Fast-Paced, Witty and Just Plain Fun

Rating: 7/10 (26 February 2013)

Hotel Transylvania is basically a love letter to the classic horror movies and clichés that surround them. Dracula is the owner of a huge castle in Transylvania where he invites other monsters to come and spend their time without fear of being judged or hunted by humans. Aptly calling it "Hotel Transylvania." The plot kicks off the night before his daughter Maven's 118th birthday. She wants nothing more than to go outside and explore the world but Dracula is reluctant about this because he thinks that humans would kill her without a second thought due to her being a vampire. Things are shaken up though when a human named Johnathan unexpectedly arrives in Hotel Transylvania. Now Dracula has to keep Johnathan's humanity a secret from his fellow monsters and try to stop Maven from developing any feelings for him.
Hotel Transylvania is a very fast-paced movie. The humor often flies in your face a mile a minute and each joke will last just long enough for it to resonate in your mind before moving on to the next one. And most of the jokes are actually pretty funny. Granted there's a few obvious puns in there but they're handled pretty well. And the film knows when to slow down in order to let the plot tell itself. Like the scenes with Dracula and Maven. You can tell that Dracula has a deep love for his daughter and only wants to protect her, and that she loves him too but also wants a little independence. Their relationship is actually handled a lot differently than the stereotypical relationship a father and daughter have in animated movies. They hardly ever fight, except for a scene near the middle, and obviously have a mutual respect and love for one another. That was a heartwarming touch that's a real refresher when compared to other animated films like The Little Mermaid.
The animation itself has a nice blend of CGI and Cartoon physics. The characters move very flexibly and often make faces straight out of a Tex Avery cartoon which is a style not often seen in CGI. Each of the characters stand out, there's a Frankenstein (complete with wife), a Wolfman, a Mummy even the Invisible Man shows up. There's also one shot gags and side characters that manage to leave an impression even if they only show up on screen for a few seconds, like a hydra, a fish-man, or even Bigfoot. No character seems to overstay their welcome.
Granted having the movie in such a fast-pace is gonna damage a few things. While the parts that are meant to make you feel for the characters are handled pretty well they often move too fast to really leave that much of an effect on you. Without giving anything away there's a scene in the end which plays with how humans react to actual monsters that felt a little too rushed and too forced.
But overall this film has a lot to keep you invested. Funny jokes, good looking animation and a lot of likable and hilarious characters. The voice acting is pretty good too with an all star cast like Adam Sandler, Andy Sandburg, Selena Gomez and more. I'm glad I saw this movie and it just put me in a good mood by the time the credits rolled. I say give it a chance. Kids are definitely gonna enjoy it's cartoon humor while adults can appreciate the relationship Dracula has with his daughter, friends and even Johnathan. All in all there's something everyone can enjoy in it and that's a real rarity nowadays.