Hotel Transylvania is an American media franchise created by Todd Durham and owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment. It consists of four animated feature films, three short films, an animated television series, and several video games.

Hotel Transylvania
Created byTodd Durham[1]
OwnerSony Pictures Animation
Years2012–present
Print publications
Graphic novel(s)
  • Kakieland Katastrophe (2017)
  • My Little Monster-Sitter (2018)
  • Motel Transylvania (2018)
Films and television
Film(s)
Short film(s)
  • Goodnight Mr. Foot (2012)
  • Puppy! (2017)
  • Monster Pets (2021)
Animated series
Games
Video game(s)List of video games
Audio
Soundtrack(s)
Miscellaneous
Theme park attraction(s)List of attractions

The first film, Hotel Transylvania, was released in September 2012, with two sequels, Hotel Transylvania 2 and Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, released in September 2015 and July 2018, respectively. The films have received mixed reviews from critics and grossed over $1.3 billion worldwide against a combined production budget of $245 million. A fourth and final feature film titled Hotel Transylvania: Transformania was released on Amazon Prime Video on January 14, 2022, which also received mixed reviews from critics. The series focuses on the adventures surrounding monsters who reside in the titular plaza hotel where they can relax and get away from humans due to fear of persecution.

Origin

Comedy writer Todd Durham came up with the concept of Hotel Transylvania.[2] Durham, after creating the bible for a franchise of several films, television series, video games, books, merchandising, hotel chain, and theme park, took the package unsolicited to Columbia Pictures and set it up at Sony Pictures Animation.[3]

Films

Film U.S.
release date
Director(s) Screenwriter(s) Story by Producer(s) Distributor
Hotel Transylvania September 28, 2012 (2012-09-28) Genndy Tartakovsky Peter Baynham and Robert Smigel Todd Durham and Kevin Hageman & Dan Hageman Michelle Murdocca Sony Pictures Releasing
Hotel Transylvania 2 September 25, 2015 (2015-09-25) Robert Smigel & Adam Sandler
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation July 13, 2018 (2018-07-13) Genndy Tartakovsky & Michael McCullers
Hotel Transylvania: Transformania January 14, 2022 (2022-01-14) Derek Drymon & Jennifer Kluska Amos Vernon & Nunzio Randazzo and Genndy Tartakovsky Genndy Tartakovsky Alice Dewey Goldstone Amazon Studios

Hotel Transylvania (2012)

Hotel Transylvania is the first movie of the franchise and it was released in theatres on September 28, 2012. It is about a human named Johnny (Andy Samberg), who accidentally stumbles upon the hotel and instantly falls in love with Dracula's teenage daughter, Mavis (Selena Gomez), and eventually dates her, despite Dracula (Adam Sandler) attempting to keep Johnny away from his daughter.

Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015)

Hotel Transylvania 2 is the second movie of the franchise and it was released in theatres on September 25, 2015. It is about Mavis and Johnny, who have a half-human/half-vampire son named Dennis. Mavis thinks Hotel Transylvania isn't the right place to raise Dennis and wants to raise him in California. When Dracula is disappointed that Dennis does not have any vampire abilities, he helps his friends make his grandson a vampire. Things get complicated when Dracula's father Vlad (Mel Brooks) shows up.

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018)

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation is the third movie of the franchise and it was released in theatres on July 13, 2018. It is about Dracula falling for Ericka (Kathryn Hahn), a great-granddaughter of monster hunter Van Helsing (Jim Gaffigan) while on a cruise ship with his family.[4]

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania (2022)

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is the fourth and final movie of the franchise. It was released on streaming through Amazon Prime Video on January 14, 2022. It is about Dracula, now voiced by Brian Hull, and Johnny teaming up to find a cure to turn themselves back into their old selves before their transformations become permanent.

