Hotel Transylvania: Transformania

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Hotel Transylvania: Transformania
File:Hotel Transylvania Transformania.jpg
Promotional release poster
Directed by
Screenplay by
Story byGenndy Tartakovsky
Based onCharacters
by Todd Durham
Produced byAlice Dewey Goldstone
Starring
Edited byLynn Hobson[2]
Music byMark Mothersbaugh[3]
Production
companies
Distributed byAmazon Studios (worldwide) Sony Pictures Releasing (China)
Release date
  • January 14, 2022 (2022-01-14)
Running time
87 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$75 million[4]
Box office$18.5 million[5][6]

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania (also known as Hotel Transylvania 4) is a 2022 American computer-animated adventure comedy film produced by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation and released by Amazon Studios. The fourth and final installment in the Hotel Transylvania franchise and the sequel to Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018), the film is directed by Derek Drymon and Jennifer Kluska (in their respective feature-length directorial debuts) from a screenplay by Amos Vernon, Nunzio Randazzo, and Genndy Tartakovsky (who directed the prior three films). It stars the voices of Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez (who also served as an executive producer alongside Tartakovsky and Michelle Murdocca), Kathryn Hahn, Jim Gaffigan, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, David Spade, Keegan-Michael Key, Brian Hull, Fran Drescher, Brad Abrell, Asher Blinkoff, Tyler "Ninja" Blevins and Zoe Berri. In the film, Dracula and Johnny, who transformed into a human and monster, must find the way to South America to revert, before their transformations become permanent.

Originally planned to be released theatrically in the United States on October 1, 2021, Sony Pictures Releasing cancelled the film's release plans and sold the film's distribution rights to Amazon Studios for $100 million, due to rising cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant in the United States. The film was released exclusively on Amazon Prime Video on January 14, 2022 and theatrically in China on April 3. The film also received mixed reviews from critics.

Plot[edit]

During the celebration of the 125th anniversary of Hotel Transylvania, Mavis overhears Dracula's plans to retire and leave the hotel to her and Johnny. She tells Johnny who excitedly tells Dracula his plans to renovate the hotel. Worried about Johnny ruining the hotel, Dracula lies to him saying that there is a "monster real-estate law" which only lets monsters own the hotel, disappointing Johnny.

Van Helsing decides to help Johnny using a ray that turns humans into monsters and vice versa; after testing it on his guinea pig Gigi, he uses it on Johnny who turns into a dragon-like monster. Learning about monster Johnny, Dracula tries to turn him back to normal, but accidentally turns himself into a human and breaks the ray's crystal. Van Helsing tells Dracula and Johnny that they can still turn themselves back to normal by getting a new crystal which lies in the Cave of Reflexion in South America, so Dracula and Johnny set off to do so.

Dracula's friends Frank, Wayne, Griffin and Murray end up becoming humans as well, as a result of drinking from a fountain that was contaminated by the ray. Mavis and Ericka confront Van Helsing after learning about Dracula and Johnny's whereabouts in the news, but he warns them about the effects of the ray, as humans who become monsters continue to mutate and become more hostile as time goes on. With this in mind, the rest of the gang head to South America to find Dracula and Johnny.

While traveling through the South American jungle, Dracula and Johnny begin to bond, and Dracula eventually begins to confess that he lied about the monster real-estate law, but the rest of the group find them. Things turn sour when Dracula admits his deception regarding passing over the hotel to Mavis and Johnny. This prompts an upset Johnny to believe Dracula does not consider him family and to mutate further before running away.

Mavis goes to find Johnny while Dracula and the rest of the gang go to the Cave of Reflexion. Mavis finds Johnny, but the transformation has turned him very volatile. She leads him to the Cave of Reflexion where they finally find the crystal. When Mavis tries to turn Johnny back to normal, nothing happens due to him being too frenzied. In desperation, Dracula lets himself get captured by Johnny and goes on a remorseful tangent about how wrong he was about Johnny and how he now sees the best in him, finally acknowledging him as family. This brings Johnny back to his senses, and he is returned to human form.

With Dracula and his friends turned back to normal, they return home only to find the hotel has been destroyed by Gigi. After turning Gigi back to normal, Dracula bemoans his loss. He soon decides to let Mavis and Johnny rebuild the hotel to their liking.

One year later, Mavis and Johnny show Dracula the re-built Hotel Transylvania which he comes to enjoy.

