Hotel Transylvania 3 Information

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (known internationally as Hotel Transylvania 3: A Monster Vacation) is a 2018 American 3D computer-animated comedy film produced by Sony Pictures Animation and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. The third installment in the Hotel Transylvania franchise, it is directed by Genndy Tartakovsky and written by Tartakovsky and Michael McCullers, and features Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, David Spade, Steve Buscemi, Keegan-Michael Key, Molly Shannon, Fran Drescher, and Mel Brooks reprising their roles, as well as new additions to the cast like Kathryn Hahn and Jim Gaffigan.

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation premiered at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival on June 13, 2018, and was theatrically released in the United States on July 13, 2018. The film received mixed reviews from critics and has grossed over $342 million worldwide, against a budget of $80 million.

Plot

In 1897, Dracula (Adam Sandler) and his friends disguised as humans are traveling on a train to Budapest. However, Professor Abraham Van Helsing (Jim Gaffigan), Dracula's arch-enemy, boards the train and unveils the monsters; the monsters escape by climbing through the roof and Dracula pushes his friends from the train for their safety. Van Helsing is obsessed with destroying Dracula, but is constantly outsmarted by him.

In the present day, some time after the events of the previous film, Dracula is running his hotel business smoothly, with his daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez) and son-in-law Johnny (Andy Samberg). However, Drac is depressed by the fact that, since his wife's death, he's lonely despite attempts to meet someone. Misinterpreting this as stress from overwork, Mavis books a cruise so they can all take a break and spend more time together as a family. The next day, Dracula, Mavis, Johnny, Dennis (Asher Blinkoff), Vlad (Mel Brooks), and the hotel guests board a cruise ship called the Legacy. Dracula sees the ship's human captain, Ericka (Kathryn Hahn), and immediately falls for her, something that he thought was impossible as he had already "zinged" before.

Ericka goes to a secret room on the lower decks where she meets Abraham Van Helsing, who is revealed to be her great-grandfather and is almost completely mechanised, to avoid death. Van Helsing has plans to eliminate all the monsters, in the cruise upon its arrival at the lost city of Atlantis using an Instrument of Destruction, that could be found in Atlantis's ruins. Van Helsing makes Ericka promise to not assassinate Dracula beforehand, but she repeatedly attempts to do so anyway, albeit unsuccessfully, much to her frustration. After failing to kill Dracula at an underwater volcano, Ericka moans about being unable to get him. Dracula's friends hear this, and thinking that Ericka likes him, inform Dracula about what they heard. Dracula nervously asks Ericka out on a date, and she accepts since she sees this as another chance to kill the vampire. However, as they dine on a deserted island, Ericka begins to fall in love with Drac, after they learn about each other's pasts.

Mavis finds out Dracula is interested in Ericka and becomes suspicious of Ericka's motives. The cruise ship reaches Atlantis which has been converted into a casino; Dracula decides to tell Mavis the truth about Ericka, but gets distracted seeing Ericka going into a crypt below the city. Drac follows her, with Mavis not far behind, and learns that Ericka is after a "family heirloom". With Dracula's help, she gets past the numerous booby traps around the object and escapes. Mavis arrives and confronts them, and Dracula confesses that he "zinged" with Ericka, to Mavis's surprise and confusion. After Ericka is told what a "zing" is, she harshly rejects Dracula's romantic feelings, leaving Dracula heartbroken.

A regretful Ericka gives Van Helsing the object--revealed to be the Instrument of Destruction--and he proceeds to set a trap for the monsters, at a dance party. Noticing that Dracula is still upset, Mavis, after some advice from Johnny, tells her father to talk to Ericka, admitting that she was really afraid of him leaving her, which Drac allays. Suddenly, Van Helsing shows up and pushes away the DJ, and a sadden Ericka is forced to reveal, that she is his great-granddaughter. Van Helsing unveils the Instrument of Destruction, a case for a music note sheet, and plays a song that drives a friendly Kraken (Joe Jonas) that lives near the island to attack the monsters. Ericka saves Dracula from the Kraken and pleads with her great-grandfather to stop the destruction, confessing to Drac that she fell for him as well, which infuriates Van Helsing and causes him to attack them both.

