Back
in 2012…AGAIN, I gave a lot of praise to the Sony Animated film, “Hotel
Transylvania.” And why not? The film had bright and luscious colors, the
animation was really good to look at, the characters were very likable, and it
was really damn funny. The film was Genndy Tartakovsky’s movie directorial
debut, after trying to find work after “Symbionic Titan” was cancelled, and
luckily the film was a big hit at the box office. It even garnered praise
as being one of the better Adam Sandler films of the past few years, and I do
agree with them, as the jokes really do hit well with me.
Because of this, a sequel
was put into development, and Tartakovsky returned to the directing chair, but
at the cost of passing up his long desired “Popeye” movie…oh well, maybe he’ll
change his mind on that, like he did with this film. So how was “Hotel
Transylvania 2?” Well, I really enjoyed it. It’s not as good as the first film,
but there are a lot of redeeming elements that make it worthwhile.
In “Hotel Transylvania 2,”
Mavis and Jonathan get married and have a little boy, Dennis. Despite not fully
confirming if Dennis is a vampire or not, Mavis feels that Dennis would be a
lot safer out in California where Jonathan was raised. So while on their
honeymoon, Drac and the gang try to figure out the best way to have Dennis’s
vampire powers come alive…if he has any that is.
Much like the last film,
the animation is really damn good. It’s eye-catching and fast paced, with the
characters and backgrounds blending together perfectly for the visual humor. It
really is neat to see Tartakovsky’s style of animation translate extremely well
into 3D animation.
The characters are still
just as likable as they were last time. I like how since Mavis and Jonathan are
married, Drac has become more lenient to having humans check into the hotel and
be more up to date with today’s technology, showing his progress since the
first film. That, and it’s really funny to see him struggle with a smart phone.
And with Mavis and Jonathan, they really do have some good comedic timing together.
I love seeing these two work off of each other, especially in the California
scenes, where Jonathan’s attempts to show Mavis how boring California is
constantly backfires.
I also really like the
addition of Jonathan’s parents, Mike and Linda, played by Nick Offerman and
Megan Mullally. The two really work well to the film’s advantage, with Mullally
being the open-armed mother who tries to please well, and Offerman being a bit
stern but honest dad. That, and it was also hard not to think of him playing
this character as Ron Swanson, which is a plus for me. Even Mavis and Jonathan’s
kid, Dennis, had some really good moments, especially with his friendship with
Winnie, one of the werewolf children. Their scenes were cute, the acting from
Asher Blinkoff and Sadie Sandler was good, and it did feel right in place with
the rest of the movie. And of course, who could forget Mel Brooks as Drac’s
father, Vlad. With what he’s given, Brooks gives it what it needs, funny and
energetic. I find it fitting that Brooks plays Dracula’s father, since he is
one of Adam Sandler’s major influences in comedy. I find that to be very fitting.
Now if there is anything
that I didn’t like about the film, it would have to be how the message was
handled. It wasn’t a bad message, don’t get me wrong, but I thought the way it
was represented in the ending felt a little off. If you’ve seen the movie, you’ll
understand what I mean.
Overall, “Hotel
Transylvania 2” is a very enjoyable sequel to show kids for the Halloween
season. It may not be as good as the first, but it does have a lot of redeeming
qualities to it that I’d say is worth seeing in theaters. Give it a watch, and
see for yourself.
Rating: 9/10
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