Television series

Hotel Transylvania: The Series (2017–2020)

A television series based on the film premiered on June 25, 2017, and ended on October 29, 2020.[5] Developed and produced by Nelvana Limited, in partnership with Sony Pictures Animation, the prequel series focused on the 114/115 years of Mavis and her friends at the Hotel Transylvania.[5] Sony Pictures Television handled distribution in the United States, while Nelvana distributed the series outside the United States.[5] It aired on the Disney Channel worldwide.[6]

Motel Transylvania (2025)

In June 2024, Motel Transylvania, a television series set to debut on Netflix in 2025, was announced.[7] The series is set to focus on Dracula and Mavis opening a motel.[8]

Short films

Goodnight Mr. Foot (2012)

Goodnight Mr. Foot is a traditionally animated short film based on Hotel Transylvania, featuring Bigfoot from the film. Premiering in time for Halloween, on October 26, 2012, the short was shown exclusively in Regal Entertainment Group Cinemas, before the theatrical shows of Hotel Transylvania. As Sony Pictures Animation's first traditionally animated film, it was written and directed by Genndy Tartakovsky himself, who also animated the short with the help of Rough Draft Studios. Animated in the style of Bob Clampett, Tex Avery, and Chuck Jones,[9] Tartakovsky created the short in four weeks during the final production stages of the main film.[10] Bigfoot (who had a non-speaking role in Hotel Transylvania) was voiced by Corey Burton while the Witch Maid was voiced by Rose Abdoo. Both voice actors provided additional voices in Hotel Transylvania.[11]

Taking place before the events of Hotel Transylvania, the short stars Bigfoot, whose rest in Hotel Transylvania is being constantly disturbed by an overly enthusiastic witch maid.[9]

Puppy! (2017)

Puppy! is a CG-animated fantasy comedy short film based on Hotel Transylvania, featuring Dennis (voiced by Asher Blinkoff) from Hotel Transylvania 2, with the additional voices of Selena Gomez, reprising her role as Mavis, Andy Samberg as Johnny, and Adam Sandler as Dracula. The film was written and directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, and was shown in theaters alongside The Emoji Movie, which was released in the United States on July 28, 2017.[12] The film is set in the hotel, as Dennis convinces Dracula to give him a monster-sized puppy named Tinkles, and the hotel learns to cope with it.[13] The short is a sneak preview of the third film, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, which was released on July 13, 2018; Dracula's final line in the short, "I need a vacation...", further reinforces this.

Monster Pets (2021)

Monster Pets is a Hotel Transylvania short film featuring Dracula trying to find a pet companion for his lively puppy, Tinkles.[14] The short was played exclusively at Cinemark Theatres on the weekend following April 1, 2021, before select PG-rated films, and was released online on April 9, 2021.[14] It was directed by Jennifer Kluska and Derek Drymon, written by Kluska, and produced by Christian Roedel. The short marked the first time that Adam Sandler did not return to voice Dracula and was replaced by voice actor Brian Hull.[14] Hull would reprise the role in the film Hotel Transylvania: Transformania.

Reception

Box office performance

Film Release Date Box Office Gross All Time Ranking Budget (millions) References
Domestic Foreign Worldwide Domestic Worldwide
Hotel Transylvania September 28, 2012 $148,313,048 $210,062,555 $358,375,603 359 339 $85 [15]
Hotel Transylvania 2 September 25, 2015 $169,700,110 $305,099,890 $474,800,000 282 215 $80 [16]
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation July 13, 2018 $167,510,016 $361,073,758 $528,583,774 290 187 $65–80 [17][18]
Hotel Transylvania: Transformania January 14, 2022 $18,480,000 $18,480,000 5,626 $75 [19][20]
Total $485,523,174 $894,716,203 $1,380,239,377 23 16 $320 [21]

Critical and public response

Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScore
Hotel Transylvania 45% (143 reviews)[22] 47 (32 reviews)[23] A−[24][25]
Hotel Transylvania 2 56% (110 reviews)[26] 44 (24 reviews)[27] A−[28][25]
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation 62% (119 reviews)[29] 54 (23 reviews)[30] A−[31][25]
Hotel Transylvania: Transformania 47% (78 reviews)[32] 46 (15 reviews)[33]

