‘Family vacation. It will suck the life out of you.’
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation is a 2018 American 3D computer-animated comedy horror film directed by Genndy Tartakovsky from a screenplay co-written with Michael McCullers.
The voice cast features Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, David Spade, Steve Buscemi, Keegan-Michael Key, Molly Shannon, Fran Drescher, and Mel Brooks reprising their roles as well as new additions such as Kathryn Hahn and Jim Gaffigan.
Mavis surprises Dracula with a family voyage on a luxury monster cruise ship so he can take a vacation from providing everyone else’s vacation at the hotel. The rest of Drac’s Pack cannot resist going along, and once they leave port, romance zings Drac when he meets the mysterious ship captain, Ericka.
Now it’s Mavis’ turn to play the overprotective parent, keeping her dad and Ericka apart. Little do they know that his ‘too good to be true’ love interest is actually a descendant of Van Helsing, arch nemesis to Dracula and all monsters!”
Reviews:
“Through Tartakovsky’s style and creativity, Hotel Transylvania 3 stands as the strongest of the franchise, even if it still struggles to hit into a gear that moves it beyond just being serviceable for families of all ages to enjoy. That’s all well and good, but there is no denying the fact that you feel as if Tartakovsky is holding back.” Andrew Gaudion, The Hollywood Reporter
“With plenty of laughs, truly dazzling animation, and some more of the franchise’s signature dance sequences, “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation” is a summer treat worth savoring, and a reminder that if we can see past our differences, we’ll find we’re not that different after all.” Jamie Righetti, IndieWire
“With no significant back story or origins to fill in, the sequel is satisfied serving up story between continuous rapid-fire sight gags with our monster pals, but the best news is seeing Drac finally live up to his reputation: King of the Monsters. It’s the balance the original Hotel Transylvania reached for and couldn’t quite hit.” Movie Crypt
” …the thin plot feels less engaging than the previous films and the jokes less inspired. Tartakovsky’s character design keeps things visually interesting for a while, but most people over the age of twelve will check out from the plot midway and start hoping for a cinematic vacation of their own.” Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com
” …the message on equality and family is as pure as ever–with the exception of a few fart jokes. But it’s the vibrant and equally pasty animation, adamant pacing, array of beguiling characters, and slapstick humor makes the latest in the trilogy a breezy vacation rather than a perilous voyage.” Asher Luberro, Screen Anarchy
“Tartakovsky’s instincts are to keep the action moving quickly and let one piece of kid-friendly slapstick tumble into the next, but when the jokes are this consistently uninspired, it doesn’t matter how fast they’re dispensed. The problem with the Hotel Transylvania franchise is that all the conflict was settled after the first one…” Scott Tobias, Variety
Cast and characters:
- Adam Sandler as Count Dracula: The 540-year-old lord of the vampires and founder of Hotel Transylvania. Dracula is the son of Vlad, husband of the late Martha, father of Mavis, father-in-law of Johnny, maternal grandfather of Dennis, and Ericka’s love interest.
- Andy Samberg as Jonathan “Johnny” Loughran: A 29-year-old human, who is Mavis’s husband and Dennis’ father.
- Selena Gomez as Mavis: The 126-year-old daughter of Dracula and the late Martha, and the granddaughter of Vlad. She is the wife of Johnny, and the couple have a child named Dennis.
- Kevin James as Frankenstein: The monster famously created from reanimated dead tissue, by Doctor Frankenstein. His friends call him “Frank”.
- David Spade as Griffin, the Invisible Man
- Steve Buscemi as Wayne: A werewolf who’s overwhelmed by his large number of children.
- Keegan-Michael Key as Murray: An ancient mummy.
- Molly Shannon as Wanda: Wayne’s werewolf wife.
- Fran Drescher as Eunice: Frankenstein’s wife.
- Kathryn Hahn as Ericka Van Helsing: The ship’s captain and cruise director. She is secretly continuing her great-grandfather’s wishes, in eliminating monsters and is Dracula’s love interest.
- Jim Gaffigan as Abraham Van Helsing: Ericka’s great-grandfather who is a legendary monster hunter and Dracula’s archenemy.
- Mel Brooks as Vlad: An ancient, more experienced and traditional vampire, who is Dracula’s father, the grandfather of Mavis, the grandfather-in-law of Johnny, and the great-grandfather of Dennis.
- Asher Blinkoff as Dennis Loughran: Mavis and Johnny’s 5-year-old son who is a human/vampire hybrid, inheriting a combination of traits from his parents. He has a crush on his best friend, Winnie.
- Sadie Sandler as Winnie: The werewolf daughter of Wayne and Wanda. Winnie is Dennis’s best friend, and she has a crush on him.
- Genndy Tartakovsky as Blobby: A green blob monster. He was previously voiced by Jonny Solomon in Hotel Transylvania 2.
- Chrissy Teigen as Crystal: An invisible woman who is Griffin’s new girlfriend.
- Joe Jonas as Kraken: A giant sea monster.
- Alison Hammond as Frankenginger
- Chris Parnell as Stan: A Fish-man, Parnell previously voiced the Fly in the first two films.
- Joe Whyte as Tinkles: Dennis’ giant pet puppy.
- Sarah Vowell as Lynne: Frank’s Sister In Law and Enuice’s Sister.
Release:
The film, produced by Sony Pictures Animation and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, premiered at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival on June 13, 2018 and was released in the United States on July 13, 2018.
A video game adaptation, titled Hotel Transylvania 3: Monsters Overboard, was released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows on July 13, 2018.
Film Facts:
The movie’s budget was reportedly $65 million.
