With many Halloween-themed movies coming out this fall, Hotel Transylvania definitely stands out as the funny and family oriented movie for all ages. Many of our little ones aren’t prepared for a good scare yet and Hotel Transylvania offers them a comic alternative. The movie is centered around Dracula’s “five-stake” resort, where monster families can relax and enjoy a human-free vacation. On one special weekend Dracula is hosting his daughter Mavis’s 118th birthday extravaganza and monster families of all kinds are arriving for the occasion.
The fun begins when Jonathan, a 21-year-old human, accidentally finds Dracula’s hotel. He immediately takes a liking to Dracula’s daughter, Mavis. Of course, this sends the over-protective Dracula into a frenzy.
What’s great about this movie is that it focuses on the father-daughter relationship between Dracula and Mavis. Although Mavis is anxious to claim her independence and explore the world, the mutual respect and love Mavis and Dracula have for each other isn’t lost.
Check out what Selena Gomez (voice of Mavis), Director Genndy Tartakovsky, and Producer Michelle Murdocca have to say about the movie.
Q: Would you all talk about how you all worked together to create the character of Mavis?
I think we really wanted to stay away from the big bratty whiny teenager and show a relationship that works between a father and a daughter… They both love each other, they have mutual respect, it’s not about going to the worst place and coming back…. As far as the relationship goes it’s heart felt love. -Genndy Tartakovsky
That’s a lot of pressure as well. Being Dracula’s daughter because there’s never really been a story that’s been about that and the relationship. So, I do think the way she was structured and how I read her was exactly what I thought it would be. I thought it was perfect … -Selena Gomez
Q: Whats the message that you want to take home to families?
I think the real message of the movie.. it’s a father-daughter story, its a story about a parent and a child, its about a dad who needs to learn how to let go and to let his daughter out into the world, so I think the real message would be umm letting go and trusting that your child will be out there and okay in the world and you’ll always be there for them… -Michelle Murdocca
Q: Selena- What from your personality did you give to Mavis?
I think I am a little bit- like she said before- I am in that place a little bit. I mean I’m nineteen, or one hundred and nineteen, but it’s fun for me to grow up and I want to be able to see places too and I’m very lucky I get to travel and go to the places I go but I never actually been to these places alone or with my friends and I’ve never actually had that. So, I think I’m going through that a little bit- doing things on my own a little bit and having a little bit more of that freedom.. I feel I can relate to her in that sense … -Selena Gomez
Q: Do you feel that this movie will be scary for younger audiences?
I don’t think so only becasue in a way people have kinda changed their perception of monsters within tons of movies that have come out. So, in a way I think it’s more fun for kids. I think its hard to scare kids now…. We just kinda put a ligthness to it so that everybody enjoys it and it’s just more fun than anything else. You even notice that our human character doesn’t even get scared…. -Selena Gomez
We purposely set off to do not a kids scary movie, but we just set off to do a monster fun movie that has no scares in it. And it was a very conscious choice to go in a more fun direction and not rely on scaring kids for the laughs and go a different way with it for sure… -Genndy Tartakovsky
