Hôtel Transylvanie 2

The sequel to the hit animated comedy proves it worth the loved it gets as it showcases raw emotion, fun and pop culture all wrap into one.

Few sequels in modern film could be better than the first, and Hotel Transylvania 2 is one of those. As it expands instead of developing a new idea that make the this film feel like an adventure with many funny and charming moments. in addition, the story of it replicates modern day civilization as it shows the different points of view from the old and young people.

Overall, Hotel Transylvania 2 will delight Kids and adults alike and will please fans at the same time will covert many non fans.

When I first heard this movie was announced I did not know what to think. The first one was entertaining, witty and brought a new spin the old story of a dad not thinking the "slacker dude" is good enough for his daughter. There have been many occasions where sequels either aren't as good as the original or wear out the original concept too much. This movie thankfully does neither of those things. From start to finish this movie feels fresh and unrestricted by the expectations set by the first.

If you've seen any of the previews you already know the plot. Johnathan, the human from the first movie, and Mavis, Dracula's own daughter, get married and have a child which they are raising in Dracula's hotel. Count Dracula, proud of his own heritage as a monster, wishes for his grandson becoming a vampire like himself and is concerned when he does not show signs of being a monster. He also wishes to raise him the traditional monster way. This of coarse begins to clash with the human teachings from the other half of his family and cause the conflict of the entire movie. Said conflict is whether or not young Dennis should be raised in the hotel or in the monster-less safe human world. Though this plot sounds like the first one remixed, I feel it is more of a continuation as good sequels should be.

The animation is on par if you've seen the first movie, which is not bad. The animation of the first movie was active and full of life and that same attention drawing quality animation is here again. Everything in this movie flows to an unseen rhythm and nothing feels stiff or artificial. That's not saying there aren't a few scenes that are more dynamic then the first movie, because there is, but as a whole if you liked the animation from the first movie you will like it here as well.

As far as the characters go everyone is as kooky as they were in the first movie. Adam Sandler's brilliant comedic version of Dracula taking center stage, leading the still funny renditions of classic movie monsters. As Dracula, Sandler is just the right amount of hammy without it being off-putting. Such a performance makes it seem as if the over the top way movie monsters acted in our films was just the "old way" of acting for them.

The mood and colors used in the movie are a great mix of themes. The moody backdrops with dank dark colors fit the horror movie style the characters in the movie originate from perfectly. Then add some bright colors to mimic the happy comedic tone of the movie. Combining this together you have a brilliant mix of happy and spooky that made both the first movie and this one enjoyable for everyone.

When it comes down to it Hotel Transylvania 2 is a heartwarming family movie full of comedy that everyone, whether you're big or small, can enjoy.

Just got back from seeing it in theaters, and let me tell you, there were several moments when just the kids would laugh, and moments when just the adults would laugh, and even moments when everybody laughed. This is coming from a guy who doesn't watch a lot of "kid" movies, and I can tell Adam Sandler wanted more than just kids to enjoy it, so he threw in child-raising jokes, nipple jokes, and a few other jokes and themes that go right over your average kid's head. And of course there's silliness plentiful for the kiddies to enjoy.

If you're reading reviews, you should already be familiar with the plot, which in a nutshell for those who aren't, is basically the two kids from the first one are older and married and have a kid, who the grandfather, Count Dracula, hopes is a Dracula/monster like his own bloodline, but it doesn't seem to be the case. So family relationships are slightly strained in this movie as Dracula wonders if he'll be helping to raise his vampire grandson, or watching his human grandson and human son-in-law and vampire daughter move away and leaving him behind alone in his hotel, to go live with *gasp* HUMANS.

So on top of it being hilarious for everybody, there's a lot more to it as well. Obviously if you're a fan of the first Hotel Transylvania, it's a guarantee you'll enjoy this sequel. The style of animation is exaggerated, highly sporadic, like a human gas molecule with ADHD and an IV inserted coffee bag. There is a lot going on in almost every scene, and with the characters behaving so hyper, it may take a couple viewings to take in all in. The humor is quick, very in your face, but welcoming. And trust me, humor is a-plenty.

