hotel transylvania 1 movie review

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Parents' guide to, hotel transylvania.

Hotel Transylvania Poster Image

  • Common Sense Says
  • Parents Say 46 Reviews
  • Kids Say 76 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Sandie Angulo Chen

Father-daughter tale has mild scares, innuendo, potty humor.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Hotel Transylvania is a good introductory "monster movie" for little kids. The monsters are tame, and the story focuses on Dracula (voiced by Adam Sandler) and his daughter, Mavis (Selena Gomez), as she comes of age (118!). Mavis is respectful to her father, even though she longs for…

Why Age 6+?

Dracula has red eyes that he flashes whenever he can't control his anger, and at

Characters mention Doritos, a Fiat car, and the band Slipknot. The movie and its

Language includes insults like "idiot," "fool," "nerd," "shut up," "jerk," and "

Lots of googly eyes and flirtation between two characters who eventually kiss. S

Characters drink what's presumed to be alcohol from wine and cocktail glasses.

Any Positive Content?

Don't judge people before you meet them. It can be scary to be vulnerable, but b

Mavis, despite being holed up at the hotel, is a well-loved daughter and "niece"

Central message of acceptance, tolerance, and not judging others based on their

Kids just being introduced to the horror genre will meet some iconic characters,

Parents need to know that Hotel Transylvania is a good introductory "monster movie" for little kids. The monsters are tame, and the story focuses on Dracula (voiced by Adam Sandler ) and his daughter, Mavis ( Selena Gomez ), as she comes of age (118!). Mavis is respectful to her father, even though she longs for freedom. She shows curiosity and empathy toward humans, her dad, and other monsters. Potentially frightening elements include Dracula's "angry face," which he flashes when he can't control his rage (it lasts only a few seconds, but it's a bit demonic) and a mob scene that puts a central character in danger. There's also a backstory that involves humans killing the main character's mother, but it's handled delicately. Expect toilet and gross-out humor, such as a character passing wind that comes out as a green gas, people eating cakes made of worms, and a fly vomiting green slime onto its hands. Language includes "heck," "God" (as an exclamation), insults like "stupid" and "shut up," and swearing stand-ins such as "holy rabies." There's innuendo, flirting, and a quick kiss between a 118-year-old vampire and a 21-year-old guy.

To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Violence & Scariness

Dracula has red eyes that he flashes whenever he can't control his anger, and at one point he grows in size to loom over others—all of which could be scary for younger kids. A mob scene involves zombies dressed as humans with torches who try to scare Mavis. Instead, they catch fire, but the audience knows they're not really humans and can't be hurt in the same way. Characters include zombies, skeletons, werewolves, and Frankenstein's monster, but they're humanized and played as funny rather than scary. There's dangerous driving and mention of sucking blood, a monster falls and their limbs break off, a human is tied to a spit roast, and characters are thrown against walls. It's implied that a werewolf eats a flock of sheep off-screen when he burps up wool. A vampire bat flies too close to the sun and burns are shown on his skin when he's back in human form. There's a threatening flashback to when humans attacked Dracula and his wife with pitchforks and fire, which results in her death. The death/absence of Mavis' mother is mentioned frequently but handled delicately.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Characters mention Doritos, a Fiat car, and the band Slipknot. The movie and its sequels have promotional/product tie-ins, including toys and other merchandise.

Language includes insults like "idiot," "fool," "nerd," "shut up," "jerk," and "stupid," plus jokes about "poop," "waste," "filth," and a character's "tush." "God" is used in exclamation, there are swearing stand-ins such as "holy rabies" and "bat poop" (with poop standing in for "s--t"), and characters say "heck."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Lots of googly eyes and flirtation between two characters who eventually kiss. Some innuendo, such as a monster going to take a human mannequin into a house with the implication it's sexual. Two miniature bug-sized monsters kiss and are told by Drac to "go back to what they were doing" in the honeymoon suite, and a character winks at another suggestively. A skeleton couple is caught "naked" in the shower together. A boy asks a girl whether she's naked when she turns into a bat.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Messages

Don't judge people before you meet them. It can be scary to be vulnerable, but being seen and accepted for who you are is worth it. It's important to admit that you might be wrong and to make amends when necessary. Being overprotective can stunt people's growth and happiness—sometimes to show love, you have to let go. Children need to discover things for themselves and make their own mistakes. Curiosity and empathy are important character strengths.

