Hotel Transylvania

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Hotel Transylvania
Hotel Transylvania logo.svg
Created byTodd Durham[1]
OwnerSony Pictures Animation (Sony)
Years2012–2022
Print publications
Novel(s)
  • Kakieland Katastrophe
  • My Little Monster-Sitter
  • Motel Transylvania
Films and television
Film(s)
Short film(s)
Television seriesHotel Transylvania: The Series (2017–2020)
Games
Video game(s)
Audio
Soundtrack(s)
  • Hotel Transylvania
  • Hotel Transylvania 2
  • Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation

Hotel Transylvania is an American animated media franchise created by comedy writer Todd Durham. It consists of four films, three graphic novels, and three short films produced by Sony Pictures Animation, as well as a flash-animated TV series broadcast on Disney Channel and several video games. The series has an ensemble cast, usually led by the voices of Andy Samberg, and Selena Gomez among others.

The first film, Hotel Transylvania, was released in September 2012, with two sequels, Hotel Transylvania 2 and Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, were released in September 2015 and July 2018, respectively. The films have received mixed-to-average reviews from critics and audiences and grossed over $1.3 billion worldwide against a combined production budget of $245 million. A fourth and final installment titled Hotel Transylvania: Transformania was released on Amazon Prime Video on January 14, 2022.

The series focused on the adventures surrounding monsters who reside in the titular Hotel Transylvania, a plaza hotel where monsters can relax and get away from humans due to fear of persecution. Many of the primary characters are loosely based on or are parodies of the Universal Movie Monsters.

Origin[]

Comedy writer Todd Durham came up with the concept of Hotel Transylvania and brought it to Sony Pictures Animation.[2]

Films[]

Film U.S.
release date
Director(s) Screenwriter(s) Story by Producer(s) Distributor
Hotel Transylvania September 28, 2012 (2012-09-28) Genndy Tartakovsky Peter Baynham & Robert Smigel Todd Durham, Kevin Hageman & Dan Hageman Michelle Murdocca Sony Pictures Releasing
Hotel Transylvania 2 September 25, 2015 (2015-09-25) Robert Smigel & Adam Sandler
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation July 13, 2018 (2018-07-13) Genndy Tartakovsky & Michael McCullers
Hotel Transylvania: Transformania January 14, 2022 (2022-01-14) Derek Drymon & Jennifer Kluska Amos Vernon, Nunzio Randazzo & Genndy Tartakovsky Genndy Tartakovsky Alice Dewey Goldstone Amazon Studios

Hotel Transylvania (2012)[]

Hotel Transylvania is the first movie in the "Hotel Transylvania" franchise and it was released on September 28, 2012. It is about a human named Jonathan (Andy Samberg), who accidentally stumbles upon the hotel and instantly falls in love with Dracula's teenage daughter, Mavis (Selena Gomez), and eventually dates her, despite Dracula's (Adam Sandler) attempts to keep Johnny away from his daughter.

Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015)[]

Hotel Transylvania 2 is the second movie in the "Hotel Transylvania" franchise and it was released on September 25, 2015. It is about Mavis and Johnny, who have a half-human/half-vampire son named Dennis. Mavis thinks Hotel Transylvania isn't the right place to raise Dennis and wants to raise him in California. When Dracula is disappointed that Dennis does not have any vampire abilities, he helps his friends make his grandson a vampire. Things get complicated when Dracula's father Vlad (Mel Brooks) shows up.

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018)[]

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation is the third movie in the Hotel Transylvania franchise and it was released on July 13, 2018. It is about Dracula falling for Ericka (Kathryn Hahn), a descendant of monster hunter Van Helsing (Jim Gaffigan), while on a cruise ship with his family.[3]

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania (2022)[]

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is the fourth and final movie in the Hotel Transylvania franchise and it was released on January 14, 2022. It is about Dracula (Brian Hull) and Johnny teaming up to find a cure to turn themselves back into their old selves before their transformations become permanent.

