It is almost a given that any major animated release is going to have a long list of talented actors among the credits. It is also almost a given that whenever Adam Sandler makes a film, a number of actors typically follow him and can be seen in a majority of his films. What do you get when you mix these two facts? You get “Hotel Transylvania”. Just remember that good actors don’t necessarily equal to a good movie. So was this film another winner or does it fall into the flunking category?
Adam Sandler voices the famous Count Dracula in this animated tale. In a modern world, Dracula raises his daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez) to fear the outside world because it is the humans, not the monsters, which are truly the villains. He has created a hotel specifically geared towards monsters of all size, shape, and color, but the front of the castle may as well have a sign that reads ‘No humans allowed!’. On Mavis’s 118th birthday, Mavis decided to venture out to explore the world on her own, but little did she know that her father created a town to scare his daughter back to staying at the hotel forever. It works at first, but you know how movies are, the truth will come out.
Stumbling into the castle is a human backpacker named Jonathon (Andy Samberg). When Dracula finds this out, he has trouble getting the human out, so instead he disguises him as a relative of Frankenstein. Clearly, Jonathon and Mavis instantly grow an attraction towards each other. Again, we as an audience know what will happen at this point and probably for the rest of the film. It is that predictable, but maybe not so much for kids.
This is a kids’ movie, and to be honest kids will adore it. It is vibrant, beautiful, and kids will always love a good animated feature that has the option of 3D. Does it need the 3D? Not so much, this is one of the few animated features that are beginning to get smarter with how much dependence there is on the 3D. It is becoming more of a growing trend, which is a very good thing. 3D can be beneficial if the movie can be enjoyed in both 3D and 2D alike.
The story is incredibly predictable, so adults may not like it quite as much as a child would. However, it is quite hilarious in parts as it was directed by the man responsible for bringing us such television shows such as “Dexter’s Laboratory”, a cartoon that had elements that a wide range of people could enjoy. Now, he didn’t write the film, so the reach probably won’t be as wide. The reach is instead more directional towards young adults. There are some things that only adults will catch, but it is far and few between. That being said, it can very much be tolerated without a tapping foot; it just won’t be on the top of many adults’ to-do lists.
The movie did a pretty fine job addressing important and valuable messages, and it did a remarkable job at conveying them through characters played by Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, and Selena Gomez of all places. That’s one thing you can count on for animated features. You don’t need Oscar-worthy performances because they can animate that for you while playing a nice melody in the background; that being said, is it the best animated film of the year? Not by a long shot, but it does beat out “The Pirates! Band of Misfits”, which made it to the nomination list of best animated feature of 2012.
It’s just a nice film to watch, especially if you have kids. Check it out! “Hotel Transylvania” comes to Blu-Ray and DVD on Jan. 29!
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