Positive Role Models

Mavis, despite being holed up at the hotel, is a well-loved daughter and "niece" to all of her parents' dearest associates. She's smart and curious about the outside world and shows empathy in not judging others based on their species. While she's confident in many ways, she generally obeys her father's rules, even when they're strict and inflexible. Dracula is a protective, loving father who just wants to keep Mavis safe, but he lies to her to do so. He gradually learns that he's making his daughter unhappy and that it's in her best interests for him to let go. Jonathan is an adventurous spirit who learns to see beyond the monsters' exteriors and discovers that they're pretty cool. He encourages Mavis to travel and find her own way in the world.

Diverse Representations

Central message of acceptance, tolerance, and not judging others based on their species. Of the three central voice actors, Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg are White Jewish men, and Selena Gomez has Mexican and Italian heritage. Teenage girl Mavis is portrayed as smart and empathetic. She obeys her father's rules but shows curiosity and the ability to make her own decisions. Sexist jokes lean into stereotype, including male zombie construction workers making an A-OK gesture about an attractive female character and a "nagging" wife having her mouth zipped shut.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update .

Educational Value

Kids just being introduced to the horror genre will meet some iconic characters, including those taken from classic novels like Dracula and Frankenstein .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

hotel transylvania 1 movie review

Parent and Kid Reviews

  • Parents say (46)
  • Kids say (76)

Based on 46 parent reviews

What's the Story?

More than a century ago, a grieving Dracula (voiced by Adam Sandler ) decided to build a human-proof castle called HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA, where monsters could stay and—more importantly—where he could raise his vampire daughter, Mavis ( Selena Gomez ), in safety. Fast-forward to the present day, and Mavis is turning 118 (but looks 18), and "Drac" has planned a huge birthday celebration. As the hotel fills with Mavis' many monster aunties and uncles—like werewolf Wayne ( Steve Buscemi ), Frankenstein ( Kevin James ), Mummy Griffin ( Cee-Lo Green ), and the Invisible Man ( David Spade )—an unexpected visitor arrives in the form of 21-year-old human Jonathan ( Andy Samberg ), a solo backpacker who somehow stumbles across the supposedly untraceable castle. Not wanting to alarm his guests, Drac puts Jonathan in costume and forces him to pretend that he's Frankenstein's younger cousin. What Dracula doesn't count on is Mavis and Jonathan falling for each other.

Is It Any Good?

Though its premise is much better than the execution, this movie is just palatable enough to tolerate for parents. Little kids too young for genuine spookiness will particularly enjoy how harmless the monsters are in Hotel Transylvania (save for Dracula's occasional rage face)—and how sweet the relationship is between Dracula and his loving daughter. Gomez is well cast as a naive girl who just wants a chance to discover the world beyond the hotel, and Samberg is like a young Sandler as the bumbling-but-sweet human who ends up stealing not only Mavis' heart but also befriending an entire circle of monster pals.

That's not to say that there aren't some issues with Hotel Transylvania ; a Pixar masterpiece it's not. The word "zing" (as in the romantic spark between couples) quickly becomes tedious, as do some of the repetitive jokes about the werewolf cubs' poop and the Bride of Frankenstein's ( Fran Drescher ) hen-pecking. But despite the small missteps, kids—and they, after all, are the movie's target audience—will relate to Mavis, laugh at Dracula and his friends, and be completely invested in this monster mash of an animated comedy.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about who Hotel Transylvania is intended for. It's about monsters that have been in many horror movies, but it's not as scary as some other animated movies. How are the monsters kid-friendly?

Can you think of other movies that feature an overprotective father? How does Hotel Transylvania compare? How do you feel about Drac's motives? Does the film encourage understanding of his behavior? What does he learn?

Why are monster movies popular? Why is it sometimes fun to be scared?

Mavis shows curiosity and empathy in the film. Why are these important character strengths ? Can you think of times you've shown these in your own life?

