The Addams FamilyMovie 1991
The Addams Family is a 1991 American supernatural black comedy film based on the characters from the cartoon created by cartoonist Charles Addams and the 1964 TV series produced by David Levy.[5] Directed by former cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld in his screen directing debut, the film stars Anjelica Huston, who was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance as Morticia Addams, Raul Julia as Gomez Addams, and Christopher Lloyd as Fester Addams. The film focuses on a bizarre, macabre, aristocratic family who reconnect with whom they believe to be a long-lost relative, Gomez's brother Fester Addams.
The Addams FamilyMovie | 1991
The Addams Family: Soundtrack was produced by Hummie Mann and Marc Shaiman.[13] It was orchestrated by Hummie Mann and composed by Duke Ellington, Irving Mills, Marc Shaiman and Saxie Dowell.[13] It was released on December 3, 1991[14] by Capitol Records.[13][14][15] "Addams Groove" by MC Hammer was the theme song for the movie and the music video was played prior to the film.
The franchise remained in the popular consciousness even after the series concluded, with the "Lurch" dance move remaining popular through the 1960s for example. The television series was often re-run through television syndication for years afterward, in some areas continuing to broadcast as late as 1991. It was followed by a 1972 crossover appearance in Scooby-Doo and a 1973 animated series. The animated incarnation featured a new cast except for Felix Silla, who returned as Cousin Itt. A one-shot special, Halloween with the New Addams Family, reunited most of the original cast from the 1964 series.[3]
Two live-action films were directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and released in the early 1990s, featuring a new cast. While the 1991 film received mixed reviews from critics, it performed reasonably well at the box office. A second film in 1993, Addams Family Values, had the inverse reception. It was highly regarded by critics but, unexpectedly, performed poorly at the box office, and earned less than half the revenue of its predecessor. This, and the sudden death of Gomez actor Raul Julia in 1994, prevented Sonnenfeld from producing further films.[3] Both received nominations for Academy Awards, BAFTA Awards, and Hugo Awards. For her role as Morticia, Anjelica Huston was twice nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, and Raul Julia (as Gomez), Christina Ricci (as Wednesday), Christopher Lloyd (as Fester), and Joan Cusack (as Fester's wife, Debbie Jellinsky, in the sequel) received multiple Saturn Award and American Comedy Award nominations for their portrayals.
The remake series ran on Saturday mornings from 1992 to 1993 on ABC after producers realized the success of the 1991 Addams Family movie. This series returned to the familiar format of the original series, with the Addams Family facing their sitcom situations at home. John Astin returned to the role of Gomez, and celebrities Rip Taylor and Carol Channing took over the roles of Fester and Grandmama, respectively. Veteran voice actors Jim Cummings, Debi Derryberry, Jeannie Elias and Pat Fraley did the voices of Lurch, Wednesday, Pugsley and Cousin Itt, respectively. New artistic models of the characters were used for this series, though still having a passing resemblance to the original cartoons. Two seasons were produced, with the third year containing reruns. Oddly in this series, Wednesday maintained her macabre, brooding attitude from the Addams Family movies. Still, her facial expressions and body language conveyed the happy-go-lucky, fun attitude of her portrayal in the original television show. The original Vic Mizzy theme song, although slightly different, was used for the opening.
In 2021, Netflix announced a live-action TV series adaptation based on Wednesday Addams, produced by MGM Television and starring Jenna Ortega as the title character. Alfred Gough and Miles Millar were the showrunners and Tim Burton directed several episodes in his first televised directorial effort.[12] Wednesday, a student at Nevermore Academy, solves mysteries using her psychic ability. These include murders and a 25-year-old mystery involving her family.[13] Luis Guzmán stars as Gomez,[14] and Catherine Zeta-Jones stars as Morticia.[15] In addition, Fred Armisen appears as Uncle Fester, George Burcea as Lurch, Victor Dorobantu as Thing, and Isaac Ordonez as Pugsley. Hunter Doohan, Georgie Farmer, Moosa Mostafa, Emma Myers, Naomi J. Ogawa, Joy Sunday, Percy Hynes White, Thora Birch, Riki Lindhome, Jamie McShane and Gwendoline Christie were also added to the cast as series regulars.[16][17] In March 2022, Christina Ricci, who portrayed Wednesday in The Addams Family (1991) and Addams Family Values (1993), joined the cast as a series regular.[18]
In the 1990s, Orion Pictures (which by then had inherited the rights to the series) developed a film version, The Addams Family (released on November 22, 1991). Because of the studio's financial troubles at the time, Orion sold the US rights to the film to Paramount Pictures. On October 1, 2019, Paramount Pictures[21] released double feature of Addams Family and Addams Family Values on Blu-ray in the United States.
