The fourth Hotel Transylvania movie Transformania is out now on Amazon Prime Video, and eagle-eared fans may notice a difference in the voice cast. That is because both Dracula and Frankenstein have been recast.
In the first three films, the two classic horror monsters were voiced by friends Adam Sandler and Kevin James. Both are missing for the fourth instalment, and have been replaced by voice actors Brian Hull and Brad Abrell, respectively.
While Sandler and James are out of the franchise, actors like Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg and Steve Buscemi are all back.
As to why these actors have returned and Sandler and James have not, right now the only official statement comes courtesy of one of the film's two directors.
Why did Adam Sandler and Kevin James leave the Hotel Transylvania franchise?
In an interview with the U.K.'s Radio Times, Transformania co-director Derek Drymon said: "The fact that [Sandler] turns into a human [in the new film] was a good opportunity to do things a little differently. He could be a little different than he was in the movies, and it would be natural.
"So, it kind of was the perfect movie to have a person come in and fill those shoes."
This answer has not been accepted by everyone. The entertainment news site Hidden Remote, for example, wrote: "That doesn't really make any sense." Why, they ask, did they feel the need to recast Adam Sandler and Kevin James, but not any of the other characters who become humans? And why, if they wanted a different feel, did they cast someone known as an impressionist to fill the role?
It should be noted that Sandler and James' absence from this film comes after they both signed new development deals with Netflix. In January 2020, Sandler re-upped his Netflix contract for four more films, with the deal reported to be worth $250 million. In July, meanwhile, it was reported that James had a development deal with the streamer.
It should also be noted that Sandler was credited as executive producer on the first two films in the franchise, but neither of the two movies made after he first signed his Netflix deal in 2014.
Even more importantly, Sandler may be out of the franchise because he is working on a rival. Per IndieWire, the Uncut Gems actor is working on his own animated feature for Netflix which he will write and produce. And as the pair has worked on 15 projects together so far, it is possible we may soon get a Sandler and James animated reunion.
The pair are the only ones to be leaving the franchise. Also out is original director Genndy Tartakovsky, though he is still credited as a writer.
Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video now.
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Adam Sandler's departure from Hotel Transylvania franchise was due to his deal with Netflix, not just creative differences. Brian Hull replaced Sandler as Dracula in Hotel Transylvania 4, impressing fans with his voice acting skills.
CeeLo Green did not reprise the role of Murray the Mummy for the sequel after he was charged for giving a woman ecstasy in July 2012 which led to Sony Pictures Animation parting ways with Green and replacing him with Keegan-Michael Key.
The only original actors that are involved in all four Hotel Transylvania films are Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Steve Buscemi, David Spade, Fran Drescher and Molly Shannon. Adam Sandler, Kevin James and Sandler's daughter Sadie Sandler were in the first three films before they were replaced by.
It should be noted that Sandler and James' absence from this film comes after they both signed new development deals with Netflix. In January 2020, Sandler re-upped his Netflix contract for four more films, with the deal reported to be worth $250 million.
Without Sandler or Tartakovsky, the film was clearly missing something. Even the star power of Selena Gomez, who not only voiced Mavis but took on the role of producer for the movie and stepped forward in the marketing push, was not enough to salvage the movie.
While we may never know the truth as to why these two did not return for Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, the mainline films are officially over - for now - and it looks like everyone will be going their separate ways regardless.
Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, the fourth and final movie, is here at last. One big change in the new movie is that Adam Sandler is not the voice of Dracula any longer.
Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is the fourth and final movie of the franchise. It was released on streaming through Amazon Prime Video on January 14, 2022.
Indeed, the first installation specified both that she was born around 1895 when Dracula started planning the hotel and that she was 118 in it. Hotel Transylvania 4 started with the 125th hotel anniversary being celebrated, making the age of Selena Gomez's Mavis in the latest movie 125 or 126 years old.
This film takes place seven years after the first Hotel Transylvania (2012), and Dracula is 539 years old, Mavis is 125, and Jonathan is 28 years old. Jonathan's vampire disguise outfit is modelled after Gary Oldman's elderly version of Dracula in Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992).
Dennis (voiced by Sunny Sandler as a baby and Asher Blinkoff as a child) is Johnny and Mavis' human/vampire hybrid son, born on Friday the 13th. He physically resembles Johnny, but has Mavis' blue eyes and vampire abilities which he is still developing.
Brian Hull Replaced Adam Sandler In Hotel Transylvania
But, that didn't hinder Hotel Transylvania: Transformania's directors Jennifer Kluska and Derek Drymon from making the most of this casting change. They utilized the plot line of Dracula's transformation into a human to justify the voice switch.
Adam Sandler voiced the role of Dracula in the first three Hotel Transylvania movies, so why isn't he part of the cast of the newly released fourth movie?
In desperation, Dracula lets himself get captured by Johnny and goes on a remorseful tangent about how wrong he was about Johnny and how he now sees the best in him, finally acknowledging him as family. This brings Johnny back to his senses, and he is returned to human form.
Although Transformania was made as the final entry to the franchise, in June 2024, Motel Transylvania, a television series set to debut on Netflix in 2025, was announced. The series is set to focus on Dracula and Mavis opening a motel.
As the man himself put it to The Independent: “I didn't get into movies to please the critics. I got into it to make people laugh and have fun with my friends.” That sentiment even applies to the creative process, with Sandler admitting that he'll “think up an idea” before he'll “call up all of my friends”.
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