Movie Details

  • In theaters : September 28, 2012
  • On DVD or streaming : January 29, 2013
  • Cast : Adam Sandler , Andy Samberg , Selena Gomez , Kevin James
  • Director : Genndy Tartakovsky
  • Inclusion Information : Female actors, Latino actors
  • Studio : Sony Pictures Animation
  • Genre : Family and Kids
  • Topics : Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
  • Character Strengths : Curiosity , Empathy
  • Run time : 92 minutes
  • MPAA rating : PG
  • MPAA explanation : some rude humor, action and scary images
  • Last updated : September 8, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

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hotel transylvania 1 movie review

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Hotel Transylvania Reviews

hotel transylvania 1 movie review

Hotel Transylvania’s monster mash is utterly hollow.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | May 3, 2024

hotel transylvania 1 movie review

Hotel Transylvania isn't a brilliant animated feature, but it is a consistently entertaining one with Sandler's trademark silliness mixed with sweetness.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.0/4.0 | Sep 11, 2020

The way this collection of monster misfits tackle both each other and the threat of human invasion has the right degree of wit and sophistication to amuse adults whilst being zany and slapstick enough to hold children's attention.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Feb 5, 2019

hotel transylvania 1 movie review

As a straight up monster movie, this film could have had a lot of fun diving further into the stereotypes... and then extending the confrontation that occurs at the end. Instead it's weighed down by the teen romance and need to conceal Jonathan.

Full Review | Oct 20, 2018

The movie is hardly top-notch stuff.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Oct 25, 2017

hotel transylvania 1 movie review

Classic Saturday morning cartoon material, very silly and very much aimed at 5 year-olds.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 12, 2016

hotel transylvania 1 movie review

This 91-minute mash-up of Halloween creatures and non-stop silliness hits the ground running and virtually never slows down.

Full Review | Aug 26, 2015

hotel transylvania 1 movie review

It's isn't awful. Just terribly pleasant, that's all.

Full Review | May 3, 2015

Kids might be briefly entertained by the early onslaught of monsters, but the plot concerning the over-anxious father is soon tedious, especially as Sandler repeats the corny Dracula voice he's been doing since his Saturday Night Live days.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/10 | Mar 4, 2015

hotel transylvania 1 movie review

Has the definite stamp of Sandler and his crew, but in the end it's a fine and very sweet animated family film.

Full Review | Oct 7, 2013

hotel transylvania 1 movie review

In the role of a concerned father and cartoon monster, Sandler manages to be something he has not been onscreen in a long time: likable.

Full Review | Jul 20, 2013

Kids will enjoy Hotel Transylvania, and it won't bore the socks off adults too.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jan 20, 2013

hotel transylvania 1 movie review

There's a good chance that children under 10 will find "Hotel Transylvania" entertaining, because it's as non-threatening as can be and the jokes are obvious. There's an equally good chance that everyone else will wander off . . .

Full Review | Original Score: 5/10 | Jan 19, 2013

From the spooked start, the comic-rhythm dial's set to bulldozer. Whizzes through the superficially amusing conceit without actually taking much time to craft cunning comedy. Like a sugar-rushed Count Chocula-meets-Fawlty-Towers idea.

Full Review | Nov 22, 2012

hotel transylvania 1 movie review

This is a perfectly O.K. animated film. The animation is really quite good. The characters are interesting, but the predictable story isn't very compelling. It is a slightly above average animated feature.

Full Review | Original Score: C+ | Nov 20, 2012

Director Genndy Tartakovsky has fashioned something even the most sensitive little flowers in your family can enjoy.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 30, 2012

Hotel Transylvania might be useful as a primer to introduce young film fans to some classic screen creatures, but it falls way behind the standard set by wittier animations from the likes of Pixar and Aardman.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Oct 27, 2012

The concept of monsters as the good guys and humans as the villains is nothing new in the realm of movies, but Tartakovsky keeps things moving along at a satisfying pace as the stellar voice cast have a field day with their iconic characters.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Oct 19, 2012

hotel transylvania 1 movie review

... another empty-calorie animated feature ...

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Oct 18, 2012

Checking into this hotel will give you a thrill and get you in the mood for Halloween.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 17, 2012

  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews

Hotel Transylvania

Steve Buscemi, Adam Sandler, CeeLo Green, Kevin James, and Selena Gomez in Hotel Transylvania (2012)

Dracula, who operates a high-end resort away from the human world, goes into overprotective mode when a boy discovers the resort and falls for the count's teenaged daughter. Dracula, who operates a high-end resort away from the human world, goes into overprotective mode when a boy discovers the resort and falls for the count's teenaged daughter. Dracula, who operates a high-end resort away from the human world, goes into overprotective mode when a boy discovers the resort and falls for the count's teenaged daughter.

