Its heart is in the right place, the bones are a little scattered though. So where does “Addams Family” 2019 stand? The ’60s television show was a satire of middle class suburbia the ’90s films were a satire of H. The original comics played on our innate macabre tendencies.

It is the ability of an adaptation to carry these messages that determines its success. The idea of promoting individuality, of being unapologetically you and raising a skeptical eye towards those who wish to change you, is a stated goal of any “Addams Family” adaptation. This is a theme that has remained through all of the major adaptations. It’s important to note that the Addams Family has always been a political statement against conformity. Well, if you consider ’60s middle class suburbia “us.” The joke was no longer the strange antics of the family, it was us. The Addams, for the first time, had a chance to step outside of their bizarre world and into ours. The ’60s series worked because they knew who their target was and the change in format, from comic strip to television series, meant a change in perspective as well. This first adaptation of the Addams Family, the 1964 television series on ABC, not only gave us the Addams Family Theme Song but the template through which all “Addams Family” adaptations would follow.

It was only when the comics were first adapted to television that the Addams family were given personalities and names. “The Addams Family” goes after ’20s era versions of the same general group of people.įor much of the run of the comic the characters were unnamed. “The Simpsons” goes after Regan era Dom-coms, Domestic Comedies that focus on the home lives of your standard Christian white cis-het family. “The Simpsons” and the original “Addams” comic panels both satirize the “model family” – they simply target different time periods. Satire has always been used as a weapon against the status quo and those who benefit from it. First penned by Charles Addams in 1938, “The Addams Family” draws from the same satirical well that, for example “The Simpsons” or early “South Park” do. “The Addams Family” is based on a series of single panel comics published in the New Yorker. This film may be a testament to the staying power of the Addams it’s also a lesson in poor plot structuring and lack of thematic focus. The Addams Family has been around for much longer than many of us have been alive.

From the ’30s comic panels to the ’60s live action show from the animated sitcoms of the ’70s and ’90s, followed by the ’90s films, both theatrical and straight to video, a revised live action show, a stage musical, and finally this film. Again… A creature that refuses to be put down, The Addams family has had an adaptation for basically every generation since its inception.

The addams family comic 1938