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Review of The Addams Family 2 (Mychael Danna/Jeff Danna)

FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:

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.

FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:

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.  **

TRACK LISTINGS:

Total Time: 37:12

• 1. Laboratorium (1:08) • 2. The Science Fair (0:41) • 3. DNA Cocktail (0:41) • 4. The Addams Family Returns (0:30) • 5. Great Thinkers (0:35) • 6. The Fester Method (0:38) • 7. An Addams Family Vacation (1:55) • 8. Addams Family Bonding/Safe Hands (0:43) • 9. Mr. Mustela (1:33) • 10. All That Beautiful Water (0:37) • 11. Staring at Canada (0:46) • 12. Sleepy Hollow Stories (1:38) • 13. Fester's Nursery Flashback (0:47) • 14. Fester in Charge (1:25) • 15. A Rebellious Phase (1:07)

• 16. Punch Buggy (0:54) • 17. Grand Canyon (0:31) • 18. Bathroom Break (0:33) • 19. Family Heirloom (1:24) • 20. Call From Mr. Strange (1:21) • 21. Cista Laboratorium (1:05) • 22. Easier to Wake the Dead (1:34) • 23. To Sausalito! (1:59) • 24. House of Strange (1:41) • 25. Opehlia's Trough (1:55) • 26. Wednesday is Gone (1:51) • 27. Wednesday's Stand (2:46) • 28. Strangecock vs Octofester (2:59) • 29. The Extra 'D' in Addams (1:55)

NOTES & QUOTES:

There exists no official packaging for this album.

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