Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015) User Reviews (177)

Decent but there is a part that bugs me

[CountVladDracula · 7/10 · 30 September 2015]

So I just saw Hotel Transylvania 2. And yes, it is funnier and more enjoyable than the first Hotel Transylvania. I just have one complaint. One little thing undermines the entire moral of the film.

The whole film is about how it doesn't matter what you are and that those that love you will accept you. The whole film is about how even if he is human Dennis will be accepted. However Mavis gives serious consideration to moving to California and nearly does even though Dennis AND Jonathan clearly want to stay in Transylvania.

Here's the spoiler. Toward the end of the film it's revealed that Dennis actually is a vampire. His vampirism emerges when his best friend / possible future romantic interest, the little werewolf girl is in trouble. Here's the problem. The whole film has this ham handed message about acceptance and how it doesn't matter what Dennis is. Yet it does. It really, really does. As soon as things calm down he asks "Since I'm a vampire does this mean we can stay at the hotel?" And Mavis says "Yes." Just yes. Nothing about how she might have stayed if she had just known and accepted that's what he really wanted. This "cute" moment under cuts the entire message of the film.

I know that as an adult I'm probably over analyzing but it kind of bothers me because otherwise it's a very sweet and funny film.

I actually don't mind Dennis becoming a vampire. That was kind of cute, especially the reason as to how. What bugged me was "Since I'm a vampire does this mean I can stay ant the hotel?" and Mavis says "Yes." So much for what he is not mattering. What he is should not have anything to do with if they stay at the hotel or not. That undermined everything!

Since there are so many complaints about Hotel Transylvania 2 I will give it this one nod of appreciation. I am very grateful that the cartoon Dracula can shapeshift into multiple forms. I miss depictions of Dracula that can become more than just a bat. Little things like that please me.

Not As Good As the Original But Fun!

[ShelbyTMItchell · 8/10 · 5 October 2015]

It is not as good as the original. But it is still very funny. And really shows Adam Sandler who has starred in some flops recently, still has his charm as Dracula.

With his girl now grown up and married Mavis to human Johnny. Played respectively by Selena Gomez and Andy Samberg. As they become parents later on to a boy named Dennis. With curly red hair and Dracula hopes he becomes a vampire like his grandfather.

In order to prove he is a vampire with his only child and son in law to visit his human grandparents, Dracula and friends like Frankenstein must take off with young Dennis, without Mavis knowing about it.

Mavis gets to discover a bit of the outside world along with doing things that she never did like ride a bicycle or drink slur pees. Much to Johnny's amusement.

Still it is about accepting people no matter what in their hearts. Not just with words. There is a "cameo" with Mel Brooks as Dracula's estranged father.

Not as good as the first one but still fun.

Still a fun entry but is slightly tainted

[breakdownthatfilm-blogspot-com · 7/10 · 25 September 2015]

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.

Rewarding Craziness

[billygoat1071 · 7/10 · 25 September 2015]

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.

Holy Rabies! It's time to once again to check in, at Hotel Transylvania. I think you'll like your stay. Even if it's not as good as you remember it.

[ironhorse_iv · 7/10 · 1 October 2015]

