'The Addams Family 2' Trailer: The Spooky Crew Embarks On A Cruel Summer Road Trip

The Addams Family is back from the grave with all new ooky and kooky adventures. MGM released the official trailer for the animated sequel that takes the beloved gothic gang out of their decrepit mansion and on the road across America for some good old-fashioned family bonding. 

The Addams Family 2 Trailer

Y'all, I would definitely go on a road trip in that camper. This sequel looks pretty entertaining and taking the family on a road trip seems like a natural progression in the animated franchise.

The macabre brood first reappeared on the silver screen back in 2019 with an all-new computer-animated make-over that altered the characters' appearances to resemble the original illustrated drawings by cartoonist Charles Addams. The plot mostly centered around Wednesday growing up and trying to acclimate to her social circle at school as well as their neighborhood getting gentrified. While the film had mixed reviews, it did gross $204 million on a $24 million budget. So the gang is back and similar familial themes apply: growing up, family values, and realizing despite their creepy lifestyle and appearances, the Addams Family are just like every other family, just in their own special way.

The majority of the original voice actors are back with Charlize Theron as Morticia, Oscar Isaac as Gomez, Chloe Grace Moretz as Wednesday, and Nick Kroll is voicing Uncle Fester. Snoop Dogg is back as Cousin It and the sequel also has Bette Midler and Bill Hader on board. However, Finn Wolfhard is no longer bringing Pugsley to life. Instead, the pyromaniac pre-teen will be voiced by Euphoria's talented Javon 'Wanna' Walton.

Animating the Dark and Dreadful

As much as I enjoy and appreciate the animated remakes, it's hard for me to shift my loyalty away from the live-action films of the '90s. Cinesite Studios or Cinesite VFX is returning to animate the Addams Family, and I genuinely do enjoy their artistic style. The return to animation honors Charles Addams' original work while also providing more opportunities for elaborate stunts and slapstick comedy. For example, Pugsley blowing up the Grand Canyon or flying over Niagra Falls. However, there is a sort of playfulness and innocence that naturally accompanies animated projects. Therefore, the stakes aren't as high, jokes aren't as dark and situations aren't that creepy.

The Addams Family from 1991 and its 1993 sequel Addams Family Values were an homage to the television show in various ways as opposed to the cartoon, especially in terms of visual representation. The practical nature of the stunts, set design, costume design, and make-up design had a deeper and darker impact. Not to mention the kinky sexual undertones of that movie! It is definitely more adult than it leads on and you aren't going to see that in these animated films. Therefore, it seems like the recent animated films are geared towards a much younger audience these days, which is fine. Ultimately, I hope younger generations pick up on the underlying themes of these characters and that it's ok to be dark and different because as Charles Addams himself said, "normal is just an illusion."The Addams Family 2 will start haunting theaters on October 1st, 2021.