Disclaimer: The Fandads were given an advance review code of The Addams Family 2 in exchange for a review. All thoughts, opinions, and sense of kookiness are our own.

A daughter feeling out of place in her family. A dad trying to connect with his daughter and a young man looking for love. A scientist trying to get an ancient family secret. If you think this is the plot of a Hallmark movie you are incorrect. These are some of the plot points of the latest Addams Family movie: The Addams Family 2 (catchy title) and it is a fun sequel to watch with your family.

The Addam Family 2 is now in theaters, and while it may not be a sequel that was asked for, it’s a sequel worth seeing. This is the fourth time we see the Addams Family on the big screen (two live-action movies and two animated movies) and they still have something to teach us after all of these iterations.

The movie starts off with a school science fair and while we see the usual projects: volcanos, solar systems, and something to do with electricity we see Wednesday Addam’s out-of-the-ordinary project. Proving that she is smarter than most kids, she transplants the characteristics of her smart octopus, Socrates to her zany uncle, Uncle Fester. When the winners are announced it does not go the way that Wednesday thought and this begins her questioning who she is and why her family is the way they are.

Wednesday’s journey of discovery is the main plot of the movie and touches what many children go through at some point in their lives. We all know we have felt different from our family members and even questioned “How are we related?”. As the movie progresses we also see the story of Pugsley who wants to have a girlfriend. Another theme that many can relate to. Although the “relationship” mentor isn’t as much help as he would like, it is heartbreaking at times seeing this young boy trying to get the attention of girls and failing miserably.

By the trailers, this sequel is promoted as a road trip movie but it is much more than that. The family does visit some of the country’s most well-known landmarks and there is some hilarity that occurs at these locations but some of these scenes feel forced. They feel like “we have the Addams family at the Grand Canyon, what crazy thing can we have them do here?”. We do see Pugsley’s penchant for explosives numerous times in the movie and I hope it does not give kids ideas that playing with explosives is fun.

There are some funny moments throughout the film: a marriage proposal that doesn’t go as planned, Wednesday being entered into a beauty pageant, and Lurch playing the piano. The last one had my family laughing because we have all seen Lurch play the piano before but not like this. I don’t want to give away much about the movie but it is great to see more animated movies out this year about family and belonging. As for the scientist wanting the ancient formula, you will need to watch the movie to see how that plays into the overall plot.

I will say the storyline of Gomez trying to find a connection with Wednesday was great to see as a father. Our daughters mean everyting to us and while they are always by our sides when they are younger sooner or later daughters don’t want to hang around with dads. Seeing how Gomez was pained by this and wanted to have that connection again showed us how much of a caring father he is. There is a happy ending to this storyline and I am glad the movie covered this aspect of fatherhood on the screen.

The main takeaway from the movie is that being different is a good thing. This theme resonates with everything that is going on in the world at the moment but it is also a great message for children. I have a daughter who is in middle school, and at this age, we know that there will be questions about who they are and their identity in school. While Wednesday’s situation may be different from my daughter’s there will probably be many young children who can relate to what Wednesday is going through.

Final Thoughts: The movie has a great message about how being different is a good thing. While the Addams family is a strange family it is great to see how they embrace their “strangeness” and do not change it to fit the world around them. The world around them is what needs to accept them for who they are.

Kid-Friendly: There are some scenes that may be a little above the ratings for the movie. Wednesday’s possession of Pugsley via a voodoo doll might be too much for some viewers. The dark tone of the family is what makes the Addams the Addams so if you have seen the first one you know what to expect.

Violence: There are not many violent scenes in the movie but the Commando call-back might go over the head of some of the younger viewers and might be a little disturbing to some.

Everyone’s favorite spooky family is back in the animated comedy sequel, The Addams Family 2. In this all new movie we find Morticia and Gomez distraught that their children are growing up, skipping family dinners, and totally consumed with “scream time.” To reclaim their bond they decide to cram Wednesday, Pugsley, Uncle Fester and the crew into their haunted camper and hit the road for one last miserable family vacation. Their adventure across America takes them out of their element and into hilarious run-ins with their iconic cousin, IT, as well as many new kooky characters. What could possibly go wrong?