This sequel to the 2012 original film is indeed a monster mash, but it's not a graveyard smash for the most part. Still, the animation film is still watchable for a family friendly flick for the Halloween season. Once again, directed by fame animator, Genndy Tartakovsky, Hotel Transylvania 2 tells the story of Dracula (Voiced by Adam Sandler), who has since, been more open-minded with his relationship with human beings, since the last movie. While things are going great on the business side, Dracula is still worried about his family, mostly about his half-vampire, half-human grandson Dennis (Voiced by Asher Blinkoff), because he isn't showing any signs of being a vampire. Since, Dennis hasn't show any signs to be immortal, Dracula's adult daughter, Mavis (Voiced by Selena Gomez) believes that the castle might not to be the best place to raise a human child, so she wants to visits her in-laws place in California with her husband Jonathan (Voiced by Andy Sanberg) to see if that's a good place to relocate. Fearing he'll lose his daughter and grandson, forever, Dracula must tries to push Dennis to his limits, in hope to get his inner monster, out, so Mavis will change her mind. Will Dracula be successful with his attempts or will Dracula have to learn to adapt, that his daughter is all grown up and ready to leave the nest? Watch the movie to find out! Without spoiling the movie, too much, I have to say, this movie was somewhat disappointing. Yes, it clearly have some positive messages about family unity, tolerance and diversity that children could learn from; but sadly, this animated comedy also lacks the emotional heart, social commentary and funny humor, that really shine in the first movie. The whole deus ex machina ending with Dracula's own father, Vlad (Voiced by Mel Brooks) was very anticlimax and really comes out of nowhere. Mel Brooks was so misused in this. I wish, he had more screen time, than he got. Honestly, the lack of screen time, kinda hurts his bad guy turn good guy role. It wasn't believable, when he does it. How does a prejudiced vampire father, who isn't tolerant of humans, changes his views, he's had of humans for hundreds if not thousands of years in roughly two minutes, because his great-grandson is half-human. Come on, movie! The whole diversity issue between monsters & humans from the first movie was somewhat, the best thing about the first film. I felt that it was really lacking here. I was really hoping, more 1967's Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, type of smart humor with Vlad. Honestly, Hotel Transylvania 2 would be, a stronger movie, if it didn't cop out; because it can somewhat relatable to real-life parents. Indeed, one day, your adult children might move out, and make a life of their own. You just have to learn, how to deal with it. It would have been, a very good message for both young & older parents as well as their children. While, the single Tex Avery-influenced animated motion is beautifully well-made & will surely amuse the younger children. Having that message would make this film, so much better. It would had brought back the emotional impact that I love from the first film, between Dracula & Mavis. Another problem about the film, is the lack of the Hotel settling. Yes, most of it, is still placed in Transylvania, but for a film call Hotel Transylvania 2, it really has nothing to do with the hotel, this time. I would love, if the movie add a sub-plot of Dracula trying to have Mavis, be his heir to the family business and forcing her to choose between turning Jonathan & Dennis into immortal vampires by biting them, or to leave them as mortal humans. It would make a more-well-rounded in-depth film. Regards of what ifs, the movie as a whole was entertaining. Some of the humor was funny, but most of it, was meh. I really, could do, without those clean-cut 'Family Guy' style, humorous cut scenes & outlandish pop culture songs interrupts. They really fall flat. Adam Sandler once again, works great as Dracula. You can tell, that he really loves, playing this role. After all, Sandler signed up, for the original film, just to make a movie that, he and his daughter, Sadie can watch, together. You really can tell that Sandler cut down on his man-child toilet-base shtick, just to make this kid-targeted humor film, work. For the most part, it kinda does. Once again, Sandler's film buddies: Kevin James, Steve Buscemi & David Spade, are able to find work, because of his influence in production. The only different, this time, is that Keegan-Michael Key, replacing CeeLo Green as Murray the Mummy, due to previous actor/singer Ceelo Green being arrested, during film production in 2014. In my opinion, Keegan-Michael Key is a lot funnier than CeeLo Green, ever was, in this role. For the rest of the roles, Selena Gomez and Andy Sanberg are still wonderful. I do love their funny sub-story adventure in California. To the film credit, Hotel Transylvania 2 does takes the characters in some new and interesting directions, that I didn't see coming. I do like the odd, sly nods and allusions to old horror movies, with a slight mixer with 21 century technology humor and social media references. While, the necrophilia overtones can be somewhat gross & jarring when thinking too deep about it. The only thing, I really hated about the film, is how it kinda insults 1931's Dracula, by naming the bad guy in the film, Bela. That was really offensive to the fan-based. Overall: While, Hotel Transylvania 2, doesn't reach the same heights as its predecessor, it still somewhat top-notch. A great Halloween treat, worth trick or treating.

The Bride Wore Black (including her lipstick & nails) . . .

