The Hotel Transylvania Series - A Look Back

 

 It's common place now days to get just as many Halloween movies for kids and families as it is to get horror movies for adults. Less common however are for them to become franchises. There are some exceptions, and one of the biggest to take on a life all its own was the "Hotel Transylvania" franchise. 

It began as a simple little animated Adam Sandler comedy for kids, and then it took off with multiple sequels, spin-offs and TV shows. As someone who loves consuming Halloween specials and the like, I wanted to look through the series from start to finish and see where each instalment lands with me.

  

 “Hotel Transylvania” (2012) 

  With all the really dark and scary Halloween films like “ParaNorman” and “Coraline”, it’s nice to know that kids have alternatives in the form of films like “Hotel Transylvania”. The story revolves around Count Dracula as he’s built a safe haven for all the classic monsters, but his daughter Mavis wants to see the world, and when a young human boy stumbles into monster land ... an unexpected romance is born, and it’s one energized situation after another as the Count tries to maintain peace in his castle. This movie has got just about everything ... funny moments, touching moments, colorful characters, terrific animation, lots of energy, upbeat music, and a location that’s just drenched in Halloween goodness.

      Dracula's daughter Mavis has a secure spot as one of my favorite new animated Halloween characters, and the rest of the cast play their parts great. It may be overshadowed by other Halloween films that are a pinch more adult, but I hope more people discover this film. It really is a gem, and a good one to share with kids. On my personal Halloween re-watch scale, I give the original “Hotel Transylvania” a perfect 10/10.     

“Goodnight Mr. Foot” (2012)

 The first DVD of “Hotel Transylvania” came complete with a traditionally animated short film titled “Goodnight Mr. Foot”, which revolves around Big Foot trying to get some sleep in his hotel room, but is constantly disturbed by an overly excited Witch maid. It’s a cute little short episode, well animated, and gives a small taste of the expanded potential for the “Hotel Transylvania” setting. I probably wouldn't have given it a second thought, but since it's joined at the hip with the first, I don't mind looking back on it for light comfort food. On my personal Halloween re-watch scale, I give “Goodnight Mr. Foot” a more then generous 6/10.

"Hotel Transylvania 2" (2015)

In 2015, there was the first theatrical sequel titled “Hotel Transylvania 2”, and I found this to be a half-way decent sequel, as it recaptured some of the charm from its predecessor, but not all of it. Following the events of the first film, Mavis and Johnny get married and have a new baby boy named Little Denise. Since he’s the child of a human and a vampire, there’s a clash between Dracula and Mavis as to whether Little Denise should live among people or monsters. In the plus column, this is a proper progression of the story, and the characters haven’t lost an ounce of their charismatic charms. Unfortunately, while this sequel still captured the heart of the first film, it for some reason failed to get me in the mood for Halloween like its predecessor did. I think a lot of that has to do with the characters being outside of the hotel for most of the movie. Personally, I think the best parts of “Hotel Transylvania 2” come at both the opening and closing acts of the film, while the middle half just seems to meander around, and get lost in some cringe worthy jokes.

Still, even with my reservations, this film had more than enough highlights. I love the opening wedding scene, especially this one moment in which Dracula and Mavis share a father/daughter dance on the ceiling by a giant chandelier. I also enjoyed the climax, in which we see humans and monsters team up to battle an army of evil Gargoyle looking creatures. My favorite thing I took from this movie was actually Little Denise’s sweet relationship with the little Werewolf girl Wendy, whose voiced again by Adam Sandler's eldest daughter Sadie Sandler. 

While their scenes are brief, every moment they share together is absolutely precious, and it’s just great to see more of that little Werewolf girl. I also liked the inclusion of The Phantom of the Opera, who was sorely missing from the first film, and I really liked the addition of Mel Brooks as the voice of Dracula’s father Vlad. I grew up loving Mel Brooks comedies, and ever since he stopped directing, I always look forward to him making appearances in other comedy projects like this film. Although, for some people, having Mel Brooks voice a Dracula-esk character may bring back bad memories of his final comedy, and biggest critical failure called “Dracula Dead and Loving It”. Overall, I don't return to this film quiet as often as the first, but I'd certainly place it among Adam Sandler's better movies, and I'm glad I have this sequel as an option to return to every couple Halloween seasons. On my personal Halloween re-watch scale, I give “Hotel Transylvania 2” a decent 8/10.     

  

“Hotel Transylvania: The Series” (2017-2020)

2017 marked the premier of a 2D animated “Hotel Transylvania” TV series, which focuses on Mavis in her younger teenage years at the hotel. The show ran for two seasons, with a total of 52 episodes, and four shorts. Full disclosure, I haven't watched this show and have no real desire to view the whole thing. While I love the movie, I'm content to let the show appeal to its target audience. All that being said, I did watch their special Halloween episode titled “The Legend of Pumpkin Guts”, and that was kind of amusing. In a clever twist, Halloween night is a dangerous time for monsters, but Mavis and company are eager to venture out and discover the joy of Trick R' Treating. Participating in a human pass time for Halloween is where all the trouble comes in, as it unleashes a giant pumpkin creature hellbent on transforming all other monsters into Jack O’ Lanterns. It’s about as crazy as it sounds, but still kind of clever, and bursting with decorative Halloween animation. In general, I adore Halloween specials that make Trick R' Treat the main focus, and it made this a welcome add on to the franchise. While I can't rate the series as a whole, I can say that for my personal Halloween re-watch scale, I give the stand-alone episode “The Legend of Pumpkin Guts” a worthy 7/10.  

