Before we know it, Sony’s ElfQuest series has also passed almost ten years. From the surprise of the first film, to the continuation of the second, and the broadening of the world view with the introduction of the monster hunters in the third, until the fourth installment of the series about the complete reconciliation of two generations and the attribution of the hotel heritage, Sony’s animation ace has indeed come to the end of its tale.

I. The past life of the series

In 2012, when the first part of “Elf at the Hotel” was released, Hollywood animated films were still basically the domain of Disney + Pixar, Universal Lighting and DreamWorks, and Sony, as one of the six traditional Hollywood film production companies, had not been able to surprise anyone in the important field of animation until “Elf at the Hotel” appeared. It is fair to say that this production broke the mould of traditional Hollywood animation production and reinforced Sony’s commitment to the field of animation, a milestone of great importance.

As the first installment of the series, the film builds a vast worldview for the audience that is completely different from the others and is full of creativity. The main character, Dracula, has always appeared as a villain in previous live-action productions, with a cruel, evil and brooding air that sends shivers down the spine, but in this film he is not only mature, handsome and funny, but also a family man who dotes on his daughter and is a wonderful father. The film’s other characters, such as Frankenstein, the Wolfman, the Mummy and the Invisible Man, are also cute and adorable, completely overturning the audience’s perception of these characters.

In this animated world, the monsters are no longer vicious and terrifying, but have chosen to live in seclusion for fear of human persecution, until Jonathan, a human male, accidentally enters. Although the theme of the film is fatherly love, the very subtle and interesting chemistry between the monster and the humans, from mutual hostility to familiarity and understanding, is equally impressive, showing the audience that humans and monsters are not completely opposed to each other, and that with warmth in their hearts, they can break through any worldly prejudices and obstacles.

The second film then focuses on the family upbringing of the next generation, a common trope for Hollywood sequels. Grandpa and his parents disagree on the education of the third generation of children. Everyone wants to raise the children in their own way, so often good intentions go awry. Of course, the end result is definitely a reconciliation, but the different attempts in the process can be equally thought-provoking.

By the third film, the plot has become somewhat contrived, introducing the monster hunters as a set-up, which, while it expands the worldview and character relationships, actually breaks the basic set-up of the original story, adding new characters to make the family more lively than ever, but essentially doing nothing to refine or elevate the characters, instead making the whole film seem bloated. The series ends in the fourth film.

A smooth but formulaic plot at every turn

The film continues to be based on the conflict between Dracula and his son-in-law Jonathan. Despite having lived together for many years and having grown up grandchildren, the two men, with their divergent views, rely more on Mavis to act as a mediator to keep them from having major disagreements.

However, as Dracula finds the other half of his life, retirement and handing over the management of the hotel is officially on the agenda, except that Jonathan’s various unimaginative transformations really frighten the conservative Dracula, which is why he thinks of using a lie to pander to his son-in-law, leading to all sorts of disasters that almost do not end.

The film is not long but incorporates many elements, from the big song and dance show in the opening scene, to the magnificent transformation of a host of characters in the middle, and the South American adventure in the second half, with laughs and cute moments, with lines about how to see things in the outside world and a rich philosophy of life. The film’s plot is made up of a number of sequences and routines that are predictable at every step of the way, making the film perfunctory and inattentive.

The plot is mainly driven by Jonathan’s transformation process, which is summarised in six words: “naivety – blackness – return”. The biggest problem with this film is that the pacing of this transformation is so flawed that it’s not easy to follow.

When he learns that he has become a monster, Jonathan’s mood is full of joy, because in the midst of Dracula’s lies, he can finally take over the inn, hand in hand with his wife Mavis, in name only.

In fact, Jonathan is a very simple, straightforward man who never hides his happiness or sorrow, but at the same time, he is not easily contaminated or swayed by external circumstances, so when the second half of the film develops into a complete loss of sanity due to his inability to accept Dracula’s lies, the character is suddenly difficult to understand, after four long films, his image has been deeply rooted, especially his relationship with Mavis. It’s not as if Dracula’s lies are going to break him down, and there’s no convincing reason, either subjectively or logically, for the film to be set up in this way.

The most entertaining aspect of the film is undoubtedly the swapping of identities between Dracula and Jonathan. When the characters in both dimensions become each other, they begin to reflect on their actions from the other’s point of view, which leads to a spiritual upliftment, especially in the case of Dracula.

The vampire’s identity, which gives him great powers, makes him not think seriously about the reasons behind the various weak human behaviours, but it is only after the expedition to South America and the various hardships he suffers that Dracula finally understands how difficult it is to be an ordinary human being, and this lays the emotional foundation for the reconciliation between husband and son-in-law in the end.

So, in the end, it is not his wife, Mavis, who brings Jonathan to his senses, but his old man, with whom he is at odds, echoing what has been laid out earlier, but the way the film resolves the conflict is still the same old “love”, which is nothing new.

The other monster characters are also hilarious and funny. After turning into normal people, whether it’s the invisible man’s naked body or the jelly really turning into a small jelly, all are good laughs, especially Frankenstein, who loves to look good and is always concerned about his image, becoming the most impressive supporting character in the whole film.

III. Reflections on the animated film series

Hollywood animated films, it seems, can never get around a strange circle – keep producing sequels until the IP value is drained and then completely abandoned by the audience. In the past, “Ice Age” consumed the audience’s enthusiasm and the story was so boring that it led to the closure of Blue Sky Studios by Disney, and then there were “Shrek” and “How to Train Your Dragon”, which went from being amazing on the scene to being a failure, and DreamWorks was greatly damaged.

All of these films were able to catch the eye of audiences when they first appeared, thanks to their original settings and brainy plots, or their lovable and interesting characters, so the production companies took advantage of the situation to launch sequels.

Over the years, perhaps the only animated sequel that has managed to keep its reputation and box office intact is Toy Story.

This certainly has the background of Pixar’s usual strict grasp of quality, but a deeper analysis will reveal that the secret of the series’ longevity lies in the relatively long interval between each of its works, such as two to three, three to four, an average of about ten years, which is actually quite understandable, only long enough to allow audiences to fully digest the previous work, but at the same time can feel the sincerity of the new work, and use sentiment to The average is about ten years.

However, at a time when profit is the goal, it is difficult to find a production company willing to take the time to polish a sequel.