You might remember that a while back we let you know that Oscar Isaac had signed on to play Gomez in an upcoming Addams Family movie, and while that seems like pitch-perfect casting, there's a catch: the film is going to be animated. It seems like a huge missed opportunity to have the actor who looks perfect for the part be relegated to a sound booth, but whatever, we'll take it. Well, now we have our first look at the character designs of this new iteration, and it... sure is something.
To be perfectly honest with you folks, I'm not a fan of what's going on here. It seems a lot like MGM is trying to make their own Hotel Transylvania with these character designs, but that's kind of missing the whole point of The Addams Family. The Addams are functionally a parody of how upper-class reclusion fosters bizarre habits and fascinations, equating the boredom that accompanies wealth with a fascination for the macabre. But in order for that joke to work, the characters themselves need to look and feel human and relatable, a discernable contrast from the bizarre funhouse machinations that dictate their daily lives.
These Addams look like they walked out of a funhouse mirror themselves. A variety of exaggerated body shapes is one thing, but these designs verge on inhuman before the introduction of any other aesthetic elements of their world, which just feels like it misses the point. I'll withhold judgment until we can see them in motion, but right now my confidence is not exactly inspired.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Addams Family "will follow the creepy and kooky family as they face off against a crafty reality-TV host while also preparing for their extended family to arrive for a major celebration, Addams-style."
...Cool.
At least the voice cast sounds spot-on. Accompanying Oscar Isaac's Gomez is Charlize Theron as Morticia, Nick Kroll as Uncle Fester, Chloe Grace Moretz as Wednesday, Finn Wolfhard as Pugsley, Bette Midler as Grandmama, and Allison Janney as the film's villain, Margauz Needler. That's some remarkably good casting across the board, especially with regards to Theron and Kroll. It'll really be a shame if the animated avatars don't live up to the talent on display here.
The Addams Family will creep its way into theaters on October 11, 2019, so it still has plenty of time to win us over. Please let it win us over. We really want to like this.