Hotel Transylvania 4: Transformania, the fourth and final movie in the Hotel Transylvania franchise, premiered on Amazon Prime without the voice talents of Adam Sandler. There has been no official word on why Sandler didn’t return to voice Dracula, who he played in the first three Hotel Transylvania movies. In Hotel Transylvania 4, Dracula and his friends, a werewolf named Wayne, a mummy named Murray, Griffin the invisible man, and Frankenstein are all turned human by Van Helsing’s monster ray. Johnny, Dracula’s daughter Mavis’s husband, uses the ray to turn into a monster so that Dracula would allow him and Mavis to take over the hotel. An accident breaks the monster ray, and in order to turn back into their original forms, Dracula and Johnny must find a special crystal that will allow Van Helsing to repair the ray.
While most of the cast from the previous movies have returned for Hotel Transylvania 4, including Wizards of Waverly Place star Selena Gomez as Mavis and Andy Samberg as Johnny, Sandler has been replaced by Brian Hull, who had previously voiced the character in the animated short Monster Pets. Kevin James also did not return to voice Frankenstein, who is instead voiced by Brad Abrell. Director Derek Drymon said that the transformation that Dracula goes through in the movie makes the slight differences in his voice make sense, as Dracula spends the bulk of the movie as a human.
Without Adam Sandler, however, Hotel Transylvania 4 doesn’t seem to work as well. Hull doesn’t do a bad job with the Dracula voice, but Adam Sandler’s Dracula voice is an iconic part of the character. Sandler is known for his over-the-top comedy style, but he also brings a genuine warmth to his family movies, making them more than just silly comedies. Also, losing a key actor in a sequel is often a sign that the material isn’t as good as the previous installments.
Brian Hull seems to be doing an impression of Adam Sandler doing an impression of Count Dracula. The problem is that even with his distinctive voice, Adam Sandler’s Dracula never sounded like Adam Sandler doing an impression. Sandler, like many comedians, is a talented actor who is able to move easily between performances in dramas like Uncut Gems as well as in comedies like Grown Ups. He created a Dracula voice that worked for the character and was never concerned with being an Adam Sandler character specifically. At times, Hull’s impression either veers away from the iconic Dracula voice or sounds too much like he is trying to imitate Sandler.
The fourth Hotel Transylvania movie also feels like it is missing some of the heart, especially of the first two movies in the franchise. Sandler not returning could have been a sign that the movie wasn’t going to live up to the others in the franchise. What could have been missing from Hotel Transylvania 4 is the chemistry between Sandler and some of the returning actors. The bonding trip between Drac and Johnny, for instance, could have been better if Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg had gotten the chance to play off of each other. Sometimes funny moments in animated movies are born when the actors get to improvise a bit. Sandler also might have done a better job playing some of the sillier moments that Drac finds himself in, especially once he loses his vampire abilities.
Without Adam Sandler, the movie is missing something. It’s probably for the best that Hotel Transylvania 4 is the last movie of the franchise. If major cast members like Sandler and Kevin James aren’t planning to return, there’s no point to keep going other than to cash in on the popularity of the previous films. Hotel Transylvania 4: Transformania wasn’t a necessary addition to the franchise, and the missing stars didn’t do it any favors.