Following the first three parts, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is back with an offbeat adventure of monsters and humans. For most of its fans, the film answers a common what-if: humans turn into monsters and monsters into humans! So what is it like after all? Keep reading to find out!
‘Hotel Transylvania: Transformania’ Plot Summary
On the 125th anniversary of Hotel Transylvania, Johnny throws a grand party. As Count Drac is (as always) disappointed with his well-meant but trouble-making ways, Mavis solicits him to accept Johnny the way he is. Amidst the party, Mavis overhears Drac’s conversation with Ericka about him retiring from the hotel. When Mavis shares the news with Johnny, he reaches out to Drac to thank him for the same. However, skeptical of Johnny’s ways, Drac lies about an ancient real estate law wherein any human is prohibited from owning the hotel. Disheartened by the monster real estate law, Johnny wishes he were a monster too! Just then, Van Helsing (Drac’s past nemesis turned friend) tells him that he can help Johnny become a monster. Excited, Johnny follows his lead to his laboratory in the hotel’s basement. Van Helsing introduces Johnny to his special invention: a Monsterfication Ray. However, things are not as simple as they seem, as this invention comes with consequences!
What Is The Monsterfication Ray?
The Monsterfication Ray is a crystal device that can turn a human into a monster (or vice versa) by shooting them with it. To test his invention, Van Helsing first shoots his guinea pig, Gigi, with it, which results in Gigi turning into a toothy monster! When the ray passes the test, he shoots Johnny and turns him into a giant green dragon!
When Drac walks into the basement, he finds out that Johnny has turned into a monster. Alarmed that Mavis will come to know about this, he takes the ray and chases after Johnny, who is thrilled about sharing the news with her. After several failed attempts, Drac finally shoots him with the monsterfication ray. To his horror, Johnny dodges the shot, and it reflects from a mirror back on Drac, turning him into a human! As Frank, Murray, Wayne, and Griffin are the witnesses to the scene, Drac urges them to keep things secret from Mavis. However, in one of his failed attempts to shoot Johnny, Drac accidentally shot his ice sculpture, turning it into a green fountain. Frank, Murray, Wayne, Griffin, and Blobby drink from the fountain, thinking of it as a cocktail. Consequently, the four of them turn back into humans, and Blobby turns into green jelly (his original body).
The Monsterfication Ray is evidently not a fool-proof device and has its limitations. With its effects, humans turned into monsters can walk freely in the sun, and so can monsters turned into humans. When humans (or creatures other than monsters) are shot with it, they keep becoming more monstrous till they finally turn into brain-dead, voracious beasts! Hence, Van Helsing’s guinea pig keeps growing into an increasingly big brute till it goes out of control.
When shot at, it turns monsters into humans who are weak and age fast. If not cured in time, fast aging might also lead to death. This is particularly evident in the cases of Drac, Griffin, and Murray, as they start to have hair fall, wrinkles, weak bones, and a big gut. Although the aging theory does not quite fit in with Frank and Wayne, one can never tell what would happen if they were not cured of the ray’s effect.
The Search
After the transformation, Drac and Johnny find out that the crystal in the ray has accidentally broken. When they go to Van Helsing to get it fixed, he tells them that the ray is useless without its crystal. The crystal is a rare resource, as it took him three years to find one. However, Van Helsing had installed a tracker on the ray that revealed to them the location of the other crystal: in the woods of South America! To retransform themselves, Drac and Johnny embark on their adventure to find the crystal!
On seeing Frank, Wayne, Murray, Griffin, and Blobby back in their original forms, Eunice, Wanda, Mavis, and Ericka are stunned! When Mavis and Ericka go to confront Van Helsing, they are alarmed to see that Gigi has turned into a gigantic, dreadful monster! Van Helsing informs them that the only way to stop the destruction and rescue Drac and Johnny is to find the crystal. Consequently, Mavis and Ericka, along with the rest of the crew, set off to South America.
While Johnny and Drac have their own ups and downs on their journey, Mavis and Ericka are on a serious rescue mission. With her ultrasonic hearing, Mavis learns the location of Johnny and Drac and reaches the spot with the rest of the crew. When Mavis confronts Drac about the hotel’s ownership, they find out that the monster real estate law was a lie! Enraged at the news, Johnny turns into a larger, more violent beast and walks away! To prevent Johnny from getting out of control, Mavis follows after him while the rest make their way to the crystal cave. When Ericka discovers the cave, Mavis baits Johnny to the location. After a series of minor misunderstandings, Drac finally finds the mystical red crystal.
What Does The Marshmallow Symbolize?
Throughout their journey across the woods, Drac has been in a sour mood. He hates being a fragile human and disapproves of everything Johnny does. On the other hand, Johnny is in his typical jolly mood and looks at things optimistically. During their stay in the woods, Drac accidentally burns his marshmallow and starts to grumble. When Drac sees the burnt marshmallow, he only sees the charred surface. Just then, Johnny tells him that when the marshmallow is torn open, it is delightfully sweet and gooey inside.
When Johnny turns into a voracious beast, Drac calms him down by telling him that he is just like the marshmallow. All this time, he would only see Johnny’s imperfections on the outside. However, during their journey, Drac finally sees his kindness and positive energy. Drac tells Johnny that he is a part of his family too! Just then, Mavis shoots Johnny with the ray and turns him into a human again! Despite being a cheesy (or gooey) symbol, the marshmallow represents perspective. And the best way to look at a situation is with positivity, like Johnny!
‘Hotel Transylvania: Transformania’ Ending Explained: The Retransformation
After retaining the crystal, Mavis shoots everyone with the ray and turns them back into their original forms (including Blobby). The crew happily goes back to the hotel. To their horror, the hotel has been destroyed and crumbled to pieces by Gigi’s gruesome monsterification. Though Drac turns Gigi into her original form, the hotel can never turn back to its own! Taking his lesson from the journey, Drac decides to see things with a new perspective and gives ownership to Mavis and Johnny. He asks them to rebuild Hotel Transylvania the way they want!
One year later, the hotel is rebuilt into an exciting Hotel/Health Club by Johnny and Mavis. Hotel Transylvania 4: Transformania is not only about the transformation of humans and monsters, but the hotel itself!
‘Hotel Transylvania: Transformania’ is an Animated film directed by Derek Drymon and Jennifer Kluska. It is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
