FRED Watch Quickie Film Review: Hotel Transylvania (2012)
A HOTEL WITH BITE!
I’m a Fulya Kantarmaci and welcome to FRED Watch, where we review everything from the mainstream to the obscure. Today’s film is especially for Halloween—Hotel Transylvania…
Columbia Pictures / Sony Pictures Releasing
All your traditional monsters under one scary roof and a human. What could possibly go wrong?
Vampires, wolves, mummies, ghouls, goblins, witches, and so many other monsters roaming the earth that have to hide in the shadows. But not anymore! Count Dracula (Adam Sandler) has built Hotel Transylvania for all of monster-kind, serving as a refuge for them so they can relax and be safe from the humans. This particular year, Dracula’s daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez) is turning 118 and to celebrate, Dracula is throwing her a big birthday party and all the hotel guests are invited. Even some of Dracula’s closest friends are attending! Frank (Kevin James) and his wife Eunice (Fran Drescher), Wayne (Steve Buscemi) and Wanda (Molly Shannon) the werewolves and their cubs, Murray the mummy (CeeLo Green), and Griffin the invisible man (David Spade).
On this particular birthday, Mavis wants to go out and explore the world to see humans for herself. They can’t all be monster haters, right? To keep her happy, Dracula suspiciously allows Mavis to go out of the hotel and suggests that she go to a nearby human village. Mavis finds the village deserted at first but suddenly, a big group of “humans” come out of every corner holding flaming torches and pitchforks. Mavis is afraid for her life so she quickly abandons the village and hurries back to the hotel where she tells her father he is right, the humans DO hate monsters. Dracula is relieved and can now continue with his monsterly duties.
That same night, an uninvited guest arrives. His name is Jonathan (Andy Samberg) and he is a human! The moment he enters the doors of Hotel Transylvania, Dracula sees him and is in shock! He must do something to hide this human from the monsters’ sight immediately! Dracula quickly grabs him and takes him to a hidden room, dressing Jonathan up like a monster so he can at least blend in. What Dracula wasn’t counting on was Mavis meeting Jonathan and potentially falling in love with him. Operation “Remove Human from Hotel“ has begun.
There are so many animated Halloween films out there but none can compare to Hotel Transylvania. The animation itself is unique in its kind because the movements of each monster is exaggerated to the point that it’s almost believable. I am very impressed with the variety of monsters the character designers have included in this animation. Having the zombies as the bell-hops and front-of-house staff, and the witches as the room maids is hilarious! Also, the fact that there’s an invisible man as one of the supporting characters is a brilliant idea (especially since the animators don’t really have to worry about syncing his mouth to the voice).
Speaking of supporting characters, the whole gang of monsters are unsurprisingly voiced by actors who have all worked with Adam Sandler in past films (Grown Ups comes to my mind). They work together really well and their comedic timing is the best! Sandler makes Dracula believable. The stereotypical voice he puts on is very funny and he even sang in that voice with a ukulele (à la 50 First Dates).
This movie is a lot of fun for the whole family and I’d definitely recommend it for the kids on Halloween. Also, if you’re looking for costume ideas, look no further because this film has a bucketful of inspiration!
And remember, Dracula doesn’t say “Blah, blah, blah.” 3½ / 5
Starring: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Fran Drescher, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, David Spade, CeeLo Green.
Director: Genndy Tartakovsky | Producer: Michelle Murdocca | Writers: Peter Baynham, Robert Smigel; Story: Todd Durham, Dan Hageman, Kevin Hageman | Music: Mark Mothersbaugh | Editor: Catherine Apple
Available: DVD.
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