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Tim Burton May Direct a Stop-Motion Addams Family Movie

by Ethan Anderton
March 18, 2010

Though I've moderately enjoyed his recent adaptations of Sweeney Todd and Alice in Wonderland (in 3-D no less), I have to admit that I'm a bit frustrated as Deadline reports writer/director Tim Burton will take on a 3-D stop-motion animated film based on Charles Addams' original cartoon creations of The Addams Family. Though the previous film and television incarnations of this drew inspiration from these cartoons, this new animated venture is completely unrelated to them and will instead go back to the litany of Addams illustrations (seen above) that displayed a sharper wit than the classic TV series. So why am I frustrated?

Essentially, adaptations are usually the exception to my rule of preferring original scripts as the inspiration for feature films. Comic books, recent adaptations like Shutter Island and such are essentially like original spec scripts like themselves, because many times the written material is indeed an original story, but simply not in screenplay format. But in Burton's case, I feel his best work has been with his original concepts like Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, and Corpse Bride, which was his directorial debut with a stop-motion movie (remember he only produced and wrote the The Nightmare Before Christmas). But when Burton is adapting material like Alice in Wonderland and now The Addams Family which has already seen multiple incarnations, I feel like he's wasting his unique vision with someone else's over exposed ideas once again.

Anyway, the cartoons (seen above) from Addams are very in tune with Burton's creative style and were once a staple of The New Yorker magazine. Personally, I'd rather see the feature length version of Burton's short film Frankenweenie, about a boy who reanimates his dead dog, come to fruition sooner. Though technically an adaptation, the idea is one of Burton's original creations which should be happening anytime now and is much better suited for a younger audience who may never have even heard of The Addams Family. Anyway, no cast is attached yet and producers are still in the process of looking for a writer. What do you think?

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1-7

Tim Burton must die.
http://digaphobia.com Mark

Ehhhhhhhhhhh, it could be worse.
johnny Crow

Ill stand behind any of Tim Burtons work. I am pumped for more of his stop animation!
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/2408/blackbabyjesus.gif Crapola

Those drawings are great. Tim Burton could probably do okay at this, I wanted to call him out for being a money making douchebag that plays a weirdo, which he is, but he probably could do something like his early work. Surely there's some other cookie weirdos kicking about that could make a film? Isn't LA full of loonies with bad haircuts that have lost their minds and smell bad? I dunno.
movie mike

gee. i wonder who they will possibly get to voice mortica and gomez? o i know who would be great! JOHNNEY DEPP AND HALENA BOHAMM CARTER! We all know how much tim burton loves to make uniqe and risky casting choises.
Xerxex

No! Henry Selick or bust.
Paulo

Helena Bonham Carter will play Morticia. I WILL JUMP OFF A BUILDING IF IT'S NOT TRUE!
People's Champ

1-7@ You first
Daniel felts

Tim Burton, ok. Stop motion, nuh uh. It'll be okay if he did live action. But noo stop motion please. I don't care if he puta depp and Carter jn. No stop motion.
Cody w

God I wish Burton would take his money and go to some island in the Caribbean forever and never come back.
People's Champ

So is Burton doing this before or after Dark Shadows?
DaftPUNKFAN

oh hell no Burton if your gona take a classic and make something like Jonny Deep in wonderland all over you better just go eff urself or have Jonny fist you
Daniel

@5 Lol, great minds think alike. XD
dex

yup this will be a perfect nail to seal his career's coffin.
Deathtoll 2010

Helena Bonham Carter will play: Morticia Granny Wednsday Johnny Depp will play: Gomez Fester Pugsly Lurch will be done by The Great Khali...."uhhhhhhhh"
Nada Nuff

I'm not interested in another Addams Family movie. I'm not interested in a stp-motion movie. So I'll pass.
SlashBeast

If he does direct this, it'll pretty much prove Burton's career is a wash-up. Once touted for his originality, now he's just interested in remakes.
Staatz

Geez I thought it sounded ok but I guess I might be the only one in the theater...
killerglove

I love tim burton's movies but I really want to see some original stuff from him. It's like he's advertising how awesome he is at everything but originality.
Fuelbot

Just a note: Tim Burton didn't actually write Nightmare Before Christmas, he came up with the story and the characters are obviously modeled around his concepts. Caroline Thompson wrote NMBC as well as Corpse Bride.
Fuelbot

Just a note: Tim Burton didn't actually write Nightmare Before Christmas, he came up with the story and the characters are obviously modeled around his concepts. Caroline Thompson wrote NMBC as well as Corpse Bride.
quaked2023

Well this has FAIL written all over it
http://twitter.com/gimmesumsuga Mathieu

Burton wrote the story, created and designed the characters, drew storyboards and produced the film, assembling all the creative team. That's enough of a claim to authorship as far as Nightmare goes to satisfy me. Back on topic, I love Tim Burton and most that seem to hate him I can imagine were school bullies picking on the outcasts and oddballs when they were kids, so who cares what they think? But yes, this news does depress me. Enough with the remakes, Tim. If you must adapt something, how about a book that hasn't been filmed before? I could imagine him directing something strange like a Fight Club kind of novel if he put his mind to it, but he doesn't seem interested. Maybe he should take a break for a few years, watch his family grow up and recharge the batteries. Then come back fresh.
poo

Hasn't everything Tim Burton has ever made essentially been a stop-motion Addams Family?
People's Champ

@poo - No. Yeah he's career is a wash out, AIW is only gonna pull in $750 worldwide. Man, what a wash out. You people are outrageous, it's not like his doing the 4th sequel to Scissorhands, or remakes to lame movies. I think people just like to Bitch! Yeah, I like to see something new myself from Burton, but I'm not losing sleep over it. At least he's not Paul Anderson!
Bob

How predictable, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Tim Burton the one trick pony.
vondervon

John Astin will HAVE to be involved, even if only helping to train someone else to read the role of Gomez. Da da da dump, snap snap