In order to pacify the Kraken, Johnny opens up a portable DJ kit, and starts playing positive songs, to beat Van Helsing's song. Upon playing the Macarena, the Kraken is relaxed and happy for good; Van Helsing is unable to counter the song as everyone begins to dance, including the music sheet (Which shreds itself to tiny pieces, in the process). Van Helsing also ends up dancing, and accidentally slips and falls but is saved by Dracula. Touched by this act of kindness, Van Helsing apologizes to the monsters and gives everyone a full refund for the cruise, before sending them back.

Back at Hotel Transylvania, Dracula and Ericka have ended up in a romantic relationship. Drac proposes to Ericka, who stammers at the question, and she agrees to the proposal.

Voice cast

See List of Hotel Transylvania characters for more information

• Adam Sandler as Count Dracula: The 540-year-old lord of the vampires, and founder of Hotel Transylvania. Dracula is the son of Vlad, husband of the late Martha, father of Mavis, father-in-law of Johnny, maternal grandfather of Dennis, and Ericka's love interest.
• Andy Samberg as Jonathan "Johnny" Loughran: A 29-year-old human, who is Mavis' husband and Dennis' father.
• Selena Gomez as Mavis: The 126-year-old daughter of Dracula and the late Martha, and the granddaughter of Vlad. She is the wife of Johnny, and Dennis' mother.
• Kevin James as Frankenstein: The monster famously created from reanimated dead tissue, by Dr. Frankenstein. His friends call him "Frank".
• David Spade as Griffin, the Invisible Man
• Steve Buscemi as Wayne: A werewolf who is overwhelmed by his large number of children.
• Keegan-Michael Key as Murray: An ancient mummy.
• Molly Shannon as Wanda: Wayne's werewolf wife.
• Fran Drescher as Eunice: Frankenstein's wife.
• Kathryn Hahn as Ericka Van Helsing: The captain and cruise director of the cruise ship Legacy. She is secretly continuing her great-grandfather's wishes in eliminating monsters and is Dracula's love interest.
• Jim Gaffigan as Professor Abraham Van Helsing: Ericka's great-grandfather who is a legendary monster hunter and Dracula's archenemy.
• Mel Brooks as Vlad: An ancient, more experienced and traditional vampire, who is Dracula's father, the grandfather of Mavis, the grandfather-in-law of Johnny, and the great-grandfather of Dennis.
• Asher Blinkoff as Dennis Loughran: Mavis and Johnny's 6-year-old son who is a human/vampire hybrid, inheriting a combination of traits from his parents. He has a mutual crush on his best friend Winnie.
• Sadie Sandler as Winnie: The werewolf daughter of Wayne and Wanda. Winnie is Dennis' best friend, and she has a mutual crush on him.
• Genndy Tartakovsky as Blobby: A green blob monster. He was previously voiced by Jonny Solomon in Hotel Transylvania 2.
  • Tartakovsky also voices Blobby Baby: A spawn of Blobby.
  • Tartakovsky also voices Puppy Blobby: Blobby Baby's pet puppy.
• Chrissy Teigen as Crystal: An invisible woman who is Griffin's new girlfriend.
• Joe Jonas as Kraken: A giant sea monster that lives near Atlantis.
• Alison Hammond as Frankenginger: A female whose right arm is related to Frankenstein from his right hand's side of the family.
• Chris Parnell as Stan: A fish-man.
• Joe Whyte as Tinkles: Dennis' giant pet puppy.
  • Whyte also voices Bob: One of the Gremlins who works as a co-pilot on Gremlin's airlines.
• Aaron LaPlante as Gremlins, Gremlin Pilot, Gremlin Stewardess
• Michelle Murdocca as Phone Voice, Kelsey, Witch #1, Witch #2
• Joyce Arrastia as Zingr Witch, Witch 3
• Sunny Sandler as Sunny, the newborn daughter of Wayne and Wanda.
• Tara Strong as Frankenlady
• Libby Thomas Dickey as Libby
• Patrick Harpin as Austrian Boy
• Craig Kellman as Mr. Hydraberg
• Jaime Camil as El Chupacabra

