Sony Pictures Animation’s latest, “Hotel Transylvania”, stars Adam Sandler as the voice of Dracula. In 1895, he and his wife had a daughter they named Mavis. But soon after, Dracula’s wife was killed by humans. He’s left to raise Mavis on his own and promises his wife that he’ll always protect little Mavis. So he builds a large castle where they can live in peace away from humans and turns it into a hotel, so all other monsters from around the world can come and stay to be safe as well.
We flash-forward to present day. Mavis (voiced by Selena Gomez – taking over for Miley Cyrus who left the project earlier this year) is celebrating her 118th birthday. She wants to finally be able to go out on her own and explore the world. Hotel Transylvania is filled with hundreds of monster guests who have come for the birthday celebration. But an uninvited guest shows-up: a human named Johnny (voiced by former “SNL” star Andy Samberg).
He’s a back-packing 21-year-old who thinks the hotel is hosting a monster costume party. Dracula discovers Johnny but decides not to tell anyone there’s a human at the hotel since the news would scare everyone away and ruin Mavis’ birthday. But it’ll be a tough secret to keep, since Johnny (he’s disguised as Frankenstein’s cousin) is becoming quite popular with all the monsters – especially Mavis.
“Hotel Transylvania” is incredibly fast-paced. There are several action/chase scenes (sometimes back-to-back) and keeping-up with them is a challenge. The film looks good and works well with the 3D, I just wish the pace was a little slower (good luck keeping track of the Werewolf’s kids). For once I was glad that there are a few slow-motion shots in the film.
And the same goes for the animation, which is actually an interesting style of CGI. It’s sharp – the expressions on the characters faces and their body movements stop and start, meaning there’s no flow. This creates a different look, but it meshes perfectly with the frantic pace of the film.
The first half hour of “Hotel Transylvania” is the funniest part of the film. The opening sequence with Sandler talking and singing to baby Mavis is very well done. Then we’re introduced to all the monsters, including Frankenstein (Kevin James), his wife (Fran Drescher), The Werewolf and his wife (Steve Buscemi and Molly Shannon), the Mummy (Ceelo Green) and The Invisible Man (David Spade). They crack non-stop jokes about themselves and each other.
Credit the filmmakers for all the inside jokes and smart monster references throughout the film. Producer Michelle Murdocca told me they spent years watching classic monster movies, and it shows. A lot of the humor is aimed at older kids and adults (including an inevitable “Twilight” parody that is a highlight), but there are also plenty of goofy situations for the younger audience.
“Hotel Transylvania”‘s main weakness is the story. It’s too simple and too familiar. The over-protective parent storyline has been worn-out (“Brave” being the most recent example) and Sony already used the single-parent situation in “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”. Plus, the script provides only a few, minor surprises. However, the ensemble voice cast is great, led by Sandler, who isn’t simply doing a vampire impersonation. He really sinks his teeth into his character.
“Hotel Transylvania” is rated PG for some rude humor and mild action. It’s appropriate for kids 8 and up. This is a solid and consistently funny animated comedy.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “Hotel Transylvania” gets a B-.
Sony Pictures Animation continues it’s winning streak. Next-up: the highly-anticipated “Smurfs 2” in July.