Hotel Cloudylandia: Somewhere Worth Checking

## Seriously, this place is worth checking in... if you don't mind these creatures, of course.

What happens when you count The Great Magician, The Invisible Guy, Frankersman, The Redblob, and The Skeletal Mummy? Aside from a killer monster mash, you might get the pleasure of checking in *Hotel Cloudylandia*: some fantastical paradise up in the clouds where fantasy creatures call home, away from the fears of human persecution... you know the story, humans and fantasy creatures don't get along very well. Sure, Anaya Animation is better known for the *Marco* movies, but what defines them most throughout their animation history is this. Now having gained $2.6 billion worldwide with the latest *Hotel Cloudylandia* release, this franchise became very popular with audiences worldwide ever since this Anaya Animation cult favorite was released. With the arrival of *Hotel Cloudylandia 3: Traversmania* this summer, let's take a look back at what made the original film so special in the first place.

### "I don't want to be like the others, they're all cool but kinda scary. I just wanted to be your personal homie, and that's what matters more" -Denny

Based on Steven Condevosky's 1937 book *A Kid In Cloudylandia* and the legend of such fantastical place, the 2010 animated film *Hotel Cloudylandia* largely focuses on the interesting premise "Wouldn't it be funny if there were some hotel for fantasy creatures?" and makes it stand out thanks to its signature Tex-Avery nostalgia and solid vocal performances, particularly from James Woods - you know, the voice of Hades from the 1997 Disney *Hercules* film - and Adam Sandler in his Slavic accent. And, speaking of Hercules, the sheer irony found here is the fact that almost no Greek mythological creature has ever checked in the hotel, but instead some average spoiled teen named Denny (Andy Samberg) who is eager to know the outside world despite his parents almost having no pity on him. However, when he goes to sleep and realizes his dream has come true, the exuberant Denny gets more than surprised to see plenty of fantasy creatures and monsters different from him, and decides to become friends with them right away. Joined by Nathan Lane's Redhead, Denny meets several guests: among them Matt The Mummy, David Spade's Morris The Invisible Guy, the clumsy Frankersman voiced by Kevin James, a reluctant yet meddling Donna, Adam Sandler's living tree and the mysterious Count Von Drac, and of course The Great Magician (voiced perfectly European by James Woods). However, Denny has one thing in mind when he sees this place: he wants to become heir to the throne stolen by Abraham Von (aka Great Magician) from the late king of Cloudylandia, and steal his golden crown. Suddenly, when The Great Magician locks him up in some dark room, the lonely Denny meets some girl named Ava (Selena Gomez) whom he zings for at first sight, and together they plan out the grand escape from the enormous Sky Castle. However, mayhem ensures after Donna's birthday gets ruined and Abraham Von's assumed death when Denny ascends to the throne and proposes Ava to be his forever girlfriend, only for them to encounter the terrifying Lady Varnadelle (Helen Mirren) and her army of black ninja squids. Denny and the Magic Gang soon realize that The Great Magician is indeed alive and as the world beneath them falls into chaos, they cast out the forces of evil - including the giant behemoth that Jack had to face at the beanstalk - in order to save our world and make Hotel Cloudylandia a resort for every human tourist on Earth.

Anaya Animation's first attempt at creating some fantasy is clever enough to satisfy the young ones and those with a keen sense of CG cartoony animation and Marcanese folklore. It also cleverly captures the wacky nature of *Tex Avery* cartoons, while also giving us the surreal tone found in its strange backgrounds and crisp bright animation that defines this franchise as a whole. Here it seems so that The House Of Marco isn't just producing espionage comedies or present day cartoons, but rather something out of the blue: *Hotel Cloudylandia* does the unexpected by twisting its dated source material with a silly approach to modern day culture while keeping those fantasy roots under its sleeve. James Woods is perhaps the best thing about this film as he provides The Great Magician that blend of silliness with sentimentality, he makes this film great thanks to his clever gags with perfect timing and enigmatic personality, yet The Great Magician isn't as frightening as we first saw him in the opening. Aside from The Great Magician, the other characters are amusing enough to keep you laughing rather than being scared, such as my personal underrated favorite Blob and the witty genius Redhead, and their voice actors do splendid jobs too as the monsters. Although her French minion - who goes by Naploeon - serves as a rather weak captain, the intimidating Lady Varnadelle is indeed someone you might not want to mess up with. The theme song channels the Eagles 1976 song "Hotel California" into full beast mode and every other pop song here is admittedly catchy like some Transylvanian beat, despite Sony's obvious pop soundtrack marketing towards the younger set. Every single frame and hard-hitting gag here works like sure rapid fire, even if the film relies heavily on gag quantity rather than quality when it comes to lobby fart jokes and whenever Chef Quesadille (Steve Buscemi) attempts to cook up Denny for dinner. While the story can get predictable at times, some moments at The Sky Castle - such as The Great Magician's tragic backstory and his transformation as the Easter Bunny - don't feel too forced or clichéd like other moments, in fact these two parts advert said clichés and sadly that is lacking much throughout this film. However, the film does have its magic charm as it delivers the truth that humans must accept unknown creatures for who they are, as we see that through Denny & Ava's strong but somewhat cheesy relationship. Cartoon mogul Gennedy Tartakovsky knows exactly what to do here, as he provides the script that's full of references to iconic monster movies of the last century, including one mention of Harry Houdini and three wish jokes about The Flying Dutchman, while also paying homage to several of his works such as *Dexter's Laboratory* for example. This cult favorite might not have the same wit or infectious charm of the *Marco* movies, but of course it's definitely somewhere you may want to go check in before you die... and thankfully there's no dead people there.