Wednesday Addams is expelled from her school after nearly killing a classmate. This is her eighth expulsion in five years. At wits end, her parents, Morticia and Gomez, send her to Nevermore Academy, Morticia's old school. A school for outcasts, Wednesday should fit in but it appears that even among outcasts she's an outcast. Meanwhile, a monster is killing people near the school.
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That whole viral dance to 'Goo Goo Muck' wasn't handed to Jenna Ortega by a choreographer, she made it up herself. She pulled moves from Bob Fosse, Siouxsie Sioux and the goth kids she used to watch at 80s clubs, then stitched it all together into something that somehow feels exactly like Wednesday Addams.
Buried inside Jenna Ortega's dance routine is a quick tribute to Lisa Loring, the actress who played Wednesday back in the 1964 series. If you know Loring's little arm flick from the original show, you'll spot it snuck into the choreography.
Before he ever touched Nevermore Academy, Tim Burton was actually approached to direct the 1991 Addams Family film. He turned it down because he was busy finishing Batman Returns, so the gig went to Barry Sonnenfeld instead, and Burton's Addams moment had to wait another three decades.
Jenna Ortega jumped onto her Zoom meeting with Tim Burton straight after wrapping a gory scene on another project, so she was still splattered head to toe in fake blood. Burton, being Burton, thought it was hilarious rather than off-putting, and has said since that he can't picture anyone else playing the role.
Casting Christina Ricci as Miss Thornhill is a lovely bit of stunt casting when you remember she actually played Wednesday Addams in the 90s films. Watching the old Wednesday teach the new one is one of those details that only lands if you grew up on the movies.
