Review Summary: Not the series' finest escapade, but far from a bad road trip.
The Hotel Transylvania movies may not measure up to the best animated fare, but they still serve as very serviceable and entertaining family films. In many ways, Summer Vacation repeats that same formula with mostly successful (if somewhat unmemorable) results. In fact, at the same time, I counted a handful of improvements from the second film.
I will say, this is the most creative of the series. The trailer only gives the barest of hints regarding the artistic and interesting touches this installment brims over the top with. Director Genndy Tartakovsky lets his imagination run free here with some of the most unique and colorful characters I've seen in an animated film. There's also some very unique and outright hysterical depictions of famous mythological concepts (how Atlantis and the Gremlins are depicted are hilarious). Yes, the cruise ship idea is a fairly overused one in family films. But, Tartakovsky takes this idea and genuinely puts some refreshing spins on it (along with some nicely-timed self-referential humor).
There's also some vibrant performances here, particularly from the new characters here. Kathryn Hahn (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty) was assigned to voice new baddie Erika Van Helsing, and she proves to be a perfect addition here. She's wonderfully cartoony and hysterical. Jim Gaffigan is also a strong addition here, with more development behind his character than you might would suspect. Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez and Andy Samberg continue to keep their characters in focus. I'm also pleased to report that first film favorite Fran Drescher is given much more to do here than the previous installment (she only had one line in that movie!), and is given a few hilarious moments with Kevin James.
The story and pacing here also does a better job than the second film. No draggy second act or unexpectedly late or rushed intros. This film is much more cohesive, paces breezily, and no characters are left out or underserved in terms of screentime. The script carries plenty of solid laughs, and none of the character's situations ever overstep or distract too much from the main plot.
That being said, despite some strong elements here, there are apparent weaknesses. First, while majority of the film refrains from over-zaniness and bathroom humor, there are a few annoying stretches here and there that are handled a bit too childishly. There are some heartfelt moments to break these particular moments up, but these stretches might could have been rewritten a bit to not lean more on the "annoying" scale.
I also found the film to have a similar problem to (oddly enough) The Greatest Showman. Out of all 3 films, this one pushes the "accept other's differences" message the hardest. In fact, at the end of the film, it becomes almost sermonizing. The first two films did a much better job weaving this message into the storytelling naturally. Here, it feels forced and shoehorned, and it seems to undermine the fun moments during the end of the film. This isn't to criticize the message in general (when used correctly, it is very positive). My issue is that it's a message that's just been used over and over again recently. Kids' movies really can do better honestly than treading these same waters, as its gotten to the point to where its just lazy writing.
Ultimately, Hotel Transylvania 3 is better than the trailers suggest. It's a fun romp with some great animation, a few neat touches, and some vivacious energy. Now, does it advance the franchise to Pixar-level heights? Nope (and not even close). Does it carry the same memorable feel of the first film? Not quite (there's no musical choice here either that replicates "Zing" or "Monster"). But, it succeeds in keeping the franchise moving at a fairly solid pace.
My Score: 7.4/10
Content Concerns for Family Viewing: Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation is rated PG for "some rude humor and action". That's an accurate rating, and overall, Summer Vacation's problematic content is pretty much in line with its' predecessors. There's a couple of fart jokes (from an allergic reaction to garlic), one character throws up and dog slobber flies everywhere in two scenes. There's a few mild adult jokes. Dracula's dad strips to a speedo and is ogled by three witches (one says "yummy" and one growls suggestively as they stare at his rear end). One says a frankenstein-ish woman has "stitches in all the right places". At one point, Dracula (confused and in a trance) utters, "would you like to see my parts?" There are a couple of other questionable lines that may go over kids' heads, or might require some advance or post-movie discussion. First, Erika says of the monsters, "you were underground and then you came out because you're big, you're hairy and you have a right to be scary!" This is a line that intentionally winks at one or two current (and to some people, controversial) political situations. Secondly, when Mavis comes to accept the idea of Dracula wanting to date a human, she says, "Human, monster, unicorn...it doesn't matter! It's true love!".
There's several instances of mild, cartoonish slapstick violence. One character tries to get monsters out of hiding using a match and later a gun. One character repeatedly falls to his doom. A Kraken shows glowing red angry eyes when about to cause destruction. A giant dog causes many things to smash and break (the werewolf pups do also). A couple of earthquakes. One scene has Dracula taking a hit multiple times with arrows and axes (but he's pretty much unfazed and unharmed by all of it). Of course, the movie's main characters are basically mythological/Halloween(ish) monsters and figures. But besides Dracula being able to hypnotize others, an occasional snap of fairy magic, and a statue that causes a Kraken to go berserk, there's no real spiritual emphasis here for the monsters.
