HOLLYWOOD—Can you believe that it took nearly 80 years before fans of the iconic Addams Family would finally get an animated version of the characters to hit the big screen? Yes, it surprised me to because in some alternate universe I was certain that there was an animated movie version of this TV classic. However, it never happened until now. We saw the characters first on the big screen in 1991 with the live-action version starring Oscar-winner Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd and Christina Ricci.

That flick was plenty of fun, but I’d argue it catered far more to adults than it did to kids. I thought the 1993 sequel “Addams Family Values” was just as much fun. Better than its predecessor? Not quite, but a worthy entry to say the least. The 2019 version takes Morticia (voice of Charlize Theron), Gomez (voice of Oscar Isaac), Wednesday (voice of Chloe Grace Mortez), Pugsley (voice of Finn Wolfhard), Uncle Fester (voice of Nick Kroll) and Cousin It (voice of Snoop Dogg) in animated versions.

I think this version focused too heavily on the theme of inclusion and vastly takes away of the fun that fans of the series and characters have come to expect over the years. The animated version heavily caters to children, while forgetting there will be a large presence of adults in the theater seats also. This is a series that has been known to push the envelope when it comes to content, but not overdoing it to alienate a specific audience. Its dark humor that pushes, but not too far that it unnerves the viewer.

The humor here is dry at best, and the jokes just don’t land the way that you expect. Perhaps, that could be a direct result of me constantly comparing this animated version to the 1991 and 1993 versions which are vastly different movies. One catered to a specific audience well aware of these characters and their antics, and a modernized version where most children WHO are seeing the movie have no idea who many of these characters are.

Kids will connect to important themes like not alienating others because they are different, not being afraid to stand out from everyone else and going against the norm, not to mention the bond and the importance of family. However, beyond all those wonderful things “The Addams Family” doesn’t bring anything fresh to the table. There might be a few laughs, but on an entertainment level fans of the original will be greatly disappointed with this entry even though it’s an animated version that we should have had years ago.