Cast and characters

List indicator(s)
  • A dark gray cell indicates the character did not appear in that installment.
  • A Y indicates an actor or actress voiced a younger version of their character.
Characters Films Short films Television series Video games
Hotel Transylvania Hotel Transylvania 2 Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation Hotel Transylvania:
Transformania
Goodnight Mr. Foot Puppy! Monster Pets Hotel Transylvania:
The Series
Motel Transylvania Hotel Transylvania 3: Monsters Overboard Hotel Transylvania: Scary-Tale Adventures
Season 1 Season 2
Count Dracula Adam Sandler Brian Hull Silent role Adam Sandler Brian Hull David Berni Ivan Sherry TBA Brock Powell Brian Hull
Jonathan "Johnny" Loughran Andy Samberg Andy Samberg Brian T. Stevenson Danny Gendron
Mavis Dracula-Loughran Selena Gomez Selena Gomez Selena Gomez Selena Gomez Bryn McAuley TBA Mellissa Sturm
Sadie SandlerY Victoria GomezY
Frank Kevin James Brad Abrell Paul Braunstein Danny Gendron Brad Abrell
Wayne Steve Buscemi Michael Buescemi
Murray CeeLo Green Keegan-Michael Key Keegan-Michael Key Kyle Chapple
Griffin David Spade Daniel Bonjour
Eunice Fran Drescher N/A
Wanda Molly Shannon
Winnie Sadie Sandler Zoe Berri Silent role Zoe Berri
Blobby Silent role Jonny Solomon Genndy Tartakovsky Silent cameo Silent cameo Silent role
Bigfoot Silent role Corey Burton Silent cameo Silent role
Fly Chris Parnell Silent role
Quasimodo Wilson Jon Lovitz Scott McCord
Martha Jackie Sandler Painting
Dennis Asher Blinkoff Asher Blinkoff Asher Blinkoff Silent role Asher Blinkoff
Sunny SandlerY
Mike Loughran Nick Offerman
Linda Loughran Megan Mullally
Vlad Mel Brooks
Dana Dana Carvey
Bela Rob Riggle
Brandon
Kakie
Chris Kattan
Kelsey Nick Swardson Michelle Murdocca Silent role
Ericka Dracula
(née Van Helsing)
Kathryn Hahn Julianne Buescher
Professor Abraham Van Helsing Jim Gaffigan
Stan Chris Parnell
Kraken Joe Jonas
Crystal Silent role Chrissy Teigen
Tinkles Joe Whyte Silent role Joe Whyte Derek Drymon
Puppy Blobby Genndy Tartakovsky Silent cameo Genndy Tartakovsky
Gremlin Pilot Aaron LaPlante
Gremlin Stewardess
Party Monster Richard "Ninja" Blevins
Toots Jennifer Kluska
Aunt Lydia Dan Chameroy
Wendy Blob Evany Rosen
Hank N. Stein Gage Munroe
Pedro Joseph Motiki
Uncle Gene Patrick McKenna
Klaus Carter Hayden
  • A grey cell indicates character did not appear in that medium.

Crew

Role Films Television series
Hotel Transylvania Hotel Transylvania 2 Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation Hotel Transylvania: Transformania Hotel Transylvania: The Series Motel Transylvania
Director Genndy Tartakovsky Derek Drymon and Jennifer Kluska Robin Budd TBA
Producer Michelle Murdocca Alice Dewey Goldstone Jane Crawford TBA
Co-producer(s) Lydia Bottegoni Skye Lyons Carey A. Smith Ryan Gilleland TBA
Executive producer(s) Adam Sandler
Robert Smigel
Allen Covert
Adam Sandler
Robert Smigel
Allen Covert
Ben Waisbren
Genndy Tartakovsky
Michelle Murdocca
Selena Gomez
Rick Mischel
Scott Dyer
Irene Weibel
TBA
Writer(s) Screenplay by:
Peter Baynham
Robert Smigel
Story by:
Todd Durham
Dan Hageman
Kevin Hageman
Robert Smigel
Adam Sandler
Genndy Tartakovsky[34]
Michael McCullers
Screenplay by:
Amos Vernon
Nunzio Randazzo
Genndy Tartakovsky
Story by:
Genndy Tartakovsky[35]
Various TBA
Composer(s) Mark Mothersbaugh Stephen Skratt
Asher Lenz
TBA
Editor(s) Catherine Apple Joyce Arrastia Lynn Hobson[36] TBA
Production Companies Sony Pictures Animation Sony Pictures Animation
LStar Capital
MRC
Sony Pictures Animation
MRC
Sony Pictures Animation
Nelvana
Corus Entertainment
Sony Pictures Animation
Distributor Columbia Pictures
Sony Pictures Releasing
Amazon Studios Sony Pictures Television Netflix

