Hotel Transylvania: Transformania (2022) is the fourth and final installment of the Hotel Transylvania animated film series, directed by Jennifer Kluska and Derek Drymon. The film continues the comedic adventures of the beloved monster family, bringing a new twist to their usual antics with a mix of adventure, humor, and heartwarming moments. This time, however, there’s a major change: Dracula (voiced by Brian Hull) and his friends find themselves in a rather unusual situation due to a magical mishap.

Plot Summary:

The story centers on Dracula (Brian Hull), who is celebrating his daughter Mavis’s (Selena Gomez) birthday at the Hotel Transylvania. However, things take an unexpected turn when Van Helsing (Jim Gaffigan), a mysterious inventor, introduces a new invention called the Monsterfication Ray. This device is intended to allow humans to transform into monsters, but when the machine malfunctions, Johnny (Andy Samberg), who is human, gets turned into a powerful and terrifying monster, while Dracula, along with his monster friends, undergoes a transformation into humans.

This leads to an uproarious adventure where Johnny, now in his monstrous form, relishes his newfound power, while Dracula and his team of transformed humans, including Frankenstein (Kevin James), Mummy (Keegan-Michael Key), The Invisible Man (David Spade), and Werewolf (Steve Buscemi), struggle to adapt to their new, much weaker human forms. As they navigate the challenges of being in bodies they aren’t used to, the group must come together to undo the effects of the Monsterfication Ray and restore order to the hotel.

Meanwhile, Mavis and Jonathan (Johnny’s human form), both realizing the chaos caused by the transformation, try to help bring everything back to normal while exploring the themes of family, love, and understanding in the process.

Key Themes:

1. Identity and Acceptance: One of the central themes of Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is about embracing who you are, regardless of appearances. Throughout the film, both Johnny and Dracula must come to terms with their identities, as Johnny experiences life as a powerful monster and Dracula navigates the challenges of being human. The story explores how self-acceptance and the love of family can transcend outward appearances.
2. The Power of Family: As in previous films, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania highlights the importance of family and the bonds that tie the monster family together. Despite the chaos and comedy that ensues, the characters ultimately work together to solve their problems, reaffirming the strength of their relationships.
3. The Humor in Change: A lot of the humor in the film comes from seeing familiar characters in unexpected forms. Dracula and his friends, now human, must deal with the limitations of their new bodies and their comedic mishaps as they try to navigate a world they don’t understand. The dynamic between the characters as they adapt to their transformations provides much of the movie’s charm.
4. Understanding Each Other: The film touches on understanding others’ perspectives and not judging others based on their appearance. Johnny, who often felt like an outsider in the monster world, gets to experience life as a monster, while Dracula, who has been the powerful, immortal patriarch of the family, faces vulnerability as a human. Their experiences open their eyes to each other’s worlds.

Key Characters:

• Dracula (Brian Hull): The iconic vampire and owner of the Hotel Transylvania. In Transformania, Dracula is turned into a human, and his character is forced to deal with the limitations and vulnerabilities that come with being human. His journey centers around understanding what really matters in life—his family—rather than his monstrous powers.
• Johnny (Andy Samberg): The human son-in-law of Dracula and husband to Mavis. Johnny is the one who is turned into a monster and relishes his new monstrous abilities. His character is energetic, funny, and optimistic, and the film explores his journey as he experiences life as a creature he’s always admired.
• Mavis (Selena Gomez): Dracula’s daughter, who is caught in the middle of her father’s and husband’s transformations. Mavis is caring, intelligent, and fiercely protective of her family, and her role in trying to solve the problem of the Monsterfication Ray is crucial to the plot.
• Van Helsing (Jim Gaffigan): The inventor of the Monsterfication Ray, whose machine causes the transformations. While well-meaning, Van Helsing’s invention brings chaos to the hotel and serves as a catalyst for the plot. His character provides some of the more humorous and awkward moments of the film.
• Frankenstein (Kevin James): Dracula’s best friend and one of the hotel’s main residents. In Transformania, Frankenstein, who becomes human, struggles with his new form and the loss of his monstrous abilities, leading to a series of comical situations as he tries to fit in.
• Mummy (Keegan-Michael Key), Invisible Man (David Spade), and Werewolf (Steve Buscemi): The rest of Dracula’s monster friends who are also turned human and must deal with the challenges of being powerless. Their attempts to adapt to their new forms add to the humor of the film.

Animation and Visual Style:

The animation in Hotel Transylvania: Transformania maintains the bright, colorful, and whimsical visual style of the previous films. The characters’ transformations are portrayed in a fun and exaggerated way, with Johnny’s monstrous form and the human versions of the monsters offering a comedic contrast to their usual looks.

The movie features a variety of colorful and fantastical settings, with the action primarily taking place in the iconic Hotel Transylvania and other vibrant locations, including a jungle adventure. The animation continues to have a playful, family-friendly tone, with creative designs for both the human and monster forms of the characters.

Comedy and Tone:

As with its predecessors, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is filled with slapstick humor, puns, and visual gags that make it a fun watch for all ages. The film’s comedy is largely driven by the characters’ exaggerated reactions to their new circumstances, with much of the humor derived from their clumsy attempts to adapt to their new bodies. There are plenty of lighthearted moments, but the film also contains some touching emotional beats, particularly in the relationship between Dracula and Johnny, as they learn to understand and appreciate each other more deeply.

Reception:

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania received a mixed to positive response from critics and audiences. While some felt that the film’s humor and antics were a bit formulaic compared to previous installments, many appreciated the heartwarming themes of family and acceptance that underpinned the plot. The film was also praised for its vibrant animation and the voice performances, particularly Brian Hull stepping in for Adam Sandler as Dracula in his final appearance as the character in the series.

While Hotel Transylvania: Transformania was seen as a fun and entertaining conclusion to the series, some fans felt it didn’t quite reach the heights of its predecessors. However, it still offered the same family-friendly fun and comedy that made the franchise popular.

Conclusion:

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania (2022) is a fitting, if slightly predictable, conclusion to the Hotel Transylvania saga. With its mix of humor, heart, and vibrant animation, it provides an entertaining watch for fans of the series, young and old alike. The film explores themes of identity, family, and the importance of understanding one another, while offering plenty of comedic moments thanks to the character transformations. Although it may not break new ground, it wraps up the series in a fun and lighthearted way, offering a nice send-off to the quirky monster family.