Voice cast[edit]

Main article: List of Hotel Transylvania characters
  • Andy Samberg as Jonathan "Johnny" Loughran, Mavis' husband, Dracula's son-in-law, Ericka's stepson-in-law and Dennis' father[7]
  • Selena Gomez as Mavis Dracula, Johnny's wife, Dracula's daughter, Ericka's stepdaughter and Dennis' mother[7]
    • Victoria Gomez voices a young Mavis Dracula
  • Kathryn Hahn as Ericka Van Helsing, Dracula's wife, Mavis' stepmother, Johnny's stepmother-in-law, Dennis' step-grandmother and the great-granddaughter of Abraham Van Helsing[7]
  • Jim Gaffigan as Professor Abraham Van Helsing, a former monster hunter, Dracula's great-grandfather-in-law and ex-nemesis and Ericka's great-grandfather who invented the "Monsterfication Ray"[7]
  • Steve Buscemi as Wayne, a werewolf and Wanda's husband[7]
  • Molly Shannon as Wanda, a werewolf and Wayne's wife[7]
  • David Spade as Griffin, an invisible man[7]
  • Keegan-Michael Key as Murray, an ancient mummy[7]
  • Brian Hull as Count "Drac" Dracula, the founder of Hotel Transylvania and Mavis' father, Johnny's father-in-law, Dennis' maternal grandfather and Ericka's husband. He was originally voiced by Adam Sandler in the first three films[8][7]
  • Fran Drescher as Eunice, Frankenstein's wife[7]
  • Brad Abrell as Frankenstein, Eunice's husband. He was originally voiced by Kevin James in the first three films[9]
  • Asher Blinkoff as Dennis, the dhampir son of Johnny and Mavis, Vlad's great grandson, Ericka's step grandson and Dracula's grandson[7]
  • Zoe Berri as Winnie, a werewolf who is the daughter of Wayne and Wanda and a friend of Dennis. She was originally voiced by Sadie Sandler in the first three films
  • Asher Bishop as Wesley, a werewolf who is the son of Wayne and Wanda
  • Tyler "Ninja" Blevins as Party Monster[10]
  • Genndy Tartakovsky as Blobby, a green blob monster
  • Victoria Gomez as Wilma, a werewolf who is the daughter of Wayne and Wanda
  • Jennifer Kluska as Wendy, a werewolf who is the daughter of Wayne and Wanda
  • Derek Drymon as a zombie that was briefly turned into a human
  • Aaron LaPlante as:
    • Gremlin Pilot
    • Gremlin Stewardess
  • Melissa Sturm as:
    • Airbag Monster
    • Voice on Phone
  • Chloé Malaisé as Female Newscaster
  • Scott Underwood as Male Newscaster
  • Michelle Murdocca as Witch
  • Will Townsend as Zombie

Production[edit]

In February 2019, Sony Pictures Animation announced that a fourth film had been in development.[11][12] In October 2019, Genndy Tartakovsky confirmed that he would not direct the film.[13] In September 2020, Jennifer Kluska and Derek Drymon, a storyboard artist on the first two Hotel Transylvania sequels and a former crew member of SpongeBob SquarePants and Adventure Time, respectively, were confirmed to be the film's directors, while Tartakovsky would write the screenplay and serve as an executive producer alongside Selena Gomez, who voices Mavis in the series.[14][15] Production took place remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.[16]

In April 2021, the film's title was revealed to be Hotel Transylvania: Transformania and was confirmed that it would be the final film in the franchise.[17][18] That same month, Sony confirmed that Adam Sandler would not reprise his role as Dracula.[8] The role was given to Brian Hull after voicing the character in the short film Monster Pets,[19] while Kathryn Hahn, Steve Buscemi, David Spade, and Keegan-Michael Key were confirmed to reprise their roles.[7] The following month, it was announced that Brad Abrell had replaced Kevin James as the voice of Frankenstein.[9] Mark Mothersbaugh returned to score the film, having previously scored the first three installments,[3] while Lynn Hobson served as editor.[2]

Release[edit]

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania was released by Amazon Studios on Prime Video, on January 14, 2022.[20] In February 2019, Sony Pictures Releasing scheduled the film for release on December 22, 2021.[21] In April 2020, the film was moved up to August 6, 2021.[22] In April 2021, the film was moved up again to July 23, 2021.[17] In June 2021, the film was rescheduled to October 1, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[23]

In August 2021, Sony Pictures cancelled the film's theatrical plans and entered discussions to sell the distribution rights to a streaming service, in response to the rising cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant in the United States.[24][25] On August 16, 2021, it was reported that Amazon Studios was in negotiations to acquire the distribution rights to the film for $100 million from Sony and would release it exclusively on Amazon Prime Video worldwide, excluding China, where Sony would release it theatrically on an undetermined date. Sony would also retain home entertainment and linear television rights to the film.[26][27] On October 6, 2021, Amazon set a release date of January 14, 2022.[20]

The film had a limited theatrical release on February 25, 2022.[28] On March 7, 2022, it was announced that the film would have a theatrical release in China beginning April 3 of that year.[29]

Reception[edit]