There are a few minor flaws; while tailored to two separate audiences, obviously there will be moments where one side will feel out of place. Either a child will cock their head to the side in puzzlement and maybe laugh but only because the adults are, or an adult will think to themselves "well that was just weird." And yes it's mostly a kid's movie so much of everything is easy to swallow.

Go see it, even if you don't have kids, it's a fun, easy-going flick that's sure to make you jiggle with joy like Blobby. The characters are fun and diverse as before, humor is constant, and for those sticklers out there (you know who you are), the plot exists and it flows sufficiently enough to follow, and at a reasonable pace. So bust out your popcorn and brain juice, and enjoy this light-hearted comedy.

For cartoons, Genndy Tartakovsky has had his hands in and on a lot of peoples' favorite shows. There's something about Tartakovsky's vision of cartoons that breathes life into every movement that is made by them. Tartakovsky made his directorial debut with Hotel Transylvania (2012) and although it was not universally renowned, made people found it to be a fun family movie with a well-developed story, energetic animation and colorful characters. Plus even though it dealt with Halloween related characters, the idea wasn't to scare but make light of the characters and the lore of which they originated from. Here we are with its sequel and although it does keep several elements from the original the same, some things have changed and other parts should have changed. Thankfully, this sequel isn't brought down a whole lot, but it is enough to notice the differences in what should've been focused on more.

The story to this installment revolves around Dracula (Adam Sandler) trying to bring out the inner vampire of his hybrid grandson Dennis (Asher Blinkoff) brought upon by newly wedded couple/parents Mavis (Selena Gomez) and Jonathan (Andy Samberg). The reason for this is fearing that if their son has no vampire blood flowing in him anywhere, Mavis would end up leaving the hotel for good. Although the premise isn't as obvious, unfortunately the execution ends up feeling very similar to that of the first (plot wise). Dracula claims he is more open minded now but still clings to his past and tries to hide his true ambitions. In some respects, this particular play out moots the point of the first film altogether. Once Drac accepted Jonathan into his world, he should've been prepared for what came after. It just makes it feel like he didn't learn from before. The writing group for this entry shrunk in size. For the first film, five writers were involved. Here only two were, of which only one of them were from the original five.

The one from the original five was Robert Smigel, a writer for multiple Saturday Night Live episodes. The other writer credited for this film was Adam Sandler and unfortunately it shows too. How? Two words, potty humor. Yes, and it sticks out like a soar thumb. Hotel Transylvania (2012) did have some silly moments but none of the comedy required potty humor. That's not to say all of the scenes don't work, but there are scenes where experienced viewers will be able to point out the scenes that Adam Sandler had wrote in. It's just not necessary. Of all problems with this and a familiar plot, that's it. For the moments that don't included immature humor, the rest of the comedy bits are new and contemporary, which is having the characters play off of their own flaws and personalities or trying to have them figure out social media. Drac can't seem to understand that to use a touch screen, you can't have long fingernails. He'll get it I'm sure.

There's also new character additions to the cast, which is great although sometimes it can sink a film if it becomes over saturated. All the original characters voiced by Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Kevin James, David Spade and Steve Buscemi all sound exactly as they should and still play off one another well. Even Keegan-Michael Key who replaces CeeLo Green as Murray from the first film practically sounds the same too. Some of the new voice actors to jump on board or receive more attention are Sadie Sandler as Winnie (one of Wayne's children), Jon Lovitz as a "phantom of the opera" type character and the comedy guru himself, Mel Brooks playing Vlad, Dracula's father. It really is nice to see a bunch of new and old voice actors work together though. Plus, a star talent like Brooks isn't wasted either. His appearance isn't as long as everyone else's roles but he comes in at the best time.