[oscaralbert · 7/10 · 5 October 2015]

. . . in the year's biggest Nerd\Goth social event. "Vampire, human, unicorn--you're perfect no matter what" is the primary take-away lesson from HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2. In this cartoon world, monsters' traditional heartless sadism has been turned inward as self-obsessive masochism, evidenced by their lyrics to the "Rock-a-Bye Baby" lullaby. If further proof is required of their self-flagellation, picture this: Someone guzzling 80 large Slurpees in 20 minutes. If that doesn't produce enough brain freeze to numb one's neuroses, nothing will. Dracula's daughter, Mavis, seriously ponders defecting to Santa Cruz, CA (mostly because she mistakes it for the stomping grounds of Santa Claws, Transylvanians' second favorite American monster (after the Rifleman). It may take years for Hollywood to have the technology updates necessary to do a live-action remake of this story (especially the tiny Dennisovitch bat with the curly red hair). Globby remains Transylvania's scariest fiend (after Diabetes, of course).

Hotel Transylvania 2 (some spoiler ahead)

[lisafordeay · 7/10 · 11 October 2015]

Today myself,mom and my younger brother were lucky to have seen the preview of this movie before its worldwide release on Friday 16th of October. Hotel Transylvania 2 is the sequel and follow up to the 2012 film of the same name where Dracula this time has made his hotel a welcoming place for humans to stay at. This time around and Mavis and Johnny(voiced by Selena Gomez from Wizards Of Waverly Place and Andy Samberg from That's My Boy)are now married and have a son called Dennis. But Dracula(voiced by Adam Sandler)is happy that Dennis is a human and doesn't care who he is as long as Mavis and Johnny have a healthy boy. Meanwhile Mavis and Johnny take a trip to California for a few days without Dennis and of course this causes some problems along the way as Dracula and his crew are desperate to make Dennis a vampire. So is Dennis a vampire waiting to get his fangs or is he a normal little boy like his father Johnny?

Good: The animation in this is just as good as the original film its dark and slightly colourful at the same time. The humor is very good as well as the voice acting and Adam Sandler for me is better at doing voice over work now than his live action films which are how shall I put it boring and crap. So if I were Sandler i'd stick to animation for now on. As for the rest they are all good too. Also I like how the guy that voices the mummy sounds exactly like Cee-Lo Green(as he wasn't available to do the sequel). The music is good as Fifth Harmony's Worth It and the title song I'm In Love With A Monster are great songs but I do prefer Becky G's Monster remix a bit better though to be honest with ya.

Bad: Is it me or does this movie feel like a parody of Twilight human falling for a vampire,human has a child who maybe a vampire or not etc. But still though this was very funny and I was glad to have seen this film today.

7/10

Very good for the kiddies and for those who are die-had fans of horror films(I don't like horror films but surprise surprise I liked this one.

Also legendary voice over actor Mel Brooks is in this as Dracula's dad Vlad and of course Dana Carvey from that god awful film Master Of Disguise makes a cameo as Dana the co-coordinator for the vampire camp.

Surprised that this film is great indeed for kids and adults too.

[basilbenaz · 10/10 · 27 September 2015]

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.

Kids of all ages like this movie. You should go to "Hotel Transylvania 2".

[CleveMan66 · 7/10 · 25 September 2015]

Mixed marriages are tough. Couples in such situations have to join their disparate pasts into a life together that works for both of them. Their families and friends who are not used to being around the "other kind" may not know how to act in the couple's presence, even if everyone means well. Then there are all sorts of questions about how to raise their children. Should the kids be raised like the mother was raised or like the father? Should the family live closer to the father's family or the mother's? Should children be raised as alive or as the undead? Yup. Life can get pretty tricky when a human and a vampire marry. But watching these conflicts play out is a lot of fun in "Hotel Transylvania 2" (PG, 1:29).