  • Genndy Tartakovsky
  • Peter Baynham
  • Robert Smigel
  • Todd Durham
  • Adam Sandler
  • Kevin James
  • Andy Samberg
  • 283 User reviews
  • 278 Critic reviews
  • 47 Metascore
  • 2 wins & 15 nominations

No. 2

Top cast 60

Adam Sandler

  • Frankenstein

Andy Samberg

  • Suit of Armor

Luenell

  • Shrunken Heads

Brian Stack

  • Fake Dracula

Rob Riggle

  • Skeleton Husband
  • All cast & crew
  • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Hotel Transylvania 2

Did you know

  • Trivia Jackie Sandler , Sadie Sandler : Dracula's wife and the infant version of Mavis are voiced by Adam Sandler 's wife and daughter.
  • Goofs Dracula is unable to hypnotize Johnny who wears <1mm thin plastic contact lenses but successfully hypnotizes a plane pilot through a 15 mm thick reinforced, insulated and coated compound plastic and glass cockpit window.

Jonathan : Are these monsters gonna kill me?

Dracula : Not as long as they think you're a monster.

Jonathan : That's kinda racist.

  • Crazy credits The Torch Lady in the Columbia Pictures logo turns into a vampire bat.
  • Connections Featured in Becky G. Feat. Will.i.am: Problem (The Monster Remix) (2012)
  • Soundtracks Hush Little Baby Written by Traditional Arranged by Robert Smigel and Genndy Tartakovsky Performed by Adam Sandler

User reviews 283

Fresh family fun - pretty good.

  • White_Prophet
  • Jul 1, 2018

Everything New on Hulu in November

Production art

  • September 28, 2012 (United States)
  • United States
  • Official Facebook
  • Khách Sạn Huyền Bí
  • Sony Pictures Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA (Studio)
  • Columbia Pictures
  • Sony Pictures Animation
  • Happy Madison Productions
  • See more company credits at IMDbPro
  • $85,000,000 (estimated)
  • $148,313,048
  • $42,522,194
  • Sep 30, 2012
  • $358,375,603
  • Runtime 1 hour 31 minutes
  • Dolby Digital
  • Dolby Atmos

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Who Cares that Hotel Transylvania Is So One-Note, It’s a Really Funny Note

Portrait of Bilge Ebiri

The pleasantly disposable animated flick Hotel Transylvania , which gathers all the monsters in the world under one roof, is better than it should be, if not quite as good as it could be. Directed by the Russian animator Genndy Tartakovsky, who has a bit of a following thanks to TV shows like Samurai Jack and Star Wars: The Clone Wars , the slight, simple tale has sharp, speedy animation that keeps its mostly uninspired plot moving along. But it’s also got enough belly-laughs to keep us entertained — even if they are basically the same joke repeated ad infinitum.

The film imagines Dracula (voiced by Adam Sandler , whose vampire voice has a faint echo of his Opera Man character from his SNL days) as an overprotective single dad, eager to give his young daughter Mavis (voiced by Selena Gomez ) a proper upbringing away from the world of wicked and intolerant humans. (When he reads her a spooky bedtime book, it’s about people, not monsters.) In between teaching her the basics of being a monster — she has to put on a helmet for her first attempt at becoming a bat — he builds Hotel Transylvania, a magnificent castle situated inside a vast, spacious resort where all the monsters in creation can come to relax without having to worry about pitchforks and bonfires and angry mobs. (The hotel is worked by a staff of zombies, witches in maid costumes, and mouthy shrunken heads.)

The idea though is not just to please his fellow monsters, but to shelter Mavis. When, on her 118th birthday (ha ha), she asks to see the world, Drac reluctantly lets his newly independent daughter go as far as a nearby town — which turns out to be a Potemkin village he’s built himself, filling it with zombies dressed as humans to scare her off and make her determined to stay home. It works for now, but we know it can’t last: Sure enough, into the hotel waltzes Jonathan (Andy Samberg), a daft, adventurous, and annoying young backpacker who’s been everywhere and who instantly charms the daydreaming Mavis with his tales of the world. Knowing that the presence of a human will drive the other monsters away in fear (they’re terrified of us, you see), Drac tries to get Jonathan to pose as Frankenstein’s cousin, Jonathan Stein. It’s to the film’s credit that Jonathan, despite being something of a romantic lead, is essentially a doofus, oblivious to the world around him half the time and almost always on the verge of doing exactly the wrong thing. (He also says things like, “That cape thing is killing it!” to Drac when they first meet.)

