BENGALURU: Director Genndy Tartakovsky, in this exclusive interview, spills the beans on the upcoming 'accidental' third sequel in the Hotel Transylvania franchise Animator-director Genndy Tartakovsky returns with the third film in the Transylvania franchise, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation. Count Dracula and family step out of the hotel for the first time, and unbeknownst to them, there's an enemy plotting Dracula's death. Will it all end happily for the much-loved vampires? Excerpts:
I read in an interview that you hadn't really planned on making a third Transylvania film.
Yes! it wasn't on the cards. I embarked on a vacation with my family, and we were on a cruise. At some point, I asked myself what it would be like to set the next Transylvania story on a cruise. That's how the idea for this sequel was born.
Was it a difficult decision to step out of the hotel for the first time in this franchise?
Not really. It felt right, you know? It seemed like for this sequel, setting the story out of the hotel was the right way to go.
Typically, sequels get mounted on the strength of a new antagonist— from The Agent in The Matrix sequels to Thanos in the latest Avengers film. Your sequel too has a new villain: Ericka Van Helsing.
But that wasn't the first or the most important step in conceiving this story. The change in setting — from a hotel to a cruise — was the foundation. And then, of course, came Ericka.
In the otherwise chirpy stories in this franchise, there are some sad threads too. Like the Johnny-Mavis man-vampire relationship. Do you dwell on how Johnny is destined to die early?
(Laughs) In comedies like this, we don't typically take on such gloomy ideas. But yes, it's an interesting idea. Who knows, perhaps we may expand upon it.
Count Dracula is shown in the trailer to fall for Ericka at first sight. What were you going for in designing her appearance? Her protruding chin doesn't exactly make her pleasant to behold.
(Laughs) Is that so? One of my favourite female leads is Olive Oyl from Popeye. She isn't conventionally pretty though, is she? The idea here, too, is to make Ericka endearing through her actions, not just by how she looks.
The 'zing' is said to occur only once in a vampire's life, according to the previous Transylvania films. But in this film, it's happening for the second time in Dracula's life.
It is, isn't it? I think even he's surprised by it all. Something like this has never happened before in this world, and it's new for everyone.
The Transylvania films are rather curious in how they've won audience adulation despite not really winning the critics over.
It's because the audience consumes the films as they are meant to be. Critics are often looking to draw parallels between animation films, and viewing, say, the Transylvania films through the prism of other great work. These films must be enjoyed for what they are, not criticised for what they are not. This explains the discord between the critics and the audience.
About Genndy Tartakovsky
Genndy Tartakovsky was born in Moscow, and moved to Chicago when he was seven. His interest in animation led him to study animation at CalArts in LA, where he produced two student films, one of which was the basis of his popular animated series Dexter's Laboratory (1996). He also directed animation for his collaborator Craig McCracken on The Powerpuff Girls and The Powerpuff Girls Movie. His most celebrated work is the animated series Samurai Jack . He landed his first feature — Hotel Transylvania — in 2012. This was followed by Transylvania 2 in 2015, and the third franchise, which releases this Friday in India.