Television series[]

A television series based on the film premiered on June 25, 2017.[4] Developed and produced by Nelvana Limited, in partnership with Sony Pictures Animation, the prequel series focused on the 114/115 years of Mavis and her friends at the Hotel Transylvania.[4] Sony Pictures Television handled distribution in the United States, while Nelvana distributed the series outside the United States.[4] It aired on the Disney Channel worldwide.[5]

Short films[]

Goodnight Mr. Foot (2012)[]

Goodnight Mr. Foot is a traditionally animated short film based on Hotel Transylvania, featuring Bigfoot from the film. Premiering in time for Halloween, on October 26, 2012, the short was shown exclusively in Regal Entertainment Group Cinemas, before the theatrical shows of Hotel Transylvania. As Sony Pictures Animation's first traditionally animated film, it was written and directed by Genndy Tartakovsky himself, who also animated the short with the help of Rough Draft Studios. Animated in the style of Bob Clampett, Tex Avery, and Chuck Jones,[6] Tartakovsky created the short in four weeks during the final production stages of the main film.[7] Bigfoot (who had a non-speaking role in Hotel Transylvania) was voiced by Corey Burton while the Witch Maid was voiced by Rose Abdoo. Both voice actors provided additional voices in Hotel Transylvania.[8]

Taking place before the events of Hotel Transylvania, the short stars Bigfoot, whose rest in Hotel Transylvania is being constantly disturbed by an overly enthusiastic witch maid.[6]

Puppy! (2017)[]

Puppy! is a CG-animated fantasy comedy short film based on Hotel Transylvania, featuring Dennis (voiced by Asher Blinkoff) from Hotel Transylvania 2, with the additional voices of Selena Gomez, reprising her role as Mavis, Andy Samberg as Johnny, and Adam Sandler as Dracula. The film was written and directed by veteran director of the Hotel Transylvania movies, Genndy Tartakovsky, and was shown in theaters alongside The Emoji Movie, which was released in the United States on July 28, 2017.[9] The film is set in the hotel, as Dennis convinces Dracula to give him a monster-sized puppy named Tinkles, and the hotel learns to cope with it.[10] The short is a sneak preview of the third film, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, which was released on July 13, 2018.

Monster Pets (2021)[]

Monster Pets is a Hotel Transylvania short film, featuring Dracula trying to find a pet companion for his lively puppy, Tinkles.[11] The short was played exclusively at Cinemark Theatres on the weekend following April 1, 2021, before select PG-rated films,[12][13] and was released online on April 9, 2021.[11] It was directed by Jennifer Kluska and Derek Drymon, written by Kluska and produced by Christian Roedel. The short marked the first time that Adam Sandler did not return to voice Dracula and is replaced by YouTube voice impressionist Brian Hull.[11] Hull would reprise the role in the film Hotel Transylvania: Transformania.

Reception[]

Box office performance[]

Film Release Date Box Office Gross All Time Ranking Budget (millions) References
Domestic Foreign Worldwide Domestic Worldwide
Hotel Transylvania September 28, 2012 $148,313,048 $210,062,555 $358,375,603 359 339 $85 [14]
Hotel Transylvania 2 September 25, 2015 $169,700,110 $305,099,890 $474,800,000 282 215 $80 [15]
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation July 13, 2018 $167,510,016 $361,073,758 $528,583,774 290 187 $65-80 [16]
Total $485,523,174 $876,236,203 $1,361,759,377 23 16 $245 [17]

Critical and public response[]

Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScore
Hotel Transylvania 45% (145 reviews)[18] 47 (32 reviews)[19] A–[20][21]
Hotel Transylvania 2 55% (110 reviews)[22] 44 (24 reviews)[23] A–[24][21]
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation 62% (119 reviews)[25] 54 (23 reviews)[26] A–[27][21]
Hotel Transylvania: Transformania 55% (55 reviews)[28] 45 (14 reviews)[29] N/A

