Movies for kids involving monsters are always a risky business. There’s a fine line between a whimsical flick featuring monsters and something that will actually be scary.
Thankfully, there are some movies that aim to slowly ease little kids into the genre without too many big scares. Hotel Transylvania is one such movie.
This 2012 movie is an animated father-daughter comedy that blends traditional horror settings with light comedy and a wholesome story.
But how well does this movie stack up compared to other animated comedy movies for kids?
If you’re wondering if it’s worth a watch, you’re in the right place! We’re going to give you a total overview of this movie to see how good it is!
Synopsis
This movie tells the tale of Count Dracula, who in this version is the owner of Hotel Transylvania, a place for monsters around to world to come and enjoy.
His daughter Mavis is about to celebrate her 118th birthday, and as a result, Dracula invites some of the most famous monsters around the world for the occasion.
Unfortunately, the hotel is visited by a human named Jonathan, who begins to fall in love with Mavis.
A lot of the plot revolves around Count Dracula trying to stop the monsters from realizing that there is an ordinary human staying with them, and a tale unfolds that involves a father-daughter relationship being tested.
The screenplay is suitable and whimsical, with spooky nods to some of the most famous monsters throughout history.
Expect a lot of jokes, some brilliant character design, and a heartwarming story with a great moral center.
Production
The screenplay was originally the creation of comedy writer Todd Durham, who wrote a book of the same name.
The movie took a long time to be produced, going through a series of different directors until they eventually settled on Genndy Tartakovsky, who was well known for his work on Samurai Jack and the Clone Wars.
The movie was animated in 3D with a clear artistic direction of bright colors and exaggerated character design.
If you’ve ever seen any of the work of Genndy Tatakovsky before, you will know to expect high attention to detail and expressive characters.
Performances
The voice performances in this movie are one of the highlights, with Adam Sandler leading Count Dracula.
He’s somewhat unrecognizable with his eastern-European accent and he voices both the silly and more serious moments to great effect.
Selena Gomez voices the other main character Mavis, and the two play off each other well enough to really hit the emotional moments of the movie.
Other noticeable performances are Kevin James as Frankenstein and CeeLo Green as Murray. Both of these actors give life to these iconic characters and make them fit into the world with some unique voices.
All in all, each of the classic monsters is voice acted to great effect and it makes the movie feel alive and adds to the humor.
Soundtrack
Great animated movies need great soundtracks, and the score for this movie has been created by an industry veteran.
Mark Mothersbaugh does a great job making a unique OST that mixes classical music and modern cuts.
Expect great horns, violins, and harmonicas which compliment the story very well. There are also some modern songs that enhance the more whimsical parts of the movie.
The Bad
Whilst the movie is trying very hard to be original, it doesn’t do anything too out there with its animation or story to make it stand out from other animated movies.
It doesn’t quite have the attention to detail that a Disney Pixar Movie might have, and although the story works well at a fundamental level, it is a fairly standard father-daughter reconciliation movie.
It’s a great movie for kids, but for adult fans of animated movies, it might leave you wanting something with a bit more substance.
Final Thoughts
All in all, Hotel Transylvania is a fun animated flick that is a great movie to watch with kids. A great score, animation style, and voice performances make it a more than worthy addition to the genre.
If you’re looking for something that will introduce your kids to some of the spookiest monsters in fiction, this is a perfect way to do so without scaring them.
It’s certainly nice to see original ideas turned into animated movies, and this one is a perfect movie for Halloween!
We hope that this review has given you a good idea of what to expect going into this movie. Hotel Transylvania did well in theatres when it was first released, and has since spawned a list of sequels.
If you liked it, there is a lot more to get out of this world, with some fans calling the fourth movie the best yet.
If you liked this article, you might enjoy our post, ‘Evil Dead Movie Review‘.
I’d like to think I know a lot about films - at least that’s what my peers tell me after I’m done boring them to tears with my knowledge surrounding any movie that comes into the conversation!
I think the people in my life are getting a little bored of my teachings, so now I bring them to you - to hopefully find people who will get as excited as I do when talking about films. Please enjoy my reviews and commentaries, and feel free to jump in at any point and discuss.
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