Production

Development

In September 2015, Michelle Murdocca, the film's producer, said before the second film's release that the studio was "talking about number 3 and moving forward and taking the franchise to the next level," but thought that she and director Genndy Tartakovsky would not return, since they were working on Tartakovsky's Can You Imagine? before that project was later shelved. That same month, Tartakovsky stated that he will not return for the sequel, specifying to TheWrap that "two is enough. I have a lot of other ideas, and I kind of have to express them and have them come out." In November 2015, Sony Pictures Animation announced that the third film, under the tentative title of Hotel Transylvania 3, had been set for release on September 21, 2018.

Despite leaving the series, Tartakovsky later announced that he would return as the director for the third installment. Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, and Andy Samberg also reprised their previous roles, as Dracula, Mavis, and Johnny, respectively, and the film was written by Tartakovsky and Austin Powers writer Michael McCullers. In June 2016, Sony also confirmed Tartakovsky's return, after his taking a leave of absence to work on the final season of his show Samurai Jack. According to Tartakovsky, he returned after he received inspiration from a "miserable" family vacation, and from the Chevy Chase National Lampoon's Vacation movies, as the film takes place aboard a cruise ship. By early November 2017, the film had been entitled as Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation.

Music

Mark Mothersbaugh returned to score the third film, having previously scored the first two installments, while Sony Classical has released an official soundtrack of the trilogy. Dutch DJ Tisto also provided music for the film. DNCE's song "Cake by the Ocean" and Pitbull's song Shake Senora were used in promotional material.

Release

Summer Vacation was originally scheduled for release on September 21, 2018, a date that was later moved up two months, to July 13, 2018. A video game adaptation, titled Hotel Transylvania 3: Monsters Overboard, was released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows on July 10, 2018. On June 21, 2018, Amazon announced it was offering its Amazon Prime members an early showing of the film on June 30, at about 1,000 theaters, similar to fellow Sony release Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle the previous December.

International Release

While most territories are slated for July release dates, the film is set for release in China on August 17, 2018. Similarly, Italy and the Philippines won't see the film until late August while Japan and Poland have October release dates.

Marketing

The first teaser trailer was released online on November 16, 2017, and the official trailer for the film was released on March 21, 2018. A 95-second sneak peek of the film was released online via Sony Pictures Entertainment's YouTube channel on May 7, 2018.

Reception

Box office

, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation has grossed $140.7 million in the United States and Canada, and $201.6 million in other territories, for a total worldwide gross of $342.3 million, against a production budget of $80 million.

In the United States and Canada, Summer Vacation was released alongside the opening of Skyscraper, as well as the wide expansion of Sorry to Bother You, and was projected to gross $38-45 million from 4,267 theaters in its first weekend. The film made $1.3 million from its early 3PM screenings held by Amazon on June 30, and $2.6 million from screenings beginning at 5PM the Thursday before its official release. It went on open to $44.1 million, finishing first at the box office and landing in-between the debuts of the first two Hotel Transylvania films. The film made $23.2 million in its second weekend, finishing second behind newcomers The Equalizer 2 and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. It made another $12.3 million in its third weekend, finishing fourth.

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 61% based on 98 reviews, with an average rating of 5.4/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation delivers exactly what fans will expect - which means another 97 agreeably lightweight minutes of fast-paced gags and colorful animation." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 54 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale, the same score earned by both its predecessors.

Sarah Melton from Exclaim! thought the film was predictable but not entirely unappealing, writing, "not a shipwreck... Mostly, the film rests on putting familiar, likeable characters in a goofy setting and seeing what gags ensue."