Returning for the sequel to 2012's animated hit "Hotel Transylvania" are director Genndy Tartakovsky, writer Rob Smigel (although gone is writing partner Peter Baynham, replaced for the sequel by Adam Sandler), and most of the voice cast from the original, with the action in the sequel picking up shortly after its predecessor's story ends. Dracula (Adam Sandler), the titular hotel's owner, is glowing like the full moon at the wedding of his vampire daughter, Mavis (Selena Gomez) to her human love, Jonathan (Andy Samberg) and Drac's on Cloud 9 (or whichever cloud he was flying through) when he hears the news that Mavis is pregnant with his grandchild. Drac is convinced that the baby will be a vampire. It's impossible to tell whether the infant favors Mavis or Jonathan, but he seems like a fully human toddler.

Drac grows increasingly anxious as Dennis (Asher Blinkoff) approaches his fifth birthday (when little vampires' fangs appear), and when Drac learns that Mavis is considering moving out of the hotel and going to live with the humans. Jonathan actually wants to continue living at Hotel Transylvania, where he has started to help out with hotel operations (now that the hotel is accepting human guests), but he reluctantly agrees to take Mavis to visit his parents (Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman) in California. Drac gets them to leave Dennis in his care while they're away. As soon as mom and dad are out of sight, he packs Dennis into his car seat while, Frank (Kevin James), Wayne (Steve Buscemi), Griffin (David Spade), Murray (Keegan-Michael Key) and Blobby (Jonny Solomon) pile in to help with Drac's mission.

The vampire, Frankenstein's monster, the werewolf, the invisible man, the mummy and the blob have teamed up to help bring out Dennis' inner vampire-ness. The gang visits some of their old "haunts" to teach the kid the tricks of the monster trade, with some pretty funny results. Dennis is enjoying all of this, but Mavis is none too happy when she finds out what her father has been up to and she (literally) flies home to protect her son. As you'd probably guess, his little road trip doesn't exactly help Drac's chances of keeping Mavis, Jonathan and Dennis under his roof. Complicating the situation further is the attendance at Dennis' birthday party by his old-school human-hating great-grandpa Vlad (Mel Brooks).

"Hotel Transylvania 2" appeals to the eyes, the funny bone and the heart. The animation is so detailed that, at times, it almost felt like I was watching a live-action film – and I "only" saw it in 2-D! The script is clever, amusing, and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. The voice actors are clearly having a good time, as was I, along with the kids and adults sitting around me… if their laughter and smiles are any indication. The story's underlying lesson is the importance of accepting others (with your actions AND your attitudes), regardless of their differences. Mavis makes this point clearly when she admonishes Drac, saying, "Maybe you've let humans into your hotel, dad, but I don't think you've let them into your heart." Parts of this movie get a little dull, and some of the gags aren't as humorous as they're apparently meant to be, but most of the movie is fresh and fun. My advice is to head to the movies… oh, and grab your kids to take them to "Hotel Transylvania 2". "B+"

The sequel does not live up to the original.

[fruitbat00 · 2/10 · 10 March 2016]

I really enjoyed the first film and was so looking forward to this one.

But I have to say it's terrible. There is not one funny moment in it. It's filled with every bad cliché in the book. It's filled with tired flat jokes and as a result it's terminally unfunny from start to finish.

Such a shame as the original was such fun. Glad I didn't out to go and see it in the cinema as I would have been really annoyed at the waste of good money.

Not even Mel Brooks could save this film.

Very disappointing.

Number 1 movie in most countries.

[olalara · 10/10 · 6 October 2015]

"Hotel Transylvania" is truly an excellent family movie with all elements of success included: good script,perfect entertainment,wonderful direction and great comedy.

I saw it with my girlfriend after hearing this film has been achieving international success.

Honestly "Hotel Transylvania" was extremely funny for adults and the movie theater was crowded. People were looking for a real comedy that would make them forget their own problems and the movie was absolutely hilarious from the beginning till the end.

The voice acting was stunning and honestly this lovely film is worth seeing for all ages,you will move into another fantastic world for 90 minutes.

I am not surprised at all why this movie has been number 1 in most counties around the world.

Well Done!.

