Directed By:
Derek Drymon, Jennifer Kluska
Written By:
Amos Vernon, Nunzio Randazzo, Genndy Tartakovsky
Starring:
Brian Hull, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Adam Sandler
Genre:
Animated, Adventure, Comedy
Rated: PG for some action and rude humor including cartoon nudity.
All media used courtesy of Columbia Pictures, Media Rights Capital (MRC), Sony Pictures Animation
Our first animated film out of 2022 is the fourth installment of the hotel Transylvania series, and really where else is there to go once you’ve hit your fourth installment? Often times it’s a dissapointment especially in the animated film world, but one could argue another franchise has had the ability to turn their trajectory around in later installments, such as ‘Fast Five’. Van Helsing’s is getting older, and is deciding to give over the ownership of the hotel to his daughter and new son-in-law Johnny. But when he Van Helsings new invention turns Drac and his pals into humans, and Johnny into a monster, things take a turn for the worse. With their new mismatched bodies, Drac and the pack have to switch themselves back before they can never return to normal again.
I do enjoy the voice cast we have in the film. Many of the returning players that fans of the series will love, and some new characters that blend very well within this mini-monster universe. Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg have some great chemistry, as well it’s always nice to hear David Spade in an animated format (make Emperors New Groove 2,3 and 4 you cowards).
I do think there is some heart and meaning to the stories message. We always have these stories with an evil step-parent, or an ‘outsider’ that is invited into the family, just to be looked down on from the head of the household. It’s been done in live action as well with ‘Meet The Parents’ but with this you have the spooky twist of it being centered around monsters. You can have more lightheartedness with the earnest, and when the film is bringing those two aspects together it actually still works after 3 films.
I just don’t know who this film is for other than the people already invested in the characters and having seen the first 3. So for people who have missed these films so far I can’t say this is anything different that you HAVE to watch. I do think it will play well to younger kids and parents who need a break.
Overall, ‘Hotel Transylvania: Transformania’ is for the fans of the franchise and not many others, however it’s still a very set of stories to catch-up on and if your kids wanna do a fun movie marathon, maybe this could pair nicely with the other animated 4th installments of films such as Shrek, and Ice Age. I myself don’t think it’s really worth exploring and we’ve learned about all we can from this ghoulish family. Hopefully the creative team can make a new series with the Adam Sandler ensemble we have here, just in a new world.
