Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018)
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Dracula finds love with a ship captain who is secretly the great-granddaughter of his arch-nemesis.
The story
One year after the second film, Dracula is running his hotel business smoothly with Mavis and Johnny. Feeling lonely since his wife's death, Dracula is persuaded by Mavis to take a break and spend time together as a family on a luxury cruise ship called Legacy. During the voyage, Dracula falls in love at first sight with the ship's captain, Ericka. However, the vacation takes a turn when it is revealed that Ericka is secretly working with her great-grandfather, the legendary monster hunter Abraham Van Helsing, who plans to use an ancient instrument to eliminate all monsters.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1897, Dracula and his friends travel in disguise on a train to Budapest, where they are confronted by Professor Abraham Van Helsing. The monsters escape by climbing through the roof, and Drac pushes his friends off the train for their safety. In the present day, Dracula is running his hotel with Mavis and Johnny. Feeling lonely, Dracula is persuaded by Mavis to go on a cruise. On the ship Legacy, Dracula falls in love with the captain, Ericka. Secretly, Ericka meets her great-grandfather, the mechanized Abraham Van Helsing, who plans to use an 'Instrument of Destruction' in the ruins of Atlantis to destroy all monsters. Ericka is tasked with assassinating Dracula but finds herself falling for him after they share stories of lost loved ones. Mavis becomes suspicious of Ericka's motives. Upon reaching Atlantis, which has been turned into a casino, Ericka evades booby traps to retrieve the heirloom. Dracula confesses his 'zing' to Mavis, who is confused. Ericka, feeling guilty, rejects Dracula's feelings. Van Helsing then sets a trap at a dance party, using the Instrument of Destruction to summon a Kraken. Dracula is injured, but Ericka saves him and pleads with her great-grandfather to stop. Johnny plays positive music to pacify the Kraken, causing the humans and monsters to dance. Van Helsing falls, and Dracula saves him. Touched by the kindness, Van Helsing apologizes, gives a refund, and sends them home. Back at the hotel, Dracula proposes to Ericka, and she accepts.
- First release year
- 2018
- Runtime (minutes)
- 97
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Genndy Tartakovsky
- Writers
- Genndy Tartakovsky · writer; Michael McCullers · writer
- Cast and characters
- Adam Sandler · Dracula; Andy Samberg · Johnny; Selena Gomez · Mavis; Kevin James · Frankenstein; David Spade · Wayne; Steve Buscemi · Frank; Keegan-Michael Key · Dennis; Molly Shannon · Ericka; Fran Drescher · Ericka; Mel Brooks · Ericka
- Genres
- animated; horror-comedy; fantasy; comedy
- Themes
- Family; Love; Sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- Lighthearted; Humorous; Adventurous
- Setting
- A luxury cruise ship and the lost city of Atlantis in the present day.
- Premise and plot tags
- Monster Movie; Cruise Ship; Time Travel; Fantasy Comedy
- Franchise connections
- Hotel Transylvania
- Reception
- The film received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics and was the highest-grossing film in the series, grossing $541 million against a budget of $65–80 million.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 54 · scale: 100 · review count: 23; IGN · score: 7.6 · scale: 10
- Awards and nominations
- Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award · winning films · win
- Production trivia
- One of the biggest challenges for the animation team was creating the massive Kraken character and simulating the water effects.; The film was originally scheduled for release on September 21, 2018, but was moved up two months earlier.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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