Hotel Transylvania 2

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.

Well, many people says this movie sucks but I think they are saying it because Adam Sandler is in the movie but I think this is a good movie, it's funny, is not trying to be something it is not because is not a movie with a super message obviously no, it knows that is just funny, the animation is beautiful, the mayority of the characters are OK but it have some flaws and they are: it have some characters that are in the movie just because they have to be on it but they really unnecessary and boring characters. The opening scenes feel very accelerated and many things pass so fast that you can't pay attention to all of them. I would say that is as good as the first one but I think that isn't better and they are in the same place, none is better than the other. Well I'm going to give it an 8.2 of 10, it's a good movie that is really enjoyable to watch.

Hotel Transylvania 2 is a 2015 American 3D computer animated fantasy-comedy film. The film is the sequel to the 2012 film Hotel Transylvania.

Hotel Transylvania 2 takes place seven years after the first film, with the hotel now open to human guests. Mavis and Johnny have a young son named Dennis, whose lack of any vampire abilities worries his grandfather Dracula. When Mavis and Johnny go on a visit to Johnny's parents, Dracula calls his friends to help him make Dennis a vampire. However, an unexpected visit from Dracula's old-school human-hating dad, Vlad soon turns things upside-down.

As an adult,I quite enjoyed watching this excellent movie. If you are looking for real Comedy/Adventure movie with perfect action from start to finish,then you should see this masterpiece movie.

With Disney and Pixar reigning over animation genre, it's hard for other studios to compete against their emotionally engaging tales. Hotel Transylvania 2, while not particularly incredible, is unexpectedly funny and enjoyable. The large cast of fumbling monstrosities and the nocturnal vampire household deliver enough charming wit for a few simple warm laughs.

Story follows Drac and friends as they welcome the newest member of the half-man half-vampire family. The boy is clearly a cuddly bait for empathy, in fact many of its adorable gimmicks are built to relate to casual audience. This admittedly might feel cheesy at times since the movie opens up with overly comical tone.

However, once it hits the midway point, it warms up pretty well. The odd union between man and vamp is strangely relatable. Mavis is a good character, she's youthful, full of curiosity and also naturally protective of her son. It makes a good contrast against Johnny's family, which is a cynical take on suburban parents. The couple compromises on different often trivial things, and despite being parents they are still exuberant, identifiable to both young and old.

Drac and his merry band are vanilla version of monsters. Each of them produces a couple of timely funny gags, so they don't seem crowded. Visual cues help a lot, not only on creating slapstick humor, but also emotional body language which is occasionally interesting when monsters perform them.

There's an underlying message of acceptance, a closer touch on prejudice. It's not entirely spectacular but still a strikingly effective analogy. Most of the humor comes from pop culture references and physical jokes. These may seem excessively flashy, but oddly enough, they are whimsically tickling, especially those on second act.

Hotel Transylvania 2 is teeming with average family comedy troupes, although it also brings healthy dose of clever quips and cordial value to merit a viewing.

More monster characters, more amusing moments and more exciting parties have upgraded an additional star rating for the hotel this Halloween season. The animation starts off immediately from where it ended previously, progresses in a moderate pacing, filled with numerous hilarious moments though with the usual ridiculous Adam Sandler type of humors, it's not overly used and creates just sufficient amount of laughter. The message about to change and to adapt in order to fit oneself into a new environment is well simplified to cater children's understanding while the eye popping, colorful visual effects together with pop styles emerging into the story are well crafted to make young adults feel like kids. Overall, the sequel is an energetic animation compared to its predecessor, heart-warming and certainly a satisfying family goers movie to enjoy.