Most of the talk surrounding The Addams Family recently has revolved almost entirely around Tim Burton’s Netflix series Wednesday, which is gearing up to begin filming with Jenna Ortega in the lead role, but the titular clan will be back on our screens before the end of the year when the sequel to 2019’s animated sleeper hit comes to theaters on October 1st, just in time for Halloween.
Directed by animation veterans Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan, who between them boast credits on Shrek 2, Monsters vs. Aliens, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted and the R-rated Sausage Party, The Addams Family was a surprise success at the box office after earning $204 million on a $24 million budget, which is positively minuscule by the standards of the modern era where Pixar’s output regularly costs in excess of $150 million to produce.
The majority of the principal cast will be returning for The Addams Family 2, with the notable exception of Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard being replaced by Javon Walton as the voice of Pugsley. Bill Hader is the most prominent new addition to the ensemble, joining the returning Charlize Theron, Oscar Isaac, Chloe Grace Moretz, Nick Kroll, Snoop Dogg and Bette Midler as Morticia, Gomez, Wednesday, Uncle Fester, Cousin Itt and Grandmama Addams respectively.
The opener scored middling reviews, and currently sits on a painfully average Rotten Tomatoes score of 44%, but it made a lot of money nonetheless. The Addams Family 2 looks to offer up much of the same for better or worse, but it could provide decent counter-programming for family audiences during spooky season to keep the younger demographic occupied, at a time where the market is typically swamped by R-rated horror.