Hotel Transylvania - Bleh[Bleh Bleh]/10 (better joke than any used in the movie)
It seems like Adam Sandler didn't phone it in for a paycheck like he usually does on everything else he produces but I think that's because he thought this was worth more than it is. It's the same empty-nest "I wanna go see the world but my overprotective parent is overprotective and we have trust issues" plot we've all seen a million times and it's every bit as predictable as you'd expect: Parent goes to extremes to maintain status-quo, things backfire, ultimately unsuccessful cover-up ensues, parent relents and admits being wrong after doing something redeeming to set things right, happy ending.
Even where there was notable talent, no matter how much you "nail it" with a cliche, it's still a cliche. For example, whoever was the character lead for Mavis just did it with the studied and calculated skill to make a believably boring "cute teenage daughter" character. The [one-hundred and eight-]teen gimmick was not enough to justify the cliche in spite of a more interesting character design and motivation.
The over-all character design and animation was inconsistent, That means it wasn't all bad, but many
are pointless, unfunny, and,-well: bad. Why is the sponge used to soak up the dog pee even in the movie? Who story-boarded that? Can he tell me why it is anthropomorphized and alive with a face? Is it supposed to be a joke like the stool made of toads? Ugh.
The stand-outs were regrettably minor characters that were few and far between. For example, whoever the lead animator was for the Sandman character did an excellent job. I imagined the the guy probably does his job with the same passion and love for the art as the lead animator for Genie in Disney's
Aladdin. Unfortunately he could never similarly impact the over-all quality and scope of the movie without having a major character.
Let's put the blame where it belongs: The wrong people animated the wrong characters because the wrong people produced and directed it. It's schlock compared to anything Disney or Pixar, so it's groan-worthy to see this movie try to forcefully copy Pixar's traditional-style animation during the end credits. It didn't do anything funny or artistic, so I'm pretty sure it was only there because it's Pixar's thing.
As usual, it sounds like the majority of critics and viewers give bad CG movies more credit than they deserve. Like everything from "Antz" to "Happy Feet," this one got an undeserved critical pass-over without the sacrificial lamb. I hope the creators don't let it go to their head.
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