---
title: "Hotel Transylvania"
year: 2012
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/hotel-transylvania"
fi1m_id: "hotel-transylvania"
imdb_id: "tt0837562"
tmdb_id: 76492
wikidata_id: "Q249967"
fi1m_score: 54
critics_score: 49
critics_reviews: 12
published: "2026-10-05T12:45:21.070827+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-05T12:45:21.586649+00:00"
region: "SA"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Hotel Transylvania (2012)

Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky · 1h 31m · Animation, Comedy, Family, Fantasy

## Identity

Hotel Transylvania

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/hotel-transylvania
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** hotel-transylvania
- **IMDb ID:** tt0837562
- **TMDB ID:** 76492
- **Wikidata ID:** Q249967
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0837562/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/76492, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q249967

**Fi1m score: 54** · Critics 49 from 12 reviews

*In a sentence:* A resort for the undead where the one thing no guest is permitted is a quiet moment

> Genndy Tartakovsky animates his monsters with more snap than any computer cartoon of the period, and for twenty minutes at a time it is a pleasure. Then the story turns up, and it is the overprotective-father film you have seen before, done louder.

## Synopsis

Transylvania, the present day. Count Dracula (Adam Sandler) runs a hotel for monsters, hidden in a forest behind a haunted graveyard, where the undead can holiday with no humans for miles. His daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez) is turning 118 and wants to see the world; he has raised her on stories of villagers with torches and pitchforks and means to keep her inside the castle. The guests arrive for her birthday: Frankenstein (Kevin James) and his wife Eunice (Fran Drescher), the werewolves Wayne (Steve Buscemi) and Wanda (Molly Shannon) with their pups, Griffin the invisible man (David Spade) and Murray the Mummy (CeeLo Green). Then Jonathan (Andy Samberg), a backpacker, wanders into the lobby. Dracula paints him green, bolts on a wig and passes him off as a cousin of Frankenstein’s right arm, while Mavis takes an interest.

## Review

Genndy Tartakovsky made *Dexter’s Laboratory* and *Samurai Jack* for television, and his first feature is built on a single joke: the undead want what the rest of us want, a weekend away and for the children not to grow up. Count Dracula (Adam Sandler) runs a hotel for monsters in a Transylvanian forest where no human has ever set foot. His daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez) is turning 118 and wants to see the world. The world arrives as Jonathan (Andy Samberg), a backpacker who follows some torch-bearing ghouls through the woods and strolls into the lobby, and Peter Baynham and Robert Smigel’s script spends the rest of its 91 minutes on Dracula trying to keep the two apart.

The reason to see it is the way it moves. Tartakovsky animates as if the computer were a pencil, with the squash and stretch of a 1940s short. Dracula’s cape snaps into a bat before the rest of him catches up; Wayne the werewolf (Steve Buscemi) sinks a little further into the carpet with each of the several dozen pups that climb him. The best sequence sends Dracula and Jonathan on a chase through the corridors on flying banquet tables, and Catherine Apple cuts it so fast that the geography never settles and never needs to. We laughed out loud more than we expected to, in a cinema full of six-year-olds, and most of it was at faces: a shrunken head on a door handle (Luenell) complaining about the noise, a suit of armour (Brian George) snapping to attention, Frankenstein (Kevin James) losing a hand and carrying on.

Marcelo Vignali’s hotel is a real place. It has a great hall under ribbed stone vaults, zombie bellhops in pillbox caps who drop every bag, witches on broomsticks doing the housekeeping and a swimming pool with something large under the surface. The camera is seldom still long enough to let us look at any of it.

Sandler does a thick, old-Hollywood Transylvanian accent and is better here than in most of his live-action comedies of the period, because the animators do the mugging for him. Gomez’s Mavis is sweet and barely written, a girl with one wish and no other traits. Samberg is the engine. His Jonathan talks like a skateboard video and is the only person in the film who does not know he is in a cartoon. The supporting monsters are comedians given a note each: Fran Drescher’s Eunice nags, David Spade’s invisible Griffin is a pair of spectacles with opinions, CeeLo Green’s Murray is the party mummy. Jon Lovitz’s Quasimodo, the hotel chef, has the best voice in the building and the least to do with it.

