Hotel Transylvania is an animated comedy movie directed by Genndy Tartakovsky. It tells the story of Count Dracula, who owns a hotel called Hotel Transylvania, intended to be the perfect holiday destination for monsters that can rest away from human eyes (“Hotel Transylvania,” 2013). The key plot twist is that the human-free hotel gets an unexpected visit from a traveler named Jonathan, who becomes very interested in Dracula’s daughter. The key theme of the movie is parent-children relationships, which can often be complicated at times, even when it comes to monsters.
Being a movie that targets a younger audience, the stylistic choice of the director was nevertheless to preserve the monster-related settings and the overall coloring. The movie has darker and deeper tones compared to a majority of animated films. Although, it is not void of color and dynamic comedic bright moments, which are important for keeping the audience’s attention. In terms of editing, the director has put extra effort into ensuring that the movie has a sophisticated approach. The dynamic moments are replaced by slower scenes to maintain interest while facilitating the comedic effect. The animation is highly detailed, with a well-executed use of 3D animation effects. Moreover, the movie shows extensive use of squash and stretch (S&S), which is an animation principle that applies a contrasting change in the shape of characters.
Count Dracula, played by Adam Sandler, has got a completely new depiction in the movie. Usually portrayed as an evil-minded monster, Dracula is different in Hotel Transylvania as it is a softer side to him. This move is vital to the narrative because it shows that even “monsters” can have family problems. The comedy of Dracula is his desire to stay serious and protect his daughter at all costs, failing to understand that his daughter has grown up and may not always want his protection. Playing Dracula, Sandler shows the vulnerable side of the vampire, which adds to the comedic effect because he perceives himself as the most dangerous monster out there.
The character of the only human in the movie, Johnny, played by Andy Samberg, is a complete opposite of Dracula in its outlook on life. He looks to have fun and, although scared of monsters, is curious to see what is going on at the hotel. The carelessness and the free spirit of Johnny attract Mavis Dracula, played by Selena Gomez. The couple becomes close somewhat in spite of Count’s dislike for Johnny, which is another classic aspect of depicting parent-children relationships.
Adding to the comedic aspect of the movie, there are Frankenstein, Griffin the Invisible Man, Murray, Blobby, Wayne, and Wanda. These are the characters of monsters, good friends of Count Dracula, who came to stay at the hotel. Wayne and Wanda are husband and wife werewolves who seem to have an endless pack of wolf pups that destroy everything they see. This couple represents tired parents whose life revolves around caring for their children, which is comedic because they are werewolves. Frankenstein’s character also gets a unique representation in the movie and seems to be more vulnerable that a monster should be. The actors in the film managed to transfer human emotions to non-human characters. This makes them closer to the audience, with the latter being able to relate and sympathize with monsters’ problems.
Reference
Hotel Transylvania. (2013). Web.