Hotel Transylvania 2 Review

[keithlovesmovies · 7/10 · 25 September 2015]

Now Dracula's (Adam Sandler) Hotel Transylvania is open to humans, things for him are changing for the better. Not everything is going right for him since Dracula is worried that his half-human grandson Dennis (Asher Blinkoff) hasn't yet shown his vampire side. To help with this, Dracula asks his monster friends The Invisible Man (David Spade), The Mummy (Keegan-Michael Key), The Werewolf (Steve Buscemi), and Frankenstein (Kevin James) to help him train Dennis to be a monster while Mavis and Johnny (Selena Gomez and Andy Samberg) are away on vacation. Things for them then get more complicated when Dracula's old-school father Vlad (Mel Brooks) pays an unexpected visit.

I am an adult but I'm not afraid to admit that I like to watch animated kids films. Maybe it's because they remind me of my childhood. To me the things that make a good animated film are it sounds it simple but good animation and a good story, not a stupid story that just doesn't make sense. I hate stories that don't make sense because it just makes me feel bad for kids who keep fooling for it. Suffice it to say, this one has both. Like the first film, the animation isn't groundbreaking but I thought it looked good on the theater screen. I saw it in 3D which it gave it some nice touches bringing the monsters and the intricacies of the castle to life but I think it would be just as good without it. I thought the story was better than the first film as it focused more on the family aspect than the hotel itself. The film was more about the Dracula and Mavis relationship which I thought was the secondary focus of the first film. I liked this direction better as I greatly enjoyed the scenes between Dracula, Dennis, and all the other monsters. There are just as many, or maybe more funny moments and one-liners than the first film. There are still funny moments involving the other monsters in the hotel but those are toned down from the first film. The jokes were a little less stupid than the first film but I still found them funny for the most part. I think (and possibly others) that if the film was just more of the same, it would have been quite boring. I didn't think it was. Just like the first film, I thought the voice work was good all around and Dracula was still my favorite character. I also thought he sounded less like an Adam Sandler character than he did in the first film. I thought the film's message wasn't as good as the first but it was still good. When compared to top animated films, this one does not come close but it is still a cute film and an enjoyable experience for both kids and adults alike.

Score: 7.5/10 keithlovesmovies.com

The Big Sandler Money Machine Roles On

[estreet-eva · 4/10 · 2 February 2016]

All credit to Adam Sandler who has nailed the formula of creating inoffensive brief animated features with public domain characters and big dance numbers at the end. For this second in what one assumes will be a series that continues as long as the box office is there to support it, Sandler reruns the same jokes about The Invisible Man (David Spade), the Wolfman and his many pups and The Blob whose formlessness comes in handy to save the writing when it gets boxed into a corner. The jokes land solidly with Sandler's 9 to 12 year old demographic and there is the same running around screaming and cartoon humor as you see in similar series such as Kung Fu Panda. In short, it's a film that's keep your kids entertained for 90 minutes and that they won't remember the next week.

A typical comedy spectacle, but with surprisingly endearing and witty moments Hotel Transylvania 2 is better than the original and a decent watch for family.

[quincytheodore · 6/10 · 24 September 2015]

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.

Drac's pack is back! (And it's bigger)

[Darryl_Lazakar01 · 7/10 · 3 October 2015]

When I first heard about Hotel Transylvania 2, I was so exited for this movie, since the first one was a blast.

Well it's good, very good (but not exactly)...

The film saw us a huge "evolution" of Drac's beloved hotel. Now accepting humans, use gadgets and so on. Than his grandson came, The adorable Dennis. With Mavis and Jhonny went to where Jhonny grew up, Drac tries to make Dennis grow his fangs.

And that's where the chaos begin

The whole film was very entertaining. Adam Sandler's performance as Dracula is so entertaining, plus he make most of the jokes extremely funny. Than there's his friends: A Frankenstein, a invincible man, a mummy, a werewolf(?) and the laugh maker blob. All of his friends make a fantastic combination of absolute laughter. Plus Dennis relationship with other monsters is adorable and heartwarming

Now i want to talk some bad things: The film couldn't make a more interesting plot. I always wondering why it starts with Drac's fathers visit, A fight between a group of evil vampires, they won and it's done. It's plot is to short and so simple. The film is also quite short. for about 86 minutes, it seems the film doesn't like long stories, it's to short for me.