The story is the problem. The script knows one trick, in which Dracula tells a lie, the lie wobbles and Dracula tells a bigger one, and it runs that trick for an hour. The father-and-daughter scenes are written to a formula the film seems embarrassed by, so it hurries through them and then overscores them: Mark Mothersbaugh’s music, nimble in the gags, turns to strings and piano whenever a feeling is due, and by the third time we had stopped believing it. The film’s word for love at first sight is “zing”, repeated often enough to wear through. It did not move us. By the last third, when the farce turns into a lesson, we were restless, and the songs that arrive late on, which we will not place, are the auto-tuned pop that dates a family film faster than anything else in it.

Against Tartakovsky’s television work, which was built on silence and timing, this is loud and nervous. Against the Pixar and Aardman films it will be competing with on a half-term afternoon, it is short on anyone to care about. The tagline promises a place where monsters go to get away from it all, and nobody in the film, us included, is allowed to get away from anything for more than a minute.

Most critics found it roughly as we did, a lively mess, and the reviews split between those who forgave it and those who did not. Children between six and ten will get ninety minutes of good noise, and the U certificate is fair, the frights being all faces and no teeth. Adults will get a dozen proper laughs, a handsome hotel and a wish that someone had told the gag writers to breathe.

*Fi1m score 54, published 5 October 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics are unimpressed: seven of the twelve reviews are negative, three mixed, and only two come down in its favour. Where the praise gathers, it gathers on the animation. Reviewers across the spread admire Tartakovsky’s stretchy, expressive character work, the retro-pop look of the monsters and the sheer speed of the sight gags, and several concede that enough of the jokes land to pass the time.

The complaints are about everything underneath the drawing. The overprotective-father story is called hackneyed, the sentiment treacly, the script muddled, and more than one critic finds the frantic pace exhausting rather than funny; Empire adds the auto-tuned songs to the charge sheet. The scores sit tightly around the low 40s, which makes the dissent stand out: The Wrap calls it a boisterous all-ages treat, and Vulture, writing six years on, finds it a thin but reliably funny diversion. Nobody argues it has much to say about its monsters.

## Straight answers

**Is Hotel Transylvania worth watching?**

*Hotel Transylvania* is worth watching for children between six and ten, and for adults only in stretches; we scored it 54. Genndy Tartakovsky's animation has more snap than most computer cartoons of its period and the chase on flying banquet tables is a pleasure, but the overprotective-father story is one you have seen before, done louder and with nobody much to care about.

**How long is Hotel Transylvania, and what is it rated?**

*Hotel Transylvania* runs 1h 31m. It is an animation and comedy film.

**Where can I watch Hotel Transylvania in Saudi Arabia?**

*Hotel Transylvania* is not on any streaming or rental service in Saudi Arabia at the moment. It is available in 52 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How does Hotel Transylvania compare to Spirited Away?**

*Hotel Transylvania* shares its premise with [*Spirited Away*](https://film.one/film/spirited-away), a human child among monsters in a grand lodging house, and the Miyazaki film is the better one by a distance. Tartakovsky's hotel is loud, fast and never still long enough to look at; Miyazaki's bathhouse is patient, frightening and moving. Choose the cartoon for small children who want noise, and *Spirited Away* for anyone who wants to be taken somewhere.

**What should I watch after Hotel Transylvania?**

After *Hotel Transylvania*, try [*Spirited Away*](https://film.one/film/spirited-away) (2001, Fi1m 92): A human girl in a bathhouse for spirits; the same premise, with patience and wonder. Then [*ParaNorman*](https://film.one/film/paranorman) (2012, Fi1m 76): Stop-motion zombies and witches from the same autumn, with a story that actually lands; and [*The Addams Family*](https://film.one/film/the-addams-family) (1991, Fi1m 77): A monster household played straight by actors who understood deadpan was the joke.

