This one took me by surprise...and in a very good way.

Rating: 8/10 (2 June 2013)

These days, CGI films have become very, very common--so common that they seem to zip in and out of theaters with little notice. There are, of course, some exceptions (such as the Pixar films), but when "Hotel Transylvania" came to theaters, it came and went without a huge amount of notice. Now that I finally saw it, I really wish the film had received much more attention, as it's far superior to most CGI family films.
This film is a funny look at monsters from their point of view. To them, the humans are the enemy and see them as blood-thirsty beasts. The monsters are afraid of them and are actually amazingly gentle and likable. The main character, Dracula (Adam Sandler) is a very overprotective father and won't let his daughter (Selena Gomez) leave their prison-like castle--afraid that those horrible humans will kill her! However, accidentally, a human shows up when Dracula is throwing a HUGE birthday celebration for his daughter! In order to prevent widespread panic, Drac convinces the young man (Andy Samberg) to dress like a monster and blend in...but the plan works too well, and Drac's daughter falls in love with this horrible human!
"Hotel Transylvania" is directed by Genndy Tartakovsky--a newcomer to CGI, but a veteran of lots of excellent Cartoon Network shows, such as "The Powerpuff Girls" and "Dexter's Lab". I think he did an excellent job and think this, along with great writing, made this film fun for all ages--with lots of laughs for adults and kids alike--just like his TV shows. In fact, this is the strength of the film. It had wonderful characters, terrific dialog and a nice sense of humor. The CGI ranges from fantastic (particularly the backgrounds) to average.
So why, if I liked the film so much, did I give the film an 8 and not a higher score? Well, the movie had one area where it was deficient--the songs. Each time a song occurred, it slowed down the film tremendously. On top of that, the ending (which was one HUGE song and dance number) was really weak. It's a shame, but a problem you can easily overlook. Overall, a fine family film that will interest adults just as much as it will appeal to kids--and that is something all too rare.