Critical response[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 49% of 77 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.20/10. The website's consensus reads, "Much like the trio of films it follows, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is middling family viewing -- relatively painless, but overall rather uninspired." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 46 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[30]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Billington, Alex (May 17, 2021). "Goofy First Trailer for Sequel 'Hotel Transylvania 4: Transformania'". FirstShowing.net. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Hobson, Lynn. "Lynn Hobson Lead Editor at Sony Pictures Animation". Linkedin. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Mark Mothersbaugh Scoring 'Hotel Transylvania: Transformia'". Film Music Reporter.com. June 18, 2021. Archived from the original on July 3, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  4. ^ "Sony Sells 'Hotel Transylvania 4' To Amazon For $100 Million". Forbes. August 16, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  5. ^ "Daily Box Office > China". entgroup. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  6. ^ "Hotel Transylvania: Transformania". The Numbers. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Hannett, Michelle (April 11, 2021). "Celebrate National Pet Day 2021 With Monster Pets: A 'Hotel Transylvania' Short". We Are Movie Geeks.com. Archived from the original on April 24, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Mendelson, Scott (April 9, 2021). "Box Office: How 'Hotel Transylvania' Became One Of Hollywood's Leggiest Franchises". Forbes. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  9. ^ a b Verboven, Jos (May 17, 2021). "Trailer Park: 'Hotel Transylvania: Transformania'". Scifi.radio. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  10. ^ Malkin, Marc (December 10, 2021). "Twitch Streamer Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins Cast in 'Hotel Transylvania: Transformania' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on December 31, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  11. ^ Donnelly, Matt (February 26, 2019). "'Hotel Transylvania 4' to Hit Theaters in December 2021". Variety. Archived from the original on September 29, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  12. ^ Mancuso, Vinnie (February 26, 2019). "'Hotel Transylvania 4' In the Works at Sony Pictures Animation". Collider. Archived from the original on January 12, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  13. ^ Trumbore, Dave (October 4, 2019). "'Hotel Transylvania 4': Genndy Tartakovsky Confirms He Won't Be in the Director's Chair". Collider. Archived from the original on October 7, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  14. ^ Donnelly, Matt (September 17, 2020). "Selena Gomez Upped to Executive Producer for 'Hotel Transylvania 4', Returns as Female Lead (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  15. ^ Dela Paz, Maggie (September 18, 2020). "'Hotel Transylvania 4' Set for 2021 Debut with Selena Gomez Returning". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on March 25, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  16. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 8, 2020). "How Animated Pics Like 'Tom & Jerry', 'SpongeBob Movie', 'Sing 2', Skydance's 'Luck' & More Are Working Through The COVID-19 Crisis". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 13, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  17. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 9, 2021). "'Hotel Transylvania: Transformania' Opening Earlier This Summer". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  18. ^ Dick, Jeremy (April 9, 2021). "'Monster Pets: A Hotel Transylvania' Short Arrives in Celebration of Pets Day This Sunday". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  19. ^ Dick, Jeremy (May 15, 2021). "'Hotel Transylvania: Transformania' Gets New Teaser Footage, Trailer Coming Monday". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  20. ^ a b Aurthur, Kate (October 6, 2021). "'Hotel Transylvania 4' Heads To Amazon, Sets January Release Date". Variety. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  21. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 26, 2019). "'Hotel Transylvania 4' To Open Doors Christmas Season 2021". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 6, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  22. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 24, 2020). "'Spider-Man: Homecoming' Sequel Pushes 'Doctor Strange 2' To 2022: Disney & Sony Release Date Change Team-Up". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 24, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  23. ^ Shafer, Ellise (June 18, 2021). "'Hotel Transylvania: Transformania' Moves to October". Variety. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  24. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 12, 2021). "'Venom: Let There Be Carnage' Delayed Until October; Exhibition Buzzes That 'Hotel Transylvania 4' Also On The Move – Update". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  25. ^ Perine, Aaron (August 12, 2021). "Hotel Transylvania: Transformania Possibly Headed to Streaming". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  26. ^ Vary, Adam B. (August 16, 2021). "'Hotel Transylvania 4' Skipping Theaters as Sony Nears Over $100 Million Deal With Amazon (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  27. ^ Anderson, Jenna (August 16, 2021). "Sony Skips Theaters With Hotel Transylvania 4, Streaming on Amazon Instead". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  28. ^ Sony Pictures Animation [@SonyAnimation] (February 25, 2022). "A sweet surprise – #HotelTransylvania: Transformania will play in select theaters across the US for a special one-week run, starting today" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  29. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (March 7, 2022). "'Hotel Transylvania: Transformania' Set For April Theatrical Release In China". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  30. ^ "Hotel Transylvania: Transformania Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved January 31, 2022.

External links[edit]

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