It's directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, the creator of Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack, and the ridiculously good Star Wars: Clone Wars mini-series. The music is handled by Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo (and Yo Gabba Gabba!), while Robert Smigel, of SNL’s TV Funhouse and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, had a hand in the screenplay.
That’s not to say that Hotel Transylvania is bad — it’s not. It’s just billed as a comedy — and, it’s not.
Looney Tunes, Cee Lo Green and invisible butts after the jump!
There’s a small amount of Cabin in the Woods-like fun to be had here trying to pick out all the creatures from popular culture that make an appearance.
Also on the good side of things is some gorgeous animation. It has a style that feels fresh, though it’s obviously largely inspired by Looney Tunes, which I’d consider a big plus. The score brings back memories of stuff that could have been penned by Carl Stalling. In the first few minutes, the Looney Tunes inspiration feels especially apparent. The CG animation blends that classic cartoon vibe with a pinch of Tartakovsky’s more angular style. Though the characters aren’t delivering big laughs, they are quite easy on the eyes.
But underneath it’s shiny exterior, there’s not much that stands out about Hotel Transylvania. The overprotective parent bit has been done better in Finding Nemo, Puss in Boots one-ups it on action-pack-ed-ness, and Kung-Fu Panda kicks its ass at comedy.
Other than the chance to admire Tartakovsky’s style, there is one other good reason to see this, and that’s if you have children. Otherwise, I can’t say there’s too much here for 18-and-ups. Any attempts at humor just for the older crowd are too few and far between, and the abundance of fart/butt jokes seem like far-too-low-hanging fruit to warrant the price of admission.
--Eric Pulsifer