Horst in Translation ([email protected])
"Puppy" is a 5-minute animated short film from this year (2017) and it is a very recent release by Sony Pictures Animation. The writer and director is Russian 3-time Emmy winner Genndy Tartakovsky and maybe that will make it obvious to some already that this is a little add-on to the Hotel Transylvania franchise. I read that it was shown before the new Emoji movie. Anyway, there will be a 3rd HT movie next year and I am glad this series keeps going as I enjoyed films 1 and 2. As for this short film, there is really very little in here until a great plot twist near the end when the huge puppy sees all these skeletons entering the scene. A dog and skeletons? That's right if you say you have seen that on another occasion in an animated short film this year. But I think they handled it better with this one here. Shame the beginning is so forgettable. Visually, it is of course as good as expected. This film is one of the submissions to the Oscars this year, but with the full feature films failing to score a nomination I would not say that chances are too good for this one here to get in (let alone get the win) unless they wanna honor the franchise somehow, which admittedly would not be undeserving. The first moments are about the baby and then everything afterward is about Dracula and the puppy of course. Maybe it is just me, but I simply cannot see a mother in Mavis. Anyway, if you liked the film(s) as much as I did, then you can check this one out as it really comes pretty close to the long versions in terms of comedy, looks, general approach and quality. I give "'Puppy!'" a thumbs-up.