Video games

A social game based on the film, titled Hotel Transylvania Social Game and made by Sony Pictures Interactive, was released on August 15, 2012. The game allows players to create their own Hotel Transylvania, where they must take care of the hotel's guests.[37]

Another video game, titled Hotel Transylvania, developed by WayForward Technologies and published by GameMill Entertainment, was released on September 18, 2012, for Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS at retail.[38][39] The Nintendo 3DS version of the game was also released digitally in the Nintendo eShop in North America on November 15, 2012.[40]

A mobile game, titled Hotel Transylvania Dash, developed by Sony Pictures Consumer Products Inc. and PlayFirst, was released to iTunes App Store on September 20, 2012. The game is a variation of Hotel Dash and features the film's art and characters.[41]

A mobile storybook game, titled Hotel Transylvania BooClips Deluxe, developed by Castle Builders and Sony Pictures Animation, was released on the iTunes App Store, Nook Store, Google Play for Android, iBookstore, Microsoft's Metro, and for PC and Mac via BooClips, both in English and in Spanish, on September 20, 2012.[42]

A third video game based on Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, Hotel Transylvania 3 Monsters Overboard, published by Outright Games, was released on July 13, 2018.[43]

A video game based on the franchise, Hotel Transylvania: Scary-Tale Adventures, developed by Drakhar Studio and published by Outright Games, was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One on March 11, 2022.

Theme park attractions

In December 2016, a dark ride based on the franchise opened at Motiongate Dubai, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.[44] In April 2021, another ride based on the film series opened at Dream Island in Moscow, Russia.[45] In October 2021, a new themed-land, based on the film franchise, opened at Columbia Pictures Aquaverse in Sattahip, Chonburi, Thailand.[46]