### Reviews we read (12)

- **Vulture**, Bilge Ebiri (70/100, inferred): Ebiri finds the film thin but entertaining, with its repetitive humor landing often enough to make it a funny diversion. He particularly praises the quick animation and the recurring monster gags. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/movie-review-hotel-transylvania.html)
- **Screen Daily**, Brent Simon (64/100, inferred): The page identifies this as a review of the 2012 film, but its text is behind a paywall. The critic’s verdict and any specific praise or complaint are not visible. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/hotel-transylvania/5046259.article)
- **Slant Magazine**, Abhimanyu Das (2/4): The critic finds the film weighed down by treacly sentiment, moralizing, and a weak screenplay. They praise the visual inventiveness and energetic retro-pop animation of its monster characters. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/hotel-transylvania/)
- **Evening Standard**, The Standard (2/5): The critic gives the film two stars, finding its storyline badly botched despite some decent jokes. They praise its good looks and sustained Gothic spectacle, but complain that scenes feel like unrelated trailers. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/also-showing-8208753.html)
- **Radio Times**, Alan Jones (2/5): Jones gives the film a negative verdict, saying it adds little to a hackneyed overprotective-dad story. He criticizes its often overbearingly exaggerated style. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-zxgpj9/hotel-transylvania/)
- **Time Out**, Tom Huddleston (2/5): The review finds the film’s sweetness overbearing. It complains that Adam Sandler’s saccharine side overwhelms his sharper, funnier qualities. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/hotel-transylvania-1)
- **Empire**, Helen O'Hara (30/100, inferred): O'Hara finds the film mediocre, with a generic story that its cast cannot rescue. She praises Tartakovsky's commitment to squash-and-stretch animation, but faults the unfunny jokes and auto-tuned songs. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/hotel-transylvania-review/)
- **The Wrap**, Alonso Duralde (85/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a boisterous joyride and a rare all-ages treat. They single out its rapid-fire gags, sight gags, and comic rapport among the performers. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/hotel-transylvania-review-tickle-me-dracula-58371/)
- **The Playlist** (50/100, inferred): The headline presents the film as an energetic Halloween treat, but says it lacks character. It singles out the chaotic energy as a strength and weak characterization as the main complaint. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/review-hotel-transylvania-an-energetic-halloween-treat-that-brings-chaos-but-lacks-character-20120925/)
- **Den of Geek**, Michael Leader (2/5): The critic finds the film hollow and exhausting, with little to say about its classic monsters. They praise the expressive animation and visual flair, but say these cannot compensate for the muddled script and weak plot. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/hotel-transylvania-review/)
- **Digital Spy**, Simon Reynolds (2/5): Reynolds finds the film charming in places but ultimately predictable and less witty than stronger animated films. He praises its quaintly retro animation style, while faulting the frequent misfires in its jokes. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a422323/hotel-transylvania-review/)
- **Eye for Film**, Donald Munro (40/100, inferred): Munro finds the film a mixed-up mess that tries to do too many things without doing any particularly well. He praises its visual humour and occasional wit, but says the frenetic pace and lack of focus overshadow those strengths. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/hotel-transylvania-2012-film-review-by-donald-munro)

## Details

- **Director:** Genndy Tartakovsky
- **Director:** Genndy Tartakovsky
- **Screenplay:** Peter Baynham, Robert Smigel
- **Story:** Dan Hageman, Todd Durham, Kevin Hageman
- **Editor:** Catherine Apple
- **Music:** Mark Mothersbaugh
- **Production design:** Marcelo Vignali
- **Producer:** Michelle Murdocca
- **Cast:** Selena Gomez as Mavis Dracula (voice); Adam Sandler as Count Dracula (voice); Andy Samberg as Jonathan Loughran (voice); Kevin James as Frankenstein (voice); Fran Drescher as Eunice (voice); Steve Buscemi as Wayne (voice); Molly Shannon as Wanda (voice); David Spade as Griffin (voice)
- **Runtime:** 1h 31m
- **First release (Canada):** 8 September 2012
- **Genres:** Animation, Comedy, Family, Fantasy
- **Budget:** $85 million
- **Box office:** $358 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4RK3jY7AVk

## Where to watch in Saudi Arabia

Not streaming, renting or buying in Saudi Arabia at the last check.

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Annie Award for Best Animated Feature 2012: Annie Award for Best Animated Feature (nominated)

## If you liked this

- *Spirited Away* (2001), Fi1m 92: A human girl in a bathhouse for spirits; the same premise, with patience and wonder. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/spirited-away.md)
- *A Monster in Paris* (2011): French animation with a gentle giant flea and far more charm per minute.
- *ParaNorman* (2012), Fi1m 76: Stop-motion zombies and witches from the same autumn, with a story that actually lands. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/paranorman.md)
- *The Addams Family* (1991), Fi1m 77: A monster household played straight by actors who understood deadpan was the joke. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-addams-family.md)
- *Monsters, Inc.* (2001), Fi1m 86: Monsters terrified of a small human child, done with structure and real feeling. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/monsters-inc.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/hotel-transylvania