Though it was based on morbidly funny and popular cartoon created by Charles Addams and the 1964 TV series, no one in Hollywood expected the first film to be a hit when it was released in 1991. Made for just $30 million in a long and difficult 20-week shoot, The Addams Family surprised everyone when it went on to gross $200 million. Two years later, its sequel, Addams Family Values, premiered and while it underperformed, making just under $50 million, its still beloved by viewers to this day. (Though the less said about the third film, 1998's straight-to-DVD Addams Family Reunion, featuring an almost entirely new cast, the better.)
In honor of the Addams family's latest animated outing, The Addams Family (with voice-work from Charlize Theron, Oscar Isaac, Finn Wolfhard and Chloe Grace Moretz), we're looking back on 1991's The Addams Family and 1993's Addams Family Values and revealing some behind-the-scenes facts you might not know about the cult-classic movies that director Barry Sonnenfeld, writer Paul Rudnick and the stars have revealed over the years....
6. In a 1991 interview on Live With Regis and Kathie Lee, Ricci revealed how she prepped for her audition: "My mom told me to just sort of think of Winona Ryder in Beetlejuice. They're similar characters, so then I auditioned and it worked for the audition." Ricci and Ryder had worked together the year prior on Mermaids and the two remained friends for years.
Gomez Addams was the master of the Addams household and the Addams patriarch, married to Morticia and the father of Wednesday and Pugsley. In the 60's sitcom, he was Grandmama's son, but this was retconned in the 1991 film, and he became Grandmama's son-in-law instead, staying true to the comics. Also retconned in the films, he became the younger brother of Fester instead of his nephew-in-law. In the original cartoons in the New Yorker, he appeared tubby, snub-nosed and with a receding chin.
Fester is a bald, barrel-shaped man with dark, sunken eyes and a devilish grin. He seemed to carry an electrical charge, as he could illuminate a light bulb by sticking it in his mouth. In the original television series, Fester was Morticia's uncle. In the 1991 film and all subsequent animated and film media, Fester was Gomez's older brother. The character played a central role in both of the first two feature films. In The Addams Family, Fester was reunited with the other Addamses after 25 years apart, while The Addams Family Values focused on his relationship with Deborah "Debbie" Jellinsky.
In the 1990s, Orion Pictures (which by then had inherited the rights to the series) developed a film version, The Addams Family (recorded 30-31 October 1989 and released 22 November 1991). Due to the studio's financial troubles at the time, Orion sold the US rights to the film to Paramount Pictures.
Then the '90s happened and changed the way people would view The Addams Family forever. In 1991, director Barry Sonnenfeld, known for The Men in Black trilogy and Get Shorty, directed a live-action film adaptation called The Addams Family, bringing the strange family to the big screen for the first time. Through the success of the first film, a sequel, also directed by Sonnenfeld, came out in 1993 entitled Addams Family Values. These films are considered to be the definitive version of The Addams Family by die-hard fans and are usually the version of The Addams Family people know of the best. The film's cast does not even feel like a cast, but more like the real Addams Family come to life. The film stars Raul Julia as Gomez, Angelica Huston as Morticia, Christopher Lloyd as Uncle Fester, Christina Ricci as Wednesday, Jimmy Workman as Pugsley, and Judith Malina and Carol Kane as Grandmama in the first and second film, respectfully. Christina Ricci in particular usually gets major props for playing Wednesday Addams, a role she was definitely born to play, and Angelica Huston got nominated for two Golden Globes for her portrayal of Morticia in both films.
The Addams Family (1991 Live-Action Film): Played by actress Anjelica Huston, Morticia, Hudson is said to have based her performance on iconic model Jerry Hall to add more warmth to the character.
Raul Julia brought charm and sophistication to the role in the 1991 film and its 1993 sequel, creating a palpable dynamic with Angelica Huston as Gomez's wife, Morticia Addams. The star sadly passed away on October 24, 1994, not long after the release of "Addams Family Values." 041b061a72