Again since this production was headed by Tartakovsky, the animation and character designs are nothing but great. The character designs are all unique and have intricate texture detailing. Alan Hawkins who worked as an animator for the first film serves a senior animation supervisor for this entry. Considering his past work being on projects like Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (2009) and Arthur Christmas (2011), Hawkins feels like a great collaborator for Tartakovsky's vision. The film score produced by Devo member Mark Mothersbaugh continues his usual work but again fails to provide his listeners with an actual soundtrack for download. The score itself matches the scenes well and portrays the right emotion but it's weird that Mothersbaugh can provide a score for Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (2009) or The Lego Movie (2014) but can't for these films. Why so selective in distribution?

It's not a huge step down from the original but it is noticeable. The sequel does maintain all the character relations and chemistry while adding in new ones like Drac's father voiced by Mel Brooks. It also keeps the same great animation and music. Unfortunately although the premise feels new, the execution is very much parallel to the first film in some ways. Plus with Adam Sandler now active in writing the script, some his childish annoying potty humor got in the recipe as well and it's obvious as all get out.

2012's Hotel Transylvania was kind of a surprise. Though it's still riddled with pop cultural references, but its flavor wondrously resembles to the director's cartoon shows in the 90's which brings visual and comedic nostalgia, in the CG animated form (or it's basically just acknowledging us that this type of animation still exists.) Revisiting the same gang with the same people behind it can be welcoming, maybe a little worrisome when it comes to plotting. The prediction can be somewhat true; the craziness and heart remains, but the narrative is too busy, even without much development, even compared to its predecessor. What exceeds the expectation is the theme it handles is a lot interesting. Overall, it brought enough nuttiness for the fans and brought enough sweetness to everyone else.

While the first one was about overcoming the monster's misanthropy, Hotel Transylvania 2 is about trying to accept humans, even though Drac haven't fully let go of his old nature. And the setup starts from Dracula's daughter, Mavis, marrying a human, Jonathan, then transitioned to them having a baby. And the main conflict here is their son not inheriting the vampire gene may lead the couple to live in a normal human town. And just like what the trailer shows, the movie mostly runs with Dracula pushing his grandson to become a vampire, assuming that he may just be a late bloomer. And these scenes don't exactly make a clever narrative, they are basically just one gag to another, while we occasionally see the kid's parents trying to fit in the human world. In spite of still being entertaining and funny, the plot doesn't seem to actually move forward. It's like it's just playing around until it decides to proceed or something. But at times, it's sort of hinting something more heartfelt; like how Mavis feels like she is being somewhat patronized in the human world or how young Dennis is getting tired with Dracula's demands. And it's surprisingly more engaging to watch, even though the gags are already pretty fun.

It doesn't go deep, obviously, but it makes up a lot after an almost extravagant extent of punchlines. The animation is still crazy looking which brings distinct appeal within their unhinged facial expressions, energetic movements and freely constructed action. Even for jokes where the punchline is just being awkward (for no particular reason,) it sort of perfectly fits with this type of visual. The humor is best when it is spoken by the animation. The voice acting is still delightful, with Adam Sandler still bringing the heart in Dracula. The rest just gave these already lively animated characters more personalities.

Hotel Transylvania 2 is pretty entertaining, despite of not handling any subtle narrative, though I don't think many would be asking for that, but I may be a good suggestion. Maybe the only main disappointment is it's probably not as outrageous as its predecessor. I mean it's not totally restrained, of course, you would definitely still find a lot of crazy animation and wonderfully absurd facial expressions here, but maybe not as insane as the first movie did. I don't know, maybe it's just my expectations of witnessing more images to delightfully laugh at like the scene where Jonny was trying to scare a rat. And even the verbal humor where they were playing charades with the Invisible Man. But again, it's just my expectations. It's still pretty funny. The only worst thing you may find here are the blatant Sony products and I don't exactly know how you can shrug that off. Anyway, the movie still carries a much better message in the end, about being treated fairly, no matter how different you are to others. It shows it well and it seems pretty sincere. If you're not into this type of absurd animation, then at least its final note could make everything up to your viewing.