Overall, the film gives a great combination of friendship, cheerful tone, and a great pack of laughter. Looks like the Drac pack they promise were not a disappointment

FINAL SCORE: 7/10

Disappointed..

[dr-dettt · 6/10 · 6 February 2016]

I am a huge fan of animation.and i liked the previous part very much. So i had high expectations on this movie.but it really disappointed me. I mean the animation quality seemed to be below the standard . The comedy didn't workout as it was planned.some jokes were old and repeatedly Used.conversations seemed to be funny now and then but not to impress a lot Story line is flat.and what was supposed to be a visual treat didn't even end up being An appetizer.believe me when i say i am disappointed in a animation movie. It has all the potential to be a very good sequel but somehow they have managed Make it a average movie with poor story telling. Watch it if you want to kill time otherwise not advised

Good family fun

[neil-476 · 7/10 · 23 October 2015]

Dracula, daughter Mavis, and non-vampire son-in-law Jonathan are happily managing the hotel full of monsters, as per the end of the original movie. When grandson Dennis is born, Dracula cannot wait for him to manifest his vampiric heritage, but Dennis seems as if he will always be a curly ginger-haired human. Following Mavis saying that she is thinking of moving away from the hotel, Dracula sends her and Jonathan to have a holiday with Jonathan's parents, while he spends time with Dennis, going on a camping trip with him. Chaos ensues.

This film strikes me as only existing because its predecessor was so popular – it has a tolerable but entirely predictable story, and is the sort of movie where, if you enjoyed the first one then you'll enjoy this and, if you didn't, you won't. But that is an observation, not a criticism, because this film is pretty funny, albeit often taken at such breakneck speed that the gag has gone before you realised there was a gag there in the first place. The story voice cast do well, and this is a highly enjoyable family film with some heart (albeit the same heart the first film had).

This movie is hilarious, for kids AND for adults!

[Amthermandes · 8/10 · 25 September 2015]

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.

Pure Entertainment

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 29 May 2016]

Mavis and Johnny get married to each other and are happily living in Hotel Transylvania. Soon Mavis is pregnant and gives birth to the boy Dennis. When he is five years old, his fangs have not grown and Mavis thinks to move to California with Johnny and Dennis to give a chance to the boy to be raised among humans. Dracula asks Johnny to travel with Mavis to the house of his parents in California and convinces her to stay at the hotel. Meanwhile Dracula joins his friends Frank, Wayne, Griffin, Murray and Blobby the Blob and they travel with Dennis to a vampire camp to teach the boy to turn into a vampire so that Mavis and Johnny stay at the hotel. However neither the boy transforms nor his fangs grew. Meanwhile Mavis is delighted with the facilities in supermarket in California and she is sure that moving to California would be the best for her son. What will be Mavis' final decision?

"Hotel Transylvania 2" is pure entertainment for families, children and adults. The plot has many hilarious gags and most of the situations are very funny. Most of the characters are adorable and even the villain Vlad changes his behavior in the end. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Hotel Transilvânia 2" ("Hotel Transylvania 2")

Terrible compared to the first film

[marcusrobbins · 4/10 · 8 February 2016]

So disappointed. I loved the original. This is very poor by comparison. It feels like the person who wrote this totally didn't get the charm of the first film. The whole thing has been stripped of any richness. Jonathon in particular has been totally flattened, he's not even one dimensional, he is a dot. Its like some suits somewhere watched the original, missed all the subtlety and sent out a series of half baked 'funny' scenes for focus groups to evaluate. The predictable result is that all the colors of the first film have been added to the same mixing bowl and the sequel is just kind of brown. Unimaginative, boring and sometimes even offensive in it's stupidity. It feels like my granddad watched fight club and scripted a sequel, without the anarchic element or any hint of mental illness because the whole thing went whooooosh over his head.

A Satisfying Sequel

[captainmike-michael · 8/10 · 26 September 2015]

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.