Cast and characters[]

List indicator(s)
  • A dark gray cell indicates the character did not appear in that installment.
  • A Y indicates an actor or actress voiced a younger version of their character.
Characters Films Short films Television series
Hotel Transylvania Hotel Transylvania 2 Hotel Transylvania 3:
Summer Vacation
Hotel Transylvania:
Transformania
Goodnight Mr. Foot Puppy! Monster Pets Hotel Transylvania:
The Series
Season 1 Season 2
Count Dracula Adam Sandler Brian Hull Silent role Adam Sandler Brian Hull David Berni Ivan Sherry
Mavis Dracula-Loughran Selena Gomez Selena Gomez Selena Gomez Selena Gomez Bryn McAuley
Sadie SandlerY Victoria GomezY
Jonathan "Johnny" Loughran Andy Samberg Andy Samberg
Frank Kevin James Brad Abrell Paul Braunstein
Wayne Steve Buscemi
Murray CeeLo Green Keegan-Michael Key
Griffin David Spade
Eunice Fran Drescher N/A
Wanda Molly Shannon
Winnie Sadie Sandler Zoe Berri
Blobby Silent role Jonny Solomon Genndy Tartakovsky Silent cameo
Bigfoot Silent role Corey Burton Silent cameo Silent role
Fly Chris Parnell Silent role
Quasimodo Jon Lovitz Scott McCord
Martha Jackie Sandler Painting
Dennis Dracula
(née Loughran)
Asher Blinkoff Asher Blinkoff Asher Blinkoff
Sunny SandlerY
Mike Loughran Nick Offerman
Linda Loughran Megan Mullally
Vlad Mel Brooks
Dana Dana Carvey
Bela Rob Riggle
Brandon
Kakie
Chris Kattan
Kelsey Nick Swardson Michelle Murdocca Silent role
Ericka Dracula
(née Van Helsing)
Kathryn Hahn
Professor Abraham Van Helsing Jim Gaffigan
Stan Chris Parnell
Kraken Joe Jonas
Crystal Silent role Chrissy Teigen
Tinkles Joe Whyte Silent role Joe Whyte Derek Drymon
Puppy Blobby Genndy Tartakovsky Silent cameo Genndy Tartakovsky
Party Monster Richard "Ninja" Blevins
Toots Jennifer Kluska
Aunt Lydia Dan Chameroy
Wendy Blob Evany Rosen
Hank N. Stein Gage Munroe
Pedro Joseph Motiki
Uncle Gene Patrick McKenna
  • A grey cell indicates character did not appear in that medium.

Crew[]

Role Films Television series
Hotel Transylvania Hotel Transylvania 2 Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation Hotel Transylvania: Transformania Hotel Transylvania: The Series
Director Genndy Tartakovsky Derek Drymon and Jennifer Kluska Robin Budd
Producer Michelle Murdocca Alice Dewey Goldstone Jane Crawford
Co-producer(s) Lydia Bottegoni Skye Lyons Carey A. Smith Ryan Gilleland N/A
Executive producer(s) Adam Sandler
Robert Smigel
Allen Covert
Adam Sandler
Robert Smigel
Allen Covert
Ben Waisbren
N/A Genndy Tartakovsky
Michelle Murdocca
Selena Gomez
Rick Mischel
Scott Dyer
Irene Weibel
Writer(s) Screenplay by:
Peter Baynham
Robert Smigel
Story by:
Todd Durham
Dan Hageman & Kevin Hageman
Robert Smigel
Adam Sandler
Genndy Tartakovsky[30]
Michael McCullers
Screenplay by:
Amos Vernon
Nunzio Randazzo
Genndy Tartakovsky
Story by:
Genndy Tartakovsky[31]
Various
Composer(s) Mark Mothersbaugh Stephen Skratt
Asher Lenz
Editor(s) Catherine Apple Joyce Arrastia Lynn Hobson[32] N/A
Production Company Sony Pictures Animation
Distributor Sony Pictures Releasing Amazon Studios Sony Pictures Television