References

  1. ^ "Columbia Pictures Press Kit - Hotel Transylvania" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 22, 2012. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  2. ^ "Production Notes - Hotel Transylvania" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 22, 2012. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  3. ^ "Art of Hotel Transylvania". October 21, 2019.
  4. ^ Moore, Debi (January 18, 2017). "Synopsis and More Details on Hotel Transylvania 3 - Dread Central". Dread Central. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c Steinberg, Brian (July 14, 2015). "Nelvana, Sony Pictures Animation Ready 'Hotel Transylvania' For TV". Variety. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  6. ^ Pederson, Erik (June 20, 2016). "Sony Animation Dates 'Hotel Transylvania 3', 'Emojimovie' & More; 'Ghostbusters' TV Series Set". Deadline. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  7. ^ White, Peter (June 6, 2024). "Timothy Olyphant To Voice Terminator In Animated Netflix Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 6, 2024. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  8. ^ Giardina, Carolyn; Moreau, Jordan (June 6, 2024). "Timothy Olyphant to Star in Netflix's 'Terminator Zero'; Plus 'Plankton' Movie and 'Motel Transylvania' Among Animation Slate". Variety. Archived from the original on June 6, 2024. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Sony Pictures Animation (October 25, 2012). "No Trick, Big Halloween Treat from Sony Pictures Animation's HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA Director Genndy Tartakovsky". PR Newswire. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  10. ^ Beck, Jerry (October 25, 2012). "Sony Releases Genndy Tartakovsky's new short "Goodnight Mr. Foot"". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  11. ^ Alexander, Bryan (October 24, 2012). "New Bigfoot sighting in 'Hotel Transylvania' short film". USA Today. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  12. ^ "Sony Pictures Animation Details Upcoming Slate, Including Julia Roberts' 'Smurfs' Role". January 18, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
  13. ^ "Sony Pictures Animation Unveils 'Spider-Man,' 'Hotel Transylvania 3,' 'Smurfs' And More". Forbes. January 19, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
  14. ^ a b c Sarto, Dan (April 9, 2021). "See the Just Released 'Hotel Transylvania Short,' 'Monster Pets'". Animation World Network. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  15. ^ "Hotel Transylvania". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  16. ^ "Hotel Transylvania 2". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  17. ^ "Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018) - Financial Information". The Numbers.
  18. ^ "Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  19. ^ "Daily Box Office > China". entgroup. Archived from the original on February 27, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  20. ^ "Hotel Transylvania: Transformania". The Numbers. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  21. ^ "Hotel Transylvania Movies at the Box Office". Box Office Mojo.
  22. ^ "Hotel Transylvania (2012)". Rotten Tomatoes. September 28, 2012. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  23. ^ "Hotel Transylvania". Metacritic. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  24. ^ Cunningham, Todd (September 29, 2012). "'Hotel Transylvania': Monster Debut Puts It on Pace for $38M Box-Office Weekend". The Wrap. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  25. ^ a b c "Cinemascore". Archived from the original on December 20, 2018.
  26. ^ "Hotel Transylvania 2". Rotten Tomatoes. September 25, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  27. ^ "Hotel Transylvania 2 reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  28. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 28, 2015). "'Hotel Transylvania 2' At $48.5M Marks Record Opening For Adam Sandler; 'Intern' Slacks On Sunday – Monday Postmortem". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  29. ^ "Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. July 13, 2018. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  30. ^ "Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  31. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 14, 2018). "'Hotel Transylvania 3' $2.6M Thursday Night Taller Than Dwayne Johnson's $1.95M 'Skyscraper'". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  32. ^ "Hotel Transylvania: Transformania (2022)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  33. ^ "Hotel Transylvania: Transformania". Metacritic. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  34. ^ "Sony Pictures Animation". Sony Pictures Animation. Archived from the original on October 7, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  35. ^ Billington, Alex (May 17, 2021). "Goofy First Trailer for Sequel 'Hotel Transylvania 4: Transformania'". First Showing. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  36. ^ Lynn Hobson Lead Editor at Sony Pictures Animation
  37. ^ Sony Pictures Interactive (August 15, 2012). "Sony Pictures Interactive Opens a Hotel Game on Facebook". PR Newswire. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  38. ^ "GameMill Entertainment Goes Hollywood With Sony Pictures Animation's Hotel Transylvania; Coming Soon To Nintendo DS And Nintendo 3DS". Gamasutra. July 23, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  39. ^ "Hotel Transylvania NDS". Amazon. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  40. ^ "Nintendo News: Nintendo Download Highlights New Digital Content for Nintendo Systems". Business Wire. November 15, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  41. ^ Zahed, Ramin (July 17, 2012). "Sony to Launch 'Hotel Transylvania' Mobile Game". Animation Magazine. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  42. ^ Castle Builders (September 14, 2011). "Castle Builders (IL) Launches Hotel Transylvania BooClips Deluxe App With Interactive Storybook and Cookbook Based on Sony Pictures Animation's Family Comedy" (PDF) (Press release). BooClips.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 22, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  43. ^ Bandai Namco (April 30, 2018). "Popular movie franchise HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA is coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch" and PC!" (Press release). Gamasutra. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  44. ^ MacDonald, Brady (October 23, 2015). "What to expect at Dubai's 'Hollywood in the desert' theme park". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  45. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (April 15, 2021). "'Hotel Transylvania' Attraction Checks Into Russia's Dream Island Theme Park". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  46. ^ Fuster, Jeremy (April 6, 2021). "Sony Announces First Branded Theme Park: Columbia Pictures' Aquaverse in Thailand". TheWrap. Retrieved April 15, 2021.