Yesterday, Sony Pictures Entertainment finally released the official trailer for Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, the fourth and supposed final installment in the popular animated comedy franchise. The trailer teased some pretty big changes for Drac and his family as they are transformed from monsters into humans.
But that's not the only big change that fans have noticed. Adam Sandler is no longer voicing Drac. As multiple sites have noted, Sandler has stepped down from Dracula, a role that he has voiced since the first Hotel Transylvania movie in 2012. It hasn't been confirmed why Sandler didn't return for the fourth film, but it's reported that he's been busy on other movie projects.
So with Adam Sandler out, who's the new voice of Drac? That would be Brian Hull, who actually voiced the character in the franchise short Monster Pets. While he didn't have many lines in the trailer, what we do hear from Hull is pretty similar to Sandler. If there are any notable changes in the character's delivery and performance, it was probably intentional.
In an interview with Screen Rant, directors Jennifer Kluska and Derek Drymon explained that Dracula's transformation into a human actually opened the door for a natural transition from Sandler to Hull.
Derek Drymon: The fact that he turns into a human 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.
Jennifer Kluska: We started with the design, and how do we make that character feel as different as possible. He's not going to animate the same; he's not going to look the same. And it felt like embracing Brian and, more specifically, embracing what the difference in that would be as a human. It felt like it was a great opportunity.
Typically, a big change like replacing the voice of a main character so late in the franchise would be met with skepticism, but the plot of Hotel Transylvania: Transformania actually lends itself quite nicely to the change. This isn't the only big change though. This is also the first film in the franchise in which Genndy Tartakovsky is not directing, although he did write the story and screenplay.
Drac and the pack are back, like you’ve never seen them before in Hotel Transylvania: Transformania. Reunite with your favorite monsters for an all-new adventure that presents Drac with his most terrifying task yet. When Van Helsing’s mysterious invention, the 'Monsterfication Ray," goes haywire, Drac and his monster pals are all transformed into humans, and Johnny becomes a monster! In their new mismatched bodies, Drac, stripped of his powers, and an exuberant Johnny, loving life as a monster, must team up and race across the globe to find a cure before it’s too late, and before they drive each other crazy. With help from Mavis and the hilariously human Drac Pack, the heat is on to find a way to switch themselves back before their transformations become permanent.
Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is slated to hit theaters on July 23.