Tim Burton Animates the Addams Family (Plus waldo!)

[gaastra]

Tim burtom brings back the addams family in a new animated movie! Also info on a where's waldo movie!

http://www.deadline.com/print-post/?pos ... &width=750

[EricJ]

And Illumination/Universal going back to the Horton yuppie-Seuss well with "Lorax".
(I remember, back during the live-action annoyances, writing down a cynical-yet-accurate detailed prediction of what a post-Cat/Hat Universal live-action "Lorax" would look like:
I've since had to adjust for post-Horton CGI, but as the main problem is at the studio source and the Seuss-interpretation rot begins at the head, there hasn't been much need to change predictions...Let's see, Steve Carrell as the Once-ler, and what else? )

Oh, and Russell Brand STILL desperate for a first project to find our mainstream love as a breakout star in the States, and hoping that a nice corporate animated movie will do it. That's what they always sink to, around this point.

Kevin Miserocchi of the Tee and Charles Addams Foundation will be executive producer.
(Burton's) intention is to go back to the litany of Addams illustrations that displayed a sharper wit than could be place into a 60s family TV series.

Am I the only one who remembers the "Boiling oil" cartoon in the article as being the very first scene of the 90's Sonnenfeld film?
But that "didn't capture the spirit of the original", of course...Chocolate Factory Syndrome strikes again, and appropriately enough from whom.

And again, this wasn't Tim's own project, but...once someone told him how "perfect he'd be for it" based on isolated past cult-hits, it became exactly what he'd wanted to hear.

[estefan]

This project could be suitable for Burton and I like that he's going the stop-motion/Corpse Bride route here.

While he got Dahl's original book right, his issue with Alice in Wonderland was that "it was just a series of random, nonsensical skits", but that was the appeal of Carroll's book and the '51 Disney adaptation.

[Ben]

One only needs to look at Tweedles Dum and Dee in Burton's Alice to see the way he may go with Pugsley...I kept thinking of that character every time they came onscreen.

Then again, Sonnenfeld's original two films owe a lot to Burton's style, given that he was once mooted as director himself on the first one.

[Randall]

And honestly, who would come to mind quicker than Tim Burton when discussing an Addams family animated project? It is a natural fit.

[Ben]

Yep...I'm very much looking forwards to this actually, the more I think about it. Interesting if Elfman retains even a hint of the signature theme song; I know the intention is to go back right to Addams' original drawings, but there are some elements that might be held on to if only for brand recognition, and the "snap, snap" theme could be well weaved into an Elfman score.

[Macaluso]

Meh

[EricJ]

Look, it's a Burton remake: Not sure, but I THINK we're going to get "It's all new except for the bits I loved from the original..."

[Bill1978]

I'm in two minds on this announcement. While it would be great for a new Addams Family, it seems that Hollywood has forgotten how much the 90s Addams Family movie was closer to the macabre of the comic strip than the actual tv series. Well that's how I feel anyway. The humour was a lot more black, the family was a lot more twisted and disturbed. But then I absolutely love the film so may be looking at it through rose coloured glasses.

In terms of using the TV theme song, even the movie knew that it needed to at least open with the theme. Please Danny and Tim don't make the mistake made by Transformers and Astro Boy and neglect to include a little snippet of the original theme.

I think this movie would work well with Tim's 'vision' and the use of stop motion. Apart from the unnecessary Wonka backstory, I thought his adaptation of Chocolate Factory was spot on and closer to the source material than the original take.

[LotsoA113]

Look, it's a Burton remake: Not sure, but I THINK we're going to get "It's all new except for the bits I loved from the original..."

Good point. Hated Charlie and Apes. Loved Alice with all my heart (one of Johnny's best roles). As for this...go either way. Like stop-motion though. I'll give it a go.

[James]

I'm with Mac -- meh.

Love Burton, but this is hilarious and fitting for this thread:

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1929453

[EricJ]

Genius. I thought CH's Paris Hilton/John McCain one during the election deserved the Comedy Pulitzer, but this has to be up there.

(Except, of course, for the obviously fictional conceit of Tim thinking up his own movies--
Everyone knows his movie ideas are really sent in by desperate studios who say "We want to do a remake of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, could you make it look like Charlie & the Chocolate Factory?"...
Upon which, Tim immediately says "O-kay! ", the fanboys immediately drool, "Cool, I bet he'll make the whole movie about the Childcatcher!", and, of course...he does. )

[ShyViolet]

I actually really love the 90s versions (my favorite is actually the first one) but this sounds like it could be really good...although I might miss the insane/exotic/romantic feel of the original. The films were weird and twisted but they also had a really beautiful otherworldly quality that made them truly unique.

I think Burton might take another track, maybe making them more "bruised outsiders" and emphasizing their "outcast" status (In AF and AFV they sort of reveled in it). The goofy feel of Sonnenfeld's film will no doubt take a darker turn. Neither AF nor AFV were really all that dark, despite the set design, nor were they very disturbing; they were more part of the early 90s family comedy/cute film with kids trend. A Burton AF film (despite, or even because of, being animated) will probably be substantially different.

[LotsoA113]

Good point. I hadn't thought of the whole them being outsiders thing. Maybe Tim will make this grand after all.