quality.
Timothy has worked background in theatrical features and television, just for the fun of it, in films directed by Peter Segal and Christopher Nolan. His favorite film star is Bugs Bunny, and Timothy has discovered that most of the problems in life can be solved successfully (strangely enough) by asking “What would Bugs Bunny do?” Timothy has been involved with the Home Theater Forum since 2007 and has reported from Comic Con, interviewed Bruce Campbell and Danny Trejo, and reviewed classic animation and new theatrical releases on disc.
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