While fans were impatiently awaiting the continuation of the Addams family adventures, Wednesday Season 2 surprised everyone this August 6 during the release of their first part. A small nostalgic treat has slipped into the first chapter, specially concocted by Tim Burton himself. This is a hitchhiking short film nestled in the heart of this new salve of episodes. Both tribute to the aesthetics of the filmmaker and perhaps also a cornerstone of the history to come, this segment named The Skull Tree has enough to delight fans of the filmmaker’s Gothic universe.
Even if the sequence was shared by Netflix on its networks, and that it does not reveal anything particular about the intrigue of Wednesday Season 2, we prefer to warn that we are going to talk here about the first episode of part 1. In the short film, it is the character of Ajax (Georgie Farmer), the roommate of Pugsley at the Nevermore Academy, who tells the legend of the famous “Crâne tree”, a haunted plant that sits in the enclosure. We discover the story of a tortured inventor who, in a purely scientific and medical gesture, replaced his heart with a machine.
From the mind of Tim Burton comes The Tale of the Skull Tree. A haunting animated short about a twisted mind rooted in mad ambition.
As seen in Wednesday Season 2: Part I. Now Playing. pic.twitter.com/bR0iWCPDRH
— Netflix (@netflix) August 6, 2025
Inspiration is all found
Parentage with Heart mechanicsMathias Malzieu’s novel adapted to an animated film, is obvious. We find this theme of the artificial, fragile heart, carrying powerful but dangerous emotions. In the two works, the act of replacing a vital and emotionally symbolic organ by a machine does not necessarily bring the expected deliverance. The character of the short film makes it the cost at the end of the story.
Visually, The Skull Tree is a love letter to the universe of Tim Burton. The style recalls its classics in stop-motion such as Vincent, Mr. Jack’s strange Christmas, Funeral wedding or Frankenweenie. We find his visual paw with black and white, cracked textures, shadows and lots of poetry in the silhouettes.
The second half of season 2 of Wednesday will arrive on September 3 on Netflix. In the meantime, fans can (re) discover this first part, already rich in clues. Despite its very teenage atmosphere and its rather banal frame, Wednesday stands out as the direct heiress of the dark tales of Burton, which produces the series, thanks to its Gothic tone at will and its more than morbid folklore.
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