The “Vacation” movies were released in the following order:
- “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (1983)
- “National Lampoon’s European Vacation” (1985)
- “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (1989)
- “Vegas Vacation” (1997)
- “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation 2” (2003)
- “Hotel Hell Vacation” (2010)
- “Vacation” (2015)
The first two “Vacation” movies are both road trip adventures following a picaresque narrative of varied misadventures. The first film follows the Griswolds’ road trip from their home in the suburbs of Chicago to the amusement park Wally World, clearly fashioned after Disneyland but shot at Six Flags Magic Mountain. “European Vacation” takes place in London, Paris, a village in Germany (then West Germany), and Rome. “Christmas Vacation” is the outlier in that the Griwolds stay home for the Holidays, hosting an annoying family and facing recognizable Christmas travails like stringing up Christmas lights. If the world’s volume of merchandise is any indicator, “Christmas Vacation” is the most beloved of the series.
“Vegas Vacation” was lambasted when it was released in theaters, signaling the end of the series in the minds of the public. That didn’t stop a nostalgia-bait sequel, “Christmas Vacation 2” from hitting video stores in the early 2000s. That film did not feature Chase or D’Angelo, focusing instead on Randy Quaid’s character, Cousin Eddie, and his family.
“Hotel Hell Vacation” saw the return of Chase and D’Angelo. It was originally envisioned as a commercial for Super Bowl XLIV, a tie-in for the travel website HomeAway (now Vrbo). A 14-minute version of the ad was posted on the HomeAway website. The 2015 “Vacation” was structurally identical to the original “Vacation,” but was about the grown-up Rusty (Ed Helms), and included cameos from Chase and D’Angelo, making it a canonical sequel. It’s what the industry liked to call a “soft reboot.”