Director: Genndy Tartakovsky
Cast: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Fran Drescher, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, David Spade and Cee Lo Green.
Certificate: PG
Running Time: 88 minutes
Extras: Mini movie ‘Goodnight Mr. Foot’, ‘Problem (Monsta Remix) by Becky G Featuring Will.I.Am – Music video and behind the scenes, Deleted scenes, Filmmakers commentary and DVD link to games.
Now if you are expecting something intellectually stimulating for your children to watch, HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA is definitely not something you should go for. But if you are looking for a Sunday afternoon movie, or something to keep the kids quiet, you definitely need this in your collection.
The story focuses on Dracula (voiced by Adam Sandler), who operates a high-end resort (for some very strange characters) away from the human world. However, things start to go a little wrong when a human named Jonathan (Andy Samberg) discovers the resort and falls for Mavis (Selena Gomez), Drac’s only daughter.
There are some funny moments in the film but, unfortunately, it’s not really consistent. Usually with these animated ‘aimed at kids’ films there will be some jokes that the adult and child can enjoy together, but it seemed very split, with some specifically for adults (example: two fleas are enjoying their honeymoon…if you get my drift) and so forth.
If you are looking for some cartoon nostalgia, you might just like this film. It has a very Cartoon Network-esque style about it, and with it featuring old horror characters, it works really well. Another interesting element is that Sandler is nowhere near as annoying as you would expect. Other members of the Sandler clan have smaller roles in the film, with his wife Jackie voicing Dracula’s wife Martha and Sandler’s daughter Sadie voicing the absolutely adorable Winnie (and young a Mavis).
While it does have some nagging points, HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA is a good old-fashioned family movie to watch. It has the kooky characters, the strong message at the end, and of course a big musical number (but if you’re not a fan of auto-tune you might be want to skip it).
Extras: GOODNIGHT MR. FOOT is definitely one to watch if you love your old 1990s cartoons. Again, if you are not a fan of auto-tune stay WELL clear of Will.I.Am and Becky G’s PROBLEM (MONSTA REMIX) – take our word on this one.
HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA is released on DVD in the UK on 4th February 2013.
