'The Addams Family 2' hits the road to scare up more laughs

(CNN)After its live-action movies successful the 1990s, the Addams Family has recovered a logical foothold successful animation, with "The Addams Family 2" scaring up capable laughs to merit the return, with a premix of low-brow wit for kids and old-time callbacks definite to sail implicit their heads. Only mildly creepy, it's conscionable kooky capable to merit an encore, this clip via a hybrid theatrical-digital release.

Shrewdly, the absorption of this escapade involves Addams girl Wednesday (voiced again by Chloë Grace Moretz), who is experiencing that coming-of-age signifier erstwhile she hates her kin, adjacent beyond her customary attempts to execution her member Pugsley (Javon "Wanna" Walton, replacing Finn Wolfhard, who aged retired of the role).

Concerned astir Wednesday's attitude, the ever-cheery Gomez (Oscar Isaac) convinces woman Morticia (Charlize Theron) it's clip for a household roadworthy trip, hoping to rekindle their familial bond. As it turns out, it's besides a means of avoiding the unwelcome lawyer (Wallace Shawn) asking questions astir whether Wednesday was switched astatine birth, which mightiness explicate her disenchantment with her folk, dryly musing astir spending clip with them, "It's torture, and not the amusive kind."

Again directed by Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon, the movie starts slowly, with Wednesday exhibiting her disdain for participation-trophy civilization astatine a subject fair, wherever she draws the attraction of the affluent mogul Cyrus Strange (Bill Hader).

As the roadworthy travel takes off, the movie settles into an episodic groove, making the accustomed wide references intended to evoke giggles from kids (like uncovering a litter container for a favored lion) portion dropping successful immoderate disarming homages, including an unexpected motion to "Carrie."