Selena Gomez and Andy Samberg return to the roles of Dracula’s daughter Mavis and her human husband Johnny in Hotel Transylvania 3: A Monster Vacation, after the great experience of working on the previous two films of the franchise.
In Samberg’s words: “I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the first movie, because it genuinely made me laugh and entertained me.”
“I agree!” follows Gomez. “I love the animation, and it’s nice to be a part of something that everyone can watch.”
Always cool and optimistic, Gomez’s character, Mavis, can do it all. She handles all of her responsibilities – Hotel Transylvania assistant manager, wife, mom, daughter – with ease! The one thing she wished she had? More family time. This cruise is just what she needed! She can’t wait to have a blast with Drac’s entire Pack and get some quality time with Johnny, Dennis and of course her dad, Drac.
“I love making people laugh – it’s the best feeling in the world,” says Gomez. “It’s so great to have a family to come back to, and you never know what to expect with these movies – imagine the monster versions of shuffleboard, scuba diving, underwater volcanoes, moon tans on the beach – and it wouldn’t be a vacation without a little adventure.”
“I feel such an emotional connection with Mavis,” Gomez continues. “She’s a mom who wants to bring everyone together and enjoy a relaxing time together with family. Of course all family vacations are a mixed bag – that’s what makes them funny. But her heart is clearly in the in the right place.”
Meanwhile, human Johnny always manages to stay mellow but he’s stoked about the cruise’s all-night monster music festival. What he doesn’t realize is that the fate of all monsters will depend on his mid-90’s DJ skills.
“Johnny may not have a lot of growth,” admits director Genndy Tartakovsky, “but he always has that deep insight. He’s always fun and always keeping people on a really optimistic, positive side of life.”
Comparing the experience of voicing an animated character with shooting live action, Samberg was clear, “I enjoy voicing an animated character because it’s a freeing, crazy and literally cartoony experience. There are just less filters. And it’s wonderful to improvise because it could be anything, and then they have the power to make it happen and animate the scene slightly differently. So, one of the most exciting things about the process for me is to know that if you add something crazy it can then come to life!”
And throwing the rest of the monsters into the mix just created a very entertaining dynamic again, without forgetting the underlining themes that are at the core of these movies. “There are so many films with the same old perceptions about monsters, but I believe that many people can also relate to those who are outcast or feared,” says Gomez. “So I love that these films have always been about self-acceptance and being different, which I think is a message that is more relevant than ever now.”
Concludes Samberg, “There is definitely a running theme in all these movies about the fact that if you actually spend the time to get to know people or monsters, you may realize that they are not really what you are afraid of.”
In Philippine cinemas August 22, Hotel Transylvania 3: A Monster Vacation is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.