Movie Review: Hotel Transylvania

Hotel Transylvania

Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, USA, 2012.

In 1895 Dracula (Adam Sandler) is raising his daughter Mavis. Dracula starts a family business, a hotel for monsters. Zombies and witches are the hotels main workforce. Humans are not allowed in the hotel.

Dracula reads a bedtime story

Frankenstein and his lady Eunice, the Mummy, Invisible Man and Wolfman family are Dracula's best friends. Mavis (Selena Gomez) has her 118th birthday party and she wants to go explore the outside world. However the outside world with scary humans shaking pitchforks is too dangerous place, says Dracula.

Dracula's friends

Mavis

Problems start when happy backpacker boy Jonathan (Andy Samberg) arrives in the hotel. Dracula is horrified. Jonathan thinks he has found a cool theme-park. To save hotel's reputation Dracula gives him a Frankenstein costume. Jonathan and Mavis begin to fall in love, so Dracula tries to keep them separated. Jonathan teaches the monsters how to party. Maybe the humans aren't so bad after all.

Jonathan

Jonathan with Mavis

What's all this racket?

The idea of a holiday resort for monsters is fun. Dracula is like Mr. Fawlty trying to keep the hotel up and running while getting into absurd situations. As this is a children's movie the scariness of the monsters is toned down to minimum. Vampires drink blood substitute. The Mummy is a happy fellow. Wolfman is an overburdened family man. Frankenstein's monster is an easygoing uncle with a spunky wife. Invisible man is a prankster. Dracula is the most adorable vampire lord ever and the monster visitors are cute.

Wolfman family

Zombie Bach, Beethoven and Mozart

On he minus side are that the story could have been more fun without the ADHD paced rushing around. The slap-stick style humour suffers also from the things happening too quickly as if everyone is overdosing on caffeine. Adam Sandler style toilet jokes were absolutely out of place. Many of the jokes could have been funnier if their quality was not sacrificed over quantity. Especially the zombies were fun. Also the plot is quite basic romantic comedy stuff.

Witch maid

Zombie projectionist

Although it is fun it still feels slightly disappointing. Fairly harmless family entertainment but not a classic.

The DVD has also a short animation "Goodnight Mr. Foot" about Bigfoot's visit in the hotel.

Rating: Good

Voice actors: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Fran Drescher, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, David Spade, CeeLo Green, Jon Lovitz, Brian George, Luenell, Brian Stack, Chris Parnell, Jackie Sandler, Sadie Sandler, Robert Smigel, Rob Riggle, Paul Brittain, Jonny Solomon, Jim Wise, Craig Kellman, Brian McCann, James C.J. Williams

Director: Genndy Tartakovsky