Today's review is Hotel Transylvania.
Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky.
Written by Peter Baynham & Robert Smigel.
Screen Story by Todd Durham, Dan Hageman & Kevin Hageman.
Review #179
MPAA Rating: PG for some rude humor, action and scary images.
Run Time: 91 min
Cast
Adam Sandler ... Dracula (voice)
Andy Samberg ... Jonathan (voice)
Selena Gomez ... Mavis (voice)
Kevin James ... Frankenstein (voice)
Fran Drescher ... Eunice (voice)
Steve Buscemi ... Wayne (voice)
Molly Shannon ... Wanda (voice)
David Spade ... Griffin (voice)
CeeLo Green ... Murray (voice)
Jon Lovitz ... Quasimodo (voice)
No genre of film is exempt from over saturation. CGI animated movies broke through with a vengeance at first. Then a host of bad films began to hit the pipeline which caused the popular brand to lose steam. At one point Pixar was the only company that made good films. Then Dreamworks animation gave Mickey a run for his money. Then Sony got into the picture and they have turned out some pretty impressive films.
Hotel Transylvania can be added to the list.
Plot
Dracula, who operates a high-end resort away from the human world, goes into overprotective mode when a boy discovers the resort and falls for the count's teen-aged daughter.
With films of this nature the first thing you're drawn to is the animation and flow of the characters movements. How do they look, how do they act and how does the action play out. This is what makes animated films stand out against live action. You literally get the performance you want from the characters. You don't have to worry about an actor not being able to give the director the look or expression that he or she needs to get the point across. That happens without fail through the animators. What separates animated films from others of their kind are their stories and their overall design.
Hotel Transylvania does a fabulous job in both departments.
The best part of Hotel Transylvania is that this a film for us. Meaning us big kids. All of the characters in this film are from our childhood. Depending on their ages, your kids can't relate or have no idea who Dracula, The Wolfman, Frankenstein or The Mummy are. There are so many childhood monsters in this film that it was nostalgic. Bigfoot, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Invisible Man round a roster chock full of former friends of fright. This may seem like a cause for concern because of the lack of relate-ability or identity but Tartakovsky does something here that he's known for in the animation world. He alters the character designs to give the kids today a better sense of who they are even if they don't know who they are. He also makes them funny looking to give them a higher comedic value.
If you don't know who he is. Tartakovsky was the creator the the amazing Samurai Jack cartoon. He also created a series of animated shorts in the Star Wars universe called The Clone Wars. Those mini episodes were the basis of the CGI series Star Wars : The Clone Wars that currently airs on the Cartoon Network. His animation style is very unique. It's whimsical yet smooth at the same time. He cut his teeth with Samurai Jack. Enhanced it with The Clone Wars and it has shown here in Hotel Transylvania. The animation here is close to flawless and extremely detailed. The character designs are perfect for a family film. My favorite was the Wolfman. Just seeing him makes me laugh.
Incorporate stylish animation with cool character designs and a pretty funny and original story and you get a really good film. The plot of Hotel Transylvania is so simple it's brilliant. It gives Tartakovsky and company so many opportunities to take the ball and run with it. The film has a ton of comedy but it also has some heart. None of the monsters are monsters at all. They are no pun intended cartoon characters. That's what makes this movie work so well. None of the characters are taken too seriously while homage is paid to each and every one of them in subtle and not so subtle ways. These terrific moments allow the story to move at a brisk pace. You never drag or spend time waiting for the film to get to the point. If there was one issue with the story is that it tends to get a little repetitive when Dracula tries to get rid of Jonathan. Aside from that it was pretty seamless and a lot of fun.
Finally the voice acting is as expected with an animated film. The performances are pretty fun with possibly the exception of Adam Sandler as Dracula. He was really good but there were a few instances when it appeared he was having a little too much fun and over acted his lines. These moments detracted from what was on the whole a really good and funny performance and The Count. LOVED Steve Buscemi as The Wolfman his character was so neutered (pun intended) that his look with the delivery of his lines were just priceless. Can't get enough of that guy. Everyone else was fine with their parts.
A good ensemble cast.
One final note. Be wary before bringing the kiddies to this one. The film isn't scary per se but there are some moments when Dracula goes berserk and snarls at the camera with his fangs out. The moments are meant to draw laughs which they did but they come out of nowhere so if you have a little one that's a bit skid-dish then prepare yourself. There are also some scenes with zombies that once again are designed to be comedic but I'm not sure how you're babies will take the sight of a zombies head falling off. For the most part Hotel Transylvania is a harmless movie but you know your kids better than I do.
You've been warned.
On the 5 star scale. Hotel Transylvania gets 4 stars. With a "Worth Every Penny!" recommendation.
This film was more for me than it was for the kids of today so most of you should appreciate the trip down memory lane. I did.
That's a wrap for today. Up next is Looper.
Until Next Episode...."I'll Save You A Seat!"
"D"
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