Hotel Transylvania: Transformania – A Decent Gimmick (Early Review)

The Hotel Transylvania franchise has been nowhere near the top tier animated franchise but nevertheless has continued to chug along. In case some forgot, the surprising fourth installment was set for a theatrical release last October, however, as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the film was sold by Sony to Amazon which set it for a January streaming release on Prime Video. Usually associated with a dump month, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is sure to entertain the kids and most adults as we remain held up in our homes over the upcoming winter months. When it seemed like there was only so much runway left for the franchise, this latest entry won’t bring anything new whatsoever to the table, relying on the same tropes, conventions, and humor for the most part, though still does more than enough to get by. Meanwhile, this film also marks the first in the franchise, for whatever reason, without regulars Adam Sandler and Kevin James as Drac and Frankenstein respectively. That being said, their replacement voices, Hull and Brad Abrell each do a serviceable job in their stead.

One of the longest running subplots in the franchise involves Johnny (Samberg) and his quest to finally fit into the family. Despite being a human in a world full of monsters, his personality just never quite meshed with Drac (Hull), maybe it was that which truly held him back. Nevertheless, there was just something about him that drew in his only daughter Mavis (Gomez) and they’ve been together ever since. Perhaps because of those aforementioned departures, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania put Mavis and Johnny at the forefront. But as their relationship evolved, so did Drac as they both looked towards the future. He’s getting up there in age and can’t run the hotel forever. Ultimately, in order for all parties to move forward, Drac and Johnny will have to eventually mend their differences. Thankfully, the plot would put that relationship at the forefront.

All Drac needed to do was to learn to see things from his perspective and that is exactly what happened as their dynamic found itself flipped upside down after an unfortunate turn of events saw a Monsterfication Ray turned Johnny into a monster and Drac into a human (hence the Transformania subtitle). Suffice it to say that the change in dynamic made for a change in the power dynamic between Johnny and Drac. Watching each adjust to their circumstances made for some funny moments that admittedly got old fast but they would need to work through their new issues together in order to find a cure before it’s too late or until Mavis caught on to their little side excursion. Though little did they know, the stakes were much higher than they thought which also brought upon some hilarious moments that also got old very fast.

At the end of the day, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is an animated children’s film after all so the end nor the lessons it’s trying to teach should come as much of a surprise to anyone. With a relatively short running time, clocking in at under 90 minutes, at least the film doesn’t wear out its welcome as a fast pace allows it to simply fly by. When it comes to the film’s animation, the franchise has never been top tier but is certainly high up there. Bright and colorful as always, the film’s monsters and their abilities were well done and the Transformania gimmick was also well done. When it comes to the voice acting, they all deliver solid performances across the board in spite of the mediocre material. Though Hull fills in nicely as Drac and Gomez is solid, Samberg’s shtick as Johnny becomes irritating this time around.

For what it is, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania does its job but this franchise needs to check out.

*still courtesy of Amazon Studios

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.