“Welcome to Hotel Transylvania” (my daughter loves to say this over and over). It’s Count Dracula’s safe haven for monsters who want to be free from humans! Not only is the Count protecting his famous monster friends at the hotel but he’s also keeping a careful watch over his 117 year old daughter Marvis (Selena Gomas).
As a child I was fascinated by old horror films. Dracula and Frankenstein scared the heck out of me but I was intrigued by them. This is the perfect movie to introduce my daughter to these iconic monsters. I was a little concerned that Adam Sandler would be over the top but I was pleasantly surprised by his performance as overprotective single dad Count Dracula.
Dracula and his close friends are focused on Marvis’ 118 birthday plans. Her focus is leaving the nest and seeing the world. What’s a dad to do? He wants to protect his daughter from evil. What parent doesn’t right? Things change for everyone when human backpacker Jonathan (Andy Samburg) finds his way to the resort. Marvis and Jonathan lay eyes on each other and “zing”, the resort gets turned up side down and Dracula loses his tight grip on his little girl.
Hotel Transylvania is a fun film for kids. My daughter loved it! The movie theater was filled with families and the children were engaged through the entire time. I was concerned that the animation might be too scary for my 5yo but the movie is totally safe for the kids. The only scary moment was when Dracula went into his rage mode (loud, red eyes) which only lasts a couple of seconds. This startled my daughter initially but it pumped her up! The film touches on family values, is lighthearted and there were fun adult jokes sprinkled throughout. I cracked up when Frankenstein went into character- “FIRE BAD!! ” My daughter laughed even though the joke totally went over her head. The zombies were fantastic! Especially the classic composers!
I’m avoiding any spoilers but there is a there is a strong message in the story. Hatred is bad even if it is directed at monsters. Talk to the kids about it especially since October is National Awareness Bully Month.
Transylvania, there’s no better place to take the kids this Halloween season!!
Rated: PG
* We did not receive monetary compensation for this review. Tee attended a screening free of charge to facilitate this review. This will in no way sway our opinion of the product or service.
The review is in our own words and is our opinion. Your results and opinions may differ.
