We seem to be at a plateau with Hollywood animation. While Pixar and Disney continue to push the boundaries of what computer-based animation can do both technically and artistically, most have figured out how to do the bare minimum to get in theaters.
Normally this would be considered purely lazy and cheap, and I suppose it is. However, this inability, or lack of desire, to advance the technical part of animation has caused some of them to lean more into the style and messaging. This was the case with Abominable (though unsuccessful, to me) and is also true for The Addams Family. The main difference is, with its "dead"-pan wordplay and gentle ribbing of American norms peppering its kind and content characters, Addams is just much more up-my-alley than the faux-sincerity in most kid's films.
We find our fiendish friends learning how to assimilate into their new neighborhood, only to experience some predictable pushback from the status quo. There's no real surprise of any kind in the plotting, and some of the voice-casting is less-than inspired (Kroll as Fester is especially obnoxious).
However, there's some unexpected social critiques here laying a foundation for the spooky schtick. Government-wielded assimilation, media manipulation, comparison-based capitalism; it's all clearly there if you want it from your children's entertainment.
In the end, this is just a great property. Unlike the Hotel Transylvania franchise, the Addams aren't just playing around the edges of the macabre, but are diving right in. The family at the center clearly care for each other, but because of the darkness in the humor, it rarely comes off as saccharine, providing inoffensive yet entertaining October fun that'll really make you screa-um.
Review of The Addams Family
