Yesterday we went to the National Geographic store opposite Harrods to watch ‘Hotel Transyvania’, which was released on DVD and BluRay today (4th Feb).

On arrival, we were given an activity book – and each table had some pens and scissors to make a monster mask – had we been more creative (it was early, we needed coffee) I think we’d have done better than this – the mask came with the activity book. There wasn’t a huge amount for H as she can’t read, though we were able to adapt the games (spot the letter instead of a word search), so all was not lost!

H was so excited – she got to meet Mavis, Dracula’s 118 year old daughter

as well as Johnnystein, the monster who may well not be (you’ll have to watch the film to find out more – enter the giveaway!)

After that we all settled down in the back of the store, the kids on pebble shaped cushions, to watch the movie – which comes in at around an hour and a half. H is 3.5 and I’d read there were mildly scary bits (when Dracula gets angry) – but watching her reaction she was absolutely fine with it which was good to see!

The film has a simple plot – it’s Mavis’s coming of age – she’s 118, and Count Dracula needs to learn to let go and let her discover life (so she thinks). However, Dracula has other plans. There are a few funny moments for us adults, and watching the kids there were plenty for them – and funnily enough the loud fart (complete with green gas) got the loudest laugh from them. I’d say it’s a long film, though H was pretty good at sitting through it on her own without any fears – and she enjoyed it, which is what it’s all about!

She really enjoyed the film and loved meeting Mavis and Johnnystein – and we got lucky and won a DVD copy in the raffle too, so now she can watch it whenever she fancies!

Hotel Transylvania is out today on DVD and BluRay, thank you to the PR company for organising the event!

We were given the opportunity to review this film, and I’ve been intrigued as to how you can make a (fairly serious) textbook into a comedy, as the two seem a million miles apart.

Starring Cameron Diaz and Matthew Morrison, we get straight into their story – they’re dance partners on a tv show, which is where Cheryl Cole makes her appearance as a judge. They win, and Cameron promptly pukes into the trophy, commencing their journey into parenthood.

You meet other couples, as well as the pair who meet over their burger vans – and it all seems quite nice and jolly, everyone goes for their scans and gets to find out the gender of their child (but as we know you never truly know if it’s 100% correct until you meet the child) – when I started to get a little bit cross.

See, while I wasn’t wishing it, I hoped one of the couples would have a miscarriage, as not everyone is successful – within ten seconds of thinking it, a couple had. It was dealt with pretty quickly, with very little explanation other than the girl didn’t want to see the boy afterwards – I kind of wish they’d gone into it in a bit more depth.

The other couples continue their journey – the Baby Guru’s husband meets other dads in the park, one of them being Chris Rock who delivers a monologue about fatherhood with the other dads nodding in agreement. There was a quite sweet moment where they all lined up between the buggies to pick up each side and take them down the stairs. Very practical.

The couples all have their babies, and of course if you’ve been there yourself you’ll know it’s almost always never as you plan it – which is quite well shown in this film – the mother who was adamant she wouldn’t have a c-section has one, and so on.

So really, the verdict? It’s an odd topic for a light and fluffy comedy, and I’m afraid to say I didn’t laugh once. It’s a tricky subject to cover in a limited amount of time – I wish it had been set around, say, an antenatal class – cut out the bits at the start so you get to know a group of friends thrown together for their own journeys into parenthood – that might have warmed me to the characters a little more. I felt like the majority of the characters weren’t that likeable, and that’s half the battle with enjoying a film.

Ultimately, making a comedy from a book which covers almost every aspect when you’re pregnant may have been an ambitious move, but actually, it fails. It tries to do too much and delivers too little.

What To Expect When You’re Expecting is released on Monday 22nd October on DVD and Blu-Ray, certificate 12.