“Puppy!” (2017)

Also, in 2017 there was yet another short film simply titled “Puppy!”, which revolved around Dracula getting a giant dog for his grandson. It had a higher animation budget then the first short, with equal quality CGI to the movies, and even brought back the full cast. It's harmless enough, although very forgettable in the long run, and isn't one I actively seek to re-watch. More to the point, the short ended with Dracula stating that “he needs a vacation”. In short, this was a set-up for yet another theatrical sequel ... as for this short, on my personal Halloween re-watch scale, I give “Puppy” a dismissive 4/10.

“Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation” (2018)

The following summer of 2018 saw the release of “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation”, the first non-Halloween-esk instalment of the series. I was very concerned when I saw both the ads and marketing for this film, as I feared the series may be going the rout of the “Ice Age” movies, and just producing sequels with no thought or care. Well, I still gave it a chance, and thankfully to my surprise, I really didn’t hate this film at all, in fact it was perfectly passable. Granted, this film did even less to put me in the Halloween mood than its predecessor, which is no surprise considering that it’s summer themed, but the same charm and appeal of these characters, and this universe is still intact. I still love the feel of these terrific characters coming together, Mavis hasn’t lost an ounce of her charm, the relation between the two little kids Denis and Werewolf Wendy is still very cute, and Dracula even gets a good character arc falling in love with the doubter of his oldest human adversary Van Helsing. The animation once again looks great, there’s occasional highlights, and some funny gags. The downside is that the plot is very one note, predictable, and like with its predecessor, this film meanders around with detours that overstay their welcome. In the end, I coasted on a single viewing for this film and I probably won’t be re-watching this one, the same way I do with the first or even second, but I was at least happy that after three films, these characters still hold my attention, and it was fine to go on another goofy venture with them. On my personal Halloween re-watch scale, I give “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation” a split 5/10.        

   

"Monster Pets" (2021)

 Of course, things never stay away for too long, and in 2021, a new animated short was released theatrically titled "Monster Pets", which continued the goofy antics of Dracula and his giant pet dog. The only difference this time is the addition of new monster themed pets that Dracula finds himself looking after. Honestly, this short is so similar to the previous short that the two blend together in my mind, and my feelings aren't all that different. On my personal Halloween re-watch scale, I give “Monster Pets” another dismissive 4/10. 

 

"Hotel Transylvania: Transformania" (2022)

With the franchise putting a foot hold in the 2020's, it was time for a fourth sequel in 2022 titled "Hotel Transylvania: Transformania" ... and at this point, I'm convinced the series will probably go on until the sun burns out. In this instalment, Dracula is ready to hand the deed of the hotel over to his daughter, but he still has reservations about his son-in-law. Johnny likewise feels he'll never get the Counts blessing as long as he remains human. Thus, through a series of events, Johnny is suddenly transformed into a monster, while Dracula and the others are accidently transformed into humans. A quest is soon underway, as they seek a magic stone that can reverse their conditions, all while character bonding, and goofy hijinks ensue along the way. As expected, this sequel once again feels less like a Halloween special but succeeds in capturing the spirit of a family friendly adventure film. The plot also retreads many beasts from the first two films, but I still found this sequel a pinch better than the previous "Summer Vacation". While it threatens to buckle under its silly tone, hyper fast motion, and Johnny's irritating quirks, this fourth instalment once again maintains the overall charm of the series and gives its characters some great moments to shine. Mavis especially gets a great action scene during the climax, in which she has to avoid the sun, while also trying to rescue her husband from becoming a mindless dragon. Most of the cast remains the same, all except for Adam Sandler. This time Dracula was voiced by Brian Hull, who did an excellent job recapturing Adam Sandler's energy, charm and voice ... to the point where I barely even noticed a difference. Even though "Transformania" isn't on par with the first two, it was still another okay sequel. On my personal Halloween re-watch scale, I give “Hotel Transylvania: Transformania” a generous 6/10.   

 In the end, I feel the series can finally stop, because there's only so much of a good thing that I can take. That being said, there are still plans for more movies, short films and even more TV shows on the way ... so, I'll just have to pick and choose which one's appeal to me as they come along. I still love the first "Hotel Transylvania", will gladly return to it for many Halloweens to come, and the sequels have been passable one-off experiences. If any of them look good to you, be sure to check them out for yourself.    

Thanks for reading my look back at the “Hotel Transylvania” franchise ... and continue to make every day in October feel like Halloween!