The Addams Family 2

When it comes to re-establishing a film from its original roots, "The Addams Family 2" hits the mark bullseye. This, like its predecessor, is redrawn the same way that its creator Charles Addams drew it for the New Yorker magazine, which makes this animated film fresh and appealing. 

Everyone's favorite spooky family is back in the animated comedy sequel, "The Addams Family 2". In this all new movie we find Morticia and Gomez Addams (Charlize Theron and Oscar Isaac) respectively, distraught that their children are growing up, skipping family dinners, and totally consumed with "scream time'. To reclaim their bond they decide to cram Wednesday (Chloe Grace Moretz), Pugsley (Javon 'Wanna' Walton), Uncle Fester (Nick Kroll) and the crew into their haunted camper and hit the road for one last miserable family vacation. Their adventure across America takes them out of their element and into hilarious run-ins with their cousin It (Snoop Dog), as well as many new kooky characters. What could possibly go wrong?

Others to round out the cast are Bette Midler as Grandma, Conrad Vernon as Lurch, Bill Hader as Cyrus Strange, Wallace Shawn as Mr. Mustela and Brian Sommer as Big Bad Ronny. 

This was crafted well by directors Greg Tiernan ("Thomas & Friends: Misty Island Rescue" '10, "Sausage Party" '16, "The Addams Family" '18) plus many others, TV and video shorts, and Conrad Vernon ("Shrek 2" '04, "Monsters & Aliens" '09, "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" '12, "Sausage Party" '16, "The Addams Family" '18) plus TV and a short. It was co-directed by Laura Brousseau and Kevin Pavlovic (TV). This film carried a similar feel as its predecessor, but since its directors are the same as "The Addams Family" '18, then I can certainly understand it. The emotions of the characters are exactly what one would expect from Charles Addams' characters. It was written by Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, Ben Queen and Susanna Fogel, based on a story by Hernandez and Samit, which is based on the characters created by Charles Addams. Even though the premise of this was original and fresh, the fact that there were four writers caused a bit of choppiness to this story--too many hands in the pot, so to speak. Its predecessor was written by Matt Lieberman and made it that much more cohesive. It's too bad that Lieberman couldn't have been part of this--it would've flowed better. Don't get me wrong, this was humorous with that dry wit that Charles Addams always used and it had some new and meaty characters, but it just needed a bit more polish. Between these writers was a fair amount of experience, but should've incorporated less of them. 

Certainly if you are an Addams Family fan, whether in live or animated form, you'll love this, but if one is a stickler for detail, then this might seem a bit far-fetched. I personally liked this, but I'm a fan. But, in all objectivity, it was well directed and the story did have an intriguing premise. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                               Rated: PG                                                   92mins.