Today’s quick review: Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation. Convinced that her father Dracula (Adam Sandler) needs a vacation, Mavis (Selena Gomez) takes him on a luxury cruise along with her husband Jonathan (Andy Samberg), their son Dennis (Asher Blinkoff), and a few close friends. But the unexpected happens when Dracula falls in love with Ericka (Kathryn Hahn), the cruise ship captain, who secretly wants to kill all monsters.
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation is an animated family comedy about the continuing domestic adventures of Dracula and his family. Summer Vacation takes Dracula, Mavis, Jonathan, and Dennis away from Transylvania and onto a cruise ship where Dracula reconsiders dating after over a century. The movie features the same light, goofy humor as its predecessors, but an overflowing cast and a more convoluted plot make it a slightly harder pitch.
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation falls into the same easy rhythm as the previous entries in the series. The cruise ship offers up just enough new opportunities to keep the physical humor fresh, the character interactions are still crisp and entertaining, and the movie takes pains to animate its cast in offbeat ways. For bread-and-butter family comedy, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation remains a solid pick.
Still, Summer Vacation is not as immediately appealing as its predecessors. The premise of Dracula looking for love leads to some decent comedy, but it is not as essential as the family conflicts in Hotel Transylvania and its sequel. The chemistry betweeen Dracula and Ericka never clicks the way it is supposed to, and an ever-growing supporting cast means that even important characters like Jonathan tend to get short shrift.
Give Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation a shot when you are in the mood for something fun, spirited, and none too serious. Fans of the series will like what the movie has to offer, from its cast to its story, while newcomers will find it a little crowded but not too difficult to follow. However, anyone looking for a carefully constructed story or a clean, succinct premise will want to approach with caution.
For a more enduring take on related characters, try Young Frankenstein. For an even more energetic, sharply written animated kids’ comedy, check out The Lego Movie.
[6.3 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5220122/). I give it a 6.5 for fun humor and a story that lacks the clarity of its predecessors.