The return to animation has done wonders for the Addams Family. Initially created as a comic strip in the 1930s, animation is the native medium for the creepy family. Most Millennial fans remember them from the Barry Sonnenfeld live-action films from the early '90s, but the Addams Family also had a short-lived cartoon in that decade as well.
While their '90s cartoon series was underwhelming, the current animated movies have fully revived the franchise. However, just because the newer films are hilarious and fun, that doesn't mean the live-action Addams' films should be put out to pasture just yet.
10 Animated: More Supernatural
There are limits to technology and the human body. In the '90s, cinema leaped into the modern era of special effects but couldn't exceed the technology of their day. There are many excellent stunts and effects throughout the Addams Family films, but tons of ideas had to be left off the page as they would be impossible to film. The animated version of the Addams doesn't possess this problem— they are free to get as wild and supernatural as filmmakers can imagine without hurting the budget.
9 Live-Action: Better Actors
The animated version of The Addams Family has phenomenal actors like Oscar Isaac, Finn Wolfhard, Charlize Theron, and Bette Midler, but none are dedicated voice actors. Their fame and talent are undeniable, but providing a voice for a cartoon character is a specific discipline. For that reason, the live-action Addams Family movies stand head and shoulders above their contemporary equivalent. Christopher Lloyd, Anjelica Huston, Christina Ricci, and the late Raul Julia give career-high performances in the '90s films, all great actors all bringing their A-games.
8 Animated: More Family Friendly
It's hard to imagine a more family-friendly film than the '90s Addams Family movies. They were funny enough for all ages to derive some enjoyment out of. However, by virtue of the medium they chose to tell the story, the animated films are instantly more appealing to younger viewers.
By making the movie a cartoon, there's a uniformity of tone in the current Addams movies that the '90s films lacked. Despite being created with families in mind, the '90s films carry a sinister edge for extremely young children.
7 Live-Action: More Mature
To reach the youth demographic, the modern Addams Family has to shun complex topics and jokes to keep the movie light enough for their audience. The '90s films played within the lines of their rating but presented crisp jokes loaded with copious allusions to historical events and dark observations. The second film features a legitimate serial killer as a central character. The animated films have plenty of intelligence, but when it comes to brilliant writing for an Addams Family movie, the '90s films are unmatched.
6 Animated: Better Gags
Human beings will never be as physically versatile as cartoons. A property like The Addams Family lends itself to high concept slapstick gags. Gomez and Uncle Fester are consistently placing themselves in some grievous bodily harm for a laugh. With cartoons serving as the avatars for the voice actors, the gags can become as dangerous as possible. Also, with the restraints of reality removed, the film can heighten the visual metaphors to better sell a joke in ways the '90s films could never believably achieve.
5 Live-Action: Nostalgia Factor
Both of the '90s The Addams Family movies are time capsules of their era. In a way, the live-action films are synonymous with the decade of their creation, but there are several small touches of the '90s sprinkled throughout the movies.
In The Addams Family, Gomez Addams calls into the Sally Jessy Raphael talk show— on a rotary phone, no less. For fans of the Addams' exploits born in the '90s, this scene alone could evoke all of the positive feelings the film aims to.
4 Animated: More Modern Take
One of the best parts about generational intellectual properties is watching the reinvention of a classic concept. Seeing the Addams Family through the lens of modernity is always exciting. Strangely enough, due to their retro, gothic aesthetic tying them to the past, The Addams Family always contrasts beautifully with whatever era the films take place. The Addams' of today's era can draw humor from something as simple as the juxtaposition of social media and the anti-social antics of Wednesday Addams.
3 Live-Action: Stakes Are Much Higher
The dramatic tension ramps up considerably because real flesh and blood actors are in the '90s series of Addams Family films. In both films, the family is at the center of devious plots, often designed to kill them, to extract the vast, plentiful Addams family fortune. Although their morbid personalities make it impossible for the threats to register as genuine, the audience investment deepens automatically when the Addams family is in peril. The animated films do have stakes as well— though they are somewhat muted by comparison.
2 Animated: Closer To The Original Comics
Not many people realize that the Addams Family started as a comic strip. For most of their existence in the 20th century, most of the Addams family's renown extends from adaptations in television and film. In the new Addams Family movies, the characters resemble their comic strip forebears more than their previous movie and television counterparts have
The level of respect and reverence to the original strip comes through effortlessly in the new Addams family movies. Charles Addams would be proud to see his comic strip's legacy carry all these decades later.
1 Live-Action: Expanded The Family
The Addams Family director Barry Sonnenfeld loves to have fun with his films. In both installments of his blockbuster entries into the Addams family, Sonnenfeld included new members of the Addams clan. At the beginning of the second film, the Addams welcome a baby, and at the end of the first film, Cousin Itt gets married to one of the antagonists. The reverence that the animated films show for the original comic is cool, but making changes to the source material adds to any adaptation.