After the success of 2012s animated feature Hotel Transylvania it came as no surprise that it was followed up with the 2015 sequel Hotel Transylvania 2. Now the gang is getting back together with the latest chapter Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation featuring the voices of Adam Sandler, Steve Buscemi, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Mel Brooks, Keegan-Michael Key, Fran Drescher, David Spade, Kevin James, and Molly Shannon, but does it offer up any new laughs or will it not be worth checking into?

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Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation follows Mavis who surprises Dracula with a family voyage on a luxury Monster Cruise Ship so he can take a vacation from providing everyone else's vacation at the hotel. The rest of Drac's Pack cannot resist going along, but once they leave port romance arises when Dracula meets the mysterious ship Captain, Ericka. Now it's Mavis' turn to play the overprotective parent, keeping her dad and Ericka apart. When the original two films came out I found them amusing, but never much beyond that. I revisited them prior to seeing this latest chapter and have to admit I enjoyed them quite a bit more. Going into this new entry I had a new found fondness of the characters, but wasn’t sure how much it would really resonate.

 

The opening to the film sucked me right in with some fun laughs and action that plays into the history of Dracula. From there it settles back into its usual groove and offers up plenty of visual treats from beginning to end with a story that works, but is pretty predictable. I am not sure if it was on purpose, but it doesn’t take much to figure everything that is going to happen for the most part early on, but it doesn’t change the fact that there is still fun to be had. The entire returning cast returns to do a good job with their characters and it is just as fun to watch them as in the earlier films.

 

There are moments where this latest entry felt a bit off and more like a TV version, but quickly finds itself back on track to an entry that might be my favorite. There are all of the silly elements of the previous films, but it’s the big bad this time around that sold me due to the over the top nature and great dual design. Not sure if this franchise will have enough life left to rise to another entry, but I did enjoy this one more than I had expected and fans of the original films will no doubt have a great time as well.

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In addition to the film this release sports a ton of bonus content including sing a –longs, numerous featurettes and two mini-movies that offer up more fun with your favorite characters. Check back into the hotel with Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation available now on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD from Sony Home Entertainment.