Hotel Transylvania (2012)

Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky. Starring (voices) Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Steve Buscemi, David Spade, CeeLo Green, Fran Drescher, Jon Lovitz, Molly Shannon, Brian George. [PG]

Count Dracula and all his old school monster friends (Frankenstein’s creature, the Wolf Man, the Invisible Man, the Mummy, etc.) gather at a Transylvanian hotel he runs for the scary beasts of the world to celebrate his daughter Mavis’ 118th birthday, who he’s kept tricked and sheltered inside the castle her entire life because he lost his wife during an attack by an angry mob when she was an infant. The festivities get interrupted, however, by the arrival of a young human hiker, who Drac disguises as a monster to keep his guests from freaking out…but then the fella catches the eye of the Count’s daughter. Innocuous family flick has a few cute moments and chuckles, but the slick and exaggerated animation style lacks personality and only occasionally brushes the fringes of beauty or awe (a devastated Dracula clutching his child while the castle burns in the distance being one of those occasions). The movie is also overextended and repeats the same points too often; there’s simply not enough story/complications for a feature-length film. Spawned three sequels to date, plus a handful of shorts and an animated TV series.

51/100