Blu-ray Review: HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA: TRANSFORMANIA

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Aug 27, 2023 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

“Wow, look at us, Drac. You’re human and I’m a monster. It’s like Freaky Friday, but on a Tuesday, though.”

Drac, Johnny, Mavis and the rest of the monster gang are back in the latest hilarious installment of the popular Hotel Transylvania franchise, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania. It’s the 125th anniversary of Hotel Transylvania, and Drac (Brian Hull) is holding a massive party, where he is planning to make the big announcement that he will be retiring and handing over the keys to the hotel to his daughter, Mavis (Selena Gomez). However, after seeing how his unpredictable human son-in-law, Johnny (Andy Samberg), takes over the anniversary celebration, he worries about the future of the hotel, and changes his mind about the announcement at the last minute.

Afterwards, when Johnny asks why he didn’t go through with it, Drac lies and tells him that an ancient law says that a non-monster cannot inherit the hotel, and so he couldn’t give it to him and Mavis. Not wanting to be the reason his wife can’t pursue her lifelong dream of running the hotel, Johnny uses Van Helsing’s Monsterfication Ray to turn himself into a monster. Panicked by how his daughter will react to this, Drac tries to use the ray to turn Johnny back into a human, but in the process, he accidently breaks the ray, but not before turns himself and the Drac Pack human. Now he and Johnny must make the treacherous trip to a secret cave in South America to obtain a crystal that can fix the ray and turn them both back before Johnny permanently transforms into a mindless monster and he is stuck as a human. But the trek isn’t going to be as easy now that Drac can no longer just turn into a bat and fly.

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is a delightful new installment to the franchise, giving fans the chance to see these characters not only in their usual hotel setting, but also taking them out of that darker world and into a brighter new environment on a wild new adventure. The film also has a lot of fun exploring alternate versions of these characters, which still maintaining what makes them so beloved. When Johnny transforms into a dragoon-like monster, he’s still very much the fun-loving Johnny, and if anything, he shows even more of his childlike wonder and excitement over his new look and abilities. Drac, on the other hand, isn’t really happy with his new beer belly and receding hairline, and inability to fly. His is initially excited to finally be able to feel the warmth of the sun, but that novelty quickly wears off as he and Johnny slowly make their way through the rainforest in the sweltering heat. Drac is used to always being in charge, but without his powers, he must let Johnny take the lead, and trust that he will do the right thing. He’s not used to relinquishing control, especially to Johnny, but it becomes a bit of a bonding adventure, with these two learning more about one another along the way. So in addition to being humorous, the film also has its more heartfelt moments.

Meanwhile, There’s lots of hijinxs with the other transformed monsters. Frankenstein’s monster Frank (Brad Abrell) can’t help constantly posing and looking at his handsome new self, though wife Eunice (Fran Drescher) doesn’t have the same fondness for his new look. Werewolf Wayne (Steve Buscemi) is happy to get out of watching his pack of children since they don’t recognize him, though wife Wanda (Molly Shannon) doesn’t appreciate this. A very visible (and naked) former invisible man Griffin (David Spade) takes it upon himself to protect Blobby (Genndy Tartakovsky)— who’s now more of an inanimate gelatin mold—and mummy Murray (Keegan-Michael Key) is also getting used to his new body.

All of the voice cast is fantastic. I had been a little nervous when I saw that Adam Sandler wasn’t going to be a part of this fourth installment, however, voice actor Brian Hull does an amazing job recreating Drac’s voice—you would never even know it wasn’t Sandler!

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania was first released direct to streaming on Prime Video last July due to the pandemic, but now finally makes its way onto disc/digital a year later, and I found it just as fun and enjoyable the second time around. Sony’s has released this fourth Hotel Transylvania film on a standalone Blu-ray, and on DVD as part of a four-film collection. It is also available in 4K digitally. I was sent the Blu-ray release for review, and the technical presentation is solid. The picture is clean and nearly flawless, with a nice level of detail. This can really be seen in the textures of the characters’ outfits, like Drac’s black cape and Johnny’s orange shirt. The audio track provides clear dialogue throughout and makes excellent use of the stereo and surround channels to give the viewer a really immersive experience. This is especially noticeable during the chaos at the hotel, or when Johnny and Drac are walking through the rainy forest.

The Blu-ray disc is packaged in a standard HD keepcase, with a glossy slipcover. An insert provides instructions on how to redeem an HD Movies Anywhere-compatible digital copy of the film. The disc/digital also contain a filmmaker commentary and about 18 minutes of other bonus material, including a new animated short, a lyric music video, and some fun and behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast and crew.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:27:38)

1080p / Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Descriptive Audio, French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French Descriptive Audio, Portuguese 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish

Digital (Limited time offer):

HD digital copy, redeemable via Movies Anywhere or Vudu

Extras:

Monster Pets: A Hotel Transylvania Short (5:51)
Drac tries to get on with his morning, but Tinkles is eager to play fetch. So Drac tries to find another monster dog for him to play with instead.
Monster Mash-Up: Making Hotel Transylvania: Transformania (6:08)
The cast and crew discuss the premise of the film, creating the alternate versions of the characters, the relationships, what it was like working on the movie, new directors stepping into the franchise, the talented voice cast, and more. Includes interviews with executive producer/co-screenwriter Genndy Tartakovsky, co-directors Derek Drymon & Jennifer Kluska, producer Alice Dewey Goldstone, and stars Andy Samberg (“Johnny”) & Selena Gomez (“Mavis”).
Hotel Transyl-Trivia: Selena vs. Andy! (2:55)
Stars Selena Gomez and Andy Samberg see who knows more about the Hotel Transylvania franchise.
Filmmaker Commentary (1:27:38)
Co-directors Jennifer Kluska & Derek Drymon, editor Lynn Hobson & head of character animation Alan Hawkins sit down together to provide an informative commentary throughout the film. They talk about making the film during lockdown, the evolution of the movie and some of the changes that were made along the way, figuring out the look for the alternate versions of the characters, the music, and more. As they discuss each sequence, they often share behind-the-scenes stories about the production, point out Easter Eggs, discuss working with the voice actors, and more.
Monster Box Challenge! (:54)
Stars Selena Gomez and Andy Samberg try to identify mystery items related to the film while blindly reaching into a box.
“Love Is Not Hard to Find” Lyric Video (2:37)
Lyric music video for “Love Is Not Hard to Find” by YEИDRY.
Previews (7:33)
Trailers for Vivo (2:29), Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (2:25) and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse (2:38) play back-to-back.

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Recommended

I really enjoyed Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, both when I first saw it a year ago when it premiered on Amazon Prime, and revisiting again now on this Blu-ray release, It was just as much fun the second time around. This was a great fourth installment to the franchise, capturing the same kind of humor and lovable characters, while also giving us new alternate versions of some of them. I would certainly welcome more films to this franchise! Sony’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds amazing, and includes a fun assortment of bonus material. This is an easy recommendation for fans of the franchise, or of family-friendly animated films in general.