Video games[]

A social game based on the film, titled Hotel Transylvania Social Game and made by Sony Pictures Interactive, was released on August 15, 2012. The game allows players to create their own Hotel Transylvania, where they must take care of the hotel's guests.[33]

Another video game, titled Hotel Transylvania, developed by WayForward Technologies and published by GameMill Entertainment, was released on September 18, 2012, for Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS at retail.[34][35] The Nintendo 3DS version of the game was also released digitally in the Nintendo eShop in North America on November 15, 2012.[36]

A mobile game, titled Hotel Transylvania Dash, developed by Sony Pictures Consumer Products Inc. and PlayFirst, was released to iTunes App Store on September 20, 2012. The game is a variation of Hotel Dash and features the film's art and characters.[37]

A mobile digital storybook app, titled Hotel Transylvania BooClips Deluxe, developed by Castle Builders and Sony Pictures Animation, was released on the iTunes App Store, Nook Store, Google Play for Android, iBookstore, Microsoft's Metro, and for PC and Mac via BooClips, both in English and in Spanish, on September 20, 2012.[38]

A third video game based on Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, Hotel Transylvania 3 Monsters Overboard, published by Outright Games, was released on July 13, 2018.[39]

A video game based on the franchise, Hotel Transylvania: Scary-Tale Adventures, developed by Drakhar Studio and published by Outright Games, will be released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One in March 2022.

Theme park attractions[]

In December 2016, a dark ride based on the franchise opened at Motiongate Dubai, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.[40] In April 2021, another ride based on the film series opened at Dream Island in Moscow, Russia.[41] In October 2021, a new themed-land, based on the film franchise, opened at Columbia Pictures Aquaverse in Sattahip, Chonburi, Thailand.[42]

References[]

  1. ^ "Columbia Pictures Press Kit - Hotel Transylvania" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 22, 2012. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  2. ^ "Production Notes - Hotel Transylvania" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 22, 2012. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  3. ^ Moore, Debi (January 18, 2017). "Synopsis and More Details on Hotel Transylvania 3 - Dread Central". Dread Central. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c Steinberg, Brian (July 14, 2015). "Nelvana, Sony Pictures Animation Ready 'Hotel Transylvania' For TV". Variety. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  5. ^ Pederson, Erik (June 20, 2016). "Sony Animation Dates 'Hotel Transylvania 3', 'Emojimovie' & More; 'Ghostbusters' TV Series Set". Deadline. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  6. ^ a b Sony Pictures Animation (October 25, 2012). "No Trick, Big Halloween Treat from Sony Pictures Animation's HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA Director Genndy Tartakovsky". PR Newswire. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  7. ^ Beck, Jerry (October 25, 2012). "Sony Releases Genndy Tartakovsky's new short "Goodnight Mr. Foot"". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  8. ^ Alexander, Bryan (October 24, 2012). "New Bigfoot sighting in 'Hotel Transylvania' short film". USA Today. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  9. ^ "Sony Pictures Animation Details Upcoming Slate, Including Julia Roberts' 'Smurfs' Role". January 18, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
  10. ^ "Sony Pictures Animation Unveils 'Spider-Man,' 'Hotel Transylvania 3,' 'Smurfs' And More". January 19, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
  11. ^ a b c Sarto, Dan (April 9, 2021). "See the Just Released 'Hotel Transylvania Short,' 'Monster Pets'". Animation World Network. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  12. ^ Sony Pictures Animation (April 1, 2021). "Big pup on the big screen! Monster Pets, a #HotelTransylvania short, is playing exclusively in @Cinemark theaters this weekend". Twitter. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  13. ^ "Everyone needs a pal.