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Written 10/19/21
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Buy it... only if you were enamored with Mychael and Jeff Danna's
original themes and gypsy tones from the prior score, those ideas
returning for marginal development in this otherwise stagnant sequel
score.
Avoid it... if the whole point of these scores for you is the
satisfying incorporation of the classic Vic Mizzy television theme, a
presence sadly lacking in this work compared to its predecessor.
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| M. Danna |
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| J. Danna |
The Addams Family 2: (Mychael Danna/Jeff Danna)
Mesmerized by the surprising profits of the 2019 animated adaptation of
The Addams Family, the studios and filmmakers of the project
reunited for another attempted cash grab in 2021. Despite an absolutely
relentless marketing campaign for The Addams Family 2, the sequel
failed to generate anywhere near the same interest. The returning cast
and fresh new character actors in secondary roles couldn't overcome a
wretched script that sees the Addamses take a vacation around America in
an effort to "find themselves." Meanwhile, the daughter of the family,
Wednesday, succeeds so well at a science fair experiment that she
attracts the attention of a mad scientist bent on convincing her that
she's not actually related to her family. After she joins Mr. Strange in
his efforts to blend the DNA of people and animals, she has to choose
between her new master and her family, and the obvious choice wins.
Little of the film takes place in the family's home, leaving the story
as a road trip disaster that affected the soundtrack. The usual
collection of slapstick comedy song placements exists throughout The
Addams Family 2, and Christina Aguilera provides a Vic Mizzy
television theme update again, this time for the film's end. The scoring
duties return to brothers Mychael Danna and Jeff Danna, whose careers
have come to be somewhat defined by these silly children's flicks during
this era. Their effort for the 2019 film was fine but not particularly
memorable, sprinkling the Mizzy theme throughout three new themes and a
variety of Latin and Eastern European tones to represent the origins of
the family. For the second film, the Danna Brothers retain some of the
gypsy spirit and two of their themes, but they almost completely lose
the Mizzy interpolations in their original work. With the absence of the
prior entry's monster theme comes the departure of the pipe organ
element, replaced here by stereotypical mad scientist representations
with theremin and other wild and sometimes disorienting electronic
effects. The score becomes a battle between the affable, lightly comedic
music for the family, the location parody cues, and the Mr. Strange
material that takes its mystery personality from Danny Elfman's
Beetlejuice and The Nightmare Before Christmas. The
recording is adequate but often shallow, diminishing its impact. Sadly,
the only prominent cue to reprise the Mizzy theme (or appear on the
score album) is "The Addams Family Returns," which also summarizes the
tune's sax and finger snapping coolness with gypsy and tango
flavor.
Listeners expecting significant development for the
Dannas' themes from
The Addams Family may be disappointed with
the sequel. Their main theme is surprisingly underplayed despite
frequent references, frantic to open "An Addams Family Vacation" and
opening "Addams Family Bonding/Safe Hands" in disarray before
consolidating on harpsichord. It belches forth late in "Sleepy Hollow
Stories," turns Western parody on harmonica in "Grand Canyon," returns
to full gypsy mode in "Easier to Wake the Dead," achieves a large, eerie
culmination in "To Sausalito!," is somber to open "Wednesday is Gone,"
and departs with action defiance at 1:52 into "Wednesday's Stand." The
tender theme for Wednesday also returns, but with a bigger role,
maintaining its melancholy spirit on viola and piano in "Great
Thinkers," exploring variations in "An Addams Family Vacation,"
accompanying the theremin late in "Sleepy Hollow Stories," slight in
"Fester in Charge," and banished to fragments throughout "A Rebellious
Phase." The main new theme of family reconciliation for
The Addams
Family 2 contains an odd reference to the original "Star Trek"
television theme opening in "Family Heirloom" and "The Extra 'D' in
Addams" but otherwise provides its elegant violin tones in "Family
Heirloom," fights the brainwashing theremin effects in "Call from Mr.
Strange," expresses remorse on viola in the middle of "Easier to Wake
the Dead" (building to a nice synth choral passage), hints fragments of
optimism in "Opehlia's Trough," and dominates "The Extra 'D' in Addams"
with a nice string version early alongside gypsy tones. A new monstrous
theme for Mr. Strange isn't far behind, a massively stomping theremin in
"Laboratorium" leading to similar treatment to open "DNA Cocktail." A
large crescendo for this material follows in "All That Beautiful Water,"
transitions to brass over obnoxious synthetic effects in "Bathroom
Break," and achieves its heights in the second half of "Strangecock vs
Octofester," which contains the score's most obnoxious analog-inspired
synth layers. A marginal new Uncle Fester theme is heard in "The Fester
Method" and "Fester's Nursery Flashback." Otherwise, "Mr. Mustela"
receives a clunky, singular identity and the Dannas, themselves
Canadian, toy with their country's national anthem in "Staring at
Canada." The enthusiastic action of "Punch Buggy," Western parody in
"Grand Canyon," and sensitivity of lament in "Easier to Wake the Dead"
are this score's highlights on the 37-minute score-only album. The lack
of continued interpolations of the Mizzy theme in this score is both
baffling and disappointing, the Danna Brothers' original themes not able
to carry the same appeal. Leave this one by the side of the road.
** @Amazon.com: CD or
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Bias Check:
For Mychael Danna reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.25
(in 16 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.06
(in 5,354 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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