The what’s-down-is-up humor and premise here will remind you occasionally of Monsters, Inc. , but without the endless invention and spiraling wit that the visionaries over at Pixar brought to that film. No, it’s all strictly one-note stuff. But it’s a funny note, and the film has a grand old time giving us the same type of gag over and over again. The Hydra’s heads quarrel with one another. The Invisible Man tries to play charades and all anyone can see are his glasses. The Fly keeps nonchalantly vomiting. Lounging in the hotel sauna, the Blob takes little pieces of itself and tosses them on the coals to make steam. The most edgy thing here occurs during a climactic hearse chase, when a werewolf clears a road full of sheep by eating all of them — much to the horror of his fellow monster passengers. Hey, I laughed.

  • movie review
  • hotel transylvania
  • bilge ebiri
  • adam sandler
  • genndy tartakovsky
  • vampire weekend getaway
  • selena gomez

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IMAGES

  1. Hotel Transylvania (2012)

    hotel transylvania 1 movie review

  2. Картинки Джонни Из Мультика Монстры На Каникулах

    hotel transylvania 1 movie review

  3. Hôtel Transylvanie

    hotel transylvania 1 movie review

  4. Hotel Transylvania 1 In Romania

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  5. Hotel Transylvania 1/2/3 : Transformania (multi-feature) (4 Discs) (dvd + Digital) : Target

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  6. Hotel Transylvania Movie Characters

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VIDEO

  1. Making The Hotel

  2. Behind The Scenes Secrets of Hotel Transylvania

  3. Hotel Transylvania- Movie Review

  4. Hotel Transylvania 2 / comedy, horror movie / Tamil voice over 3/movie story &review in tamil

  5. Hotel Transylvania 2012 Movie || Hotel Transylvania 2012 Animated Comedy Movie Full Facts Review HD

  6. Dracula's Backstory

COMMENTS

  1. Hotel Transylvania - Rotten Tomatoes

    When monsters want to get away from it all, they go to Count Dracula's (Adam Sandler) Hotel Transylvania, a lavish resort where they can be themselves without humans around...

  2. Hotel Transylvania (2012) - User reviews - IMDb

    Hotel Transylvania stars: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James and David Spade. It goes for approximately 90 minutes. It fails to deliver GREAT 3D moments although some could be classified as 'GOOD'. The first half of the movie is what is called 'Jokes Are Failing' Syndrome.

  3. Hotel Transylvania Movie Review | Common Sense Media

    Father-daughter tale has mild scares, innuendo, potty humor. Read Common Sense Media's Hotel Transylvania review, age rating, and parents guide.

  4. Hotel Transylvania - Movie Reviews | Rotten Tomatoes

    Hotel Transylvania isn't a brilliant animated feature, but it is a consistently entertaining one with Sandler's trademark silliness mixed with sweetness. Full Review | Original Score: 3.0/4.0...

  5. Hotel Transylvania Reviews - Metacritic

    Welcome to the Hotel Transylvania, Dracula's lavish five-stake resort, where monsters and their families can live it up, free from meddling from the human world. But here's a little known fact about Dracula: he is not only the Prince of Darkness; he is also a dad.

  6. Hotel Transylvania (2012) - IMDb

    Hotel Transylvania: Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky. With Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James. Dracula, who operates a high-end resort away from the human world, goes into overprotective mode when a boy discovers the resort and falls for the count's teenaged daughter.

  7. Hotel Transylvania is One-Note, but It’s a Really Funny Note

    The pleasantly disposable animated flick Hotel Transylvania, which gathers all the monsters in the world under one roof, is better than it should be, if not quite as good as it could be.

  8. Movie Review: Hotel Transylvania - MetroFamily Magazine

    In summary, Hotel Transylvania is a sweet, not-too-scary monster movie for kids seven and older. It introduces them to the iconic monsters we all know and love, and also offers some meaningful thoughts about friends, family and finding your own way in the world.

  9. Hotel Transylvania critic reviews - Metacritic

    Dominated by Adam Sandler's D-minus Bela Lugosi impression, the 3-D animated feature Hotel Transylvania illustrates the difference between engaging a young movie audience and agitating it, with snark and noise and everything but the funny.

  10. Movie Review: Hotel Transylvania 1, 2, 3 and 4 - HubPages

    Dracula vowed to never go near humans again. He wanted to protect his daughter and all the other monsters out there. Dracula built a huge castle that he wanted to turn into a hotel for monsters. He built it as far from the humans as possible and built sneaky entrances that the humans couldn't find.