Hotel Transylvania 2 review

[jdogkg · 6/10 · 4 October 2015]

It's a few years after the events in the first film, Johnny and Mavis get married and have a kid named Dennis. I would say pretty funny, a good a story, and good for kids but the ending is why I gave it a 6. It's just wasn't satisfying. A few plot holes and some corny scenes (mostly the end). It wasn't really like the trailer presented it to be. A lot different and some disappointments. Hotel Transylvania is not good or bad or OK. Not as good as the first one. You should probably see the first one if you haven't. You will laugh a lot and enjoy it too. But all in all a funny and nice storyline. It was a good film and I wouldn't call it a must see, but if you can drop by take your kids, friends, or family and see it in your cinema!

Not a bad way to pass an hour

[mistergutsy2299 · 5/10 · 28 September 2015]

The original Hotel Transylvania proved a neat little surprise for Sony. Having been stuck in development since 2002, the movie went on to gross 358 million dollars worldwide out of a relatively small budget (for an animated film) of 85 million.

So here we are 3 years later and Hotel Transylvania 2 has arrived with the same director and (mostly) the same cast. Now we all know that sequels are a tough nut to crack, the animation genre is filled with unnecessary and bland sequels (Rio 2, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, Cars 2, everything after Shrek 2). But if done right, sequels to animated movies, and sequels in general, can stand on their own as being as good as the original or superior to them (The Toy Story sequels, How to Train Your Dragon 2). Hotel Transylvania 2 is not the latter.

The story this time around is that Jonathan and Mavis, the lovers from the first film, are now married and have their own child, named Dennis. Mavis is worried about her son's safety so she and Jonathan venture off to California to look for a new place to raise their boy in. They leave Dennis with Dracula while they leave which, of course, is a bad idea.

From there on the story revolves mostly around Dracula and pals trying to bring out the inner monster in Dennis since Dracula sees him being a regular human as a bit of a letdown.

So what did I like about this movie? Well the animation is the same as in the last one, that is to say gorgeous but it does look bland in a few places. And the voice cast does pretty well as their characters. There's a joke or gag every minute so that'll definitely keep kids entertained (and maybe bring out a chuckle or two from adults) and surprisingly, there's no fart jokes at all!

So the movie does offer a fun time but a gripe I have with the movie is how frantic it is. Characters in the film are constantly one upping themselves in terms of how unbelievably ridiculous they can be to the point where I could barely keep up with what was going on in the frame. I'm sure it's to keep the kids in their seats and interested in the movie but it just felt like too much.

My second biggest problem with the film is how forced the third act is. So up until like 3/4ths of the way into the movie I realized that there was no actual antagonist. This isn't a problem of course, films like Inside Out have shown that you don't need villains in animated films. Then the third act rolls around and we finally get an antagonist. He's some sort of bat creature who (SPOILER ALERT) has some sort of… thing going on with Dracula's dad, Vlad.

Now let me clarify on something here, the advertisements for this movie have made a big point of showing that Dracula's dad is in this movie. The truth is he's in this movie for like 10 minutes tops and does… nothing really. He rolls in around the last 30 minutes of the movie.

So anyways it's never clarified what the antagonist's relationship is with Vlad. Is he his brother? Cousin? Roommate? It's never mentioned! So he shows up in the last 30 minutes and begins his evil-doing for about 5 minutes. However he doesn't work in the movie because he's not given a set up or does anything that's antagonist worthy. We're given only the vaguest of ideas as to what his evil plan is, if he even had one. And to add into the overall disjointed final act the movie ends with a battle against bat minions that looks like the ending of a Marvel movie. It makes no sense tonally when compared to the rest of the movie.

But my biggest problem with this movie is something that plagues a lot of movies today but it particularly troubled me in this movie and that is…the product placement.

Every single character in this movie uses a Sony product. Even the monsters! A subplot of this movie is Dracula's inability to use a cellphone and I'd say that about 5 minutes of the movie is devoted to characters using products that prominently feature the Sony logo. This is not acceptable in an animated movie about monsters, if I remember correctly Monsters University didn't have product placement. It's so out of place here that it took me out of the movie.

Something else here that troubles me is the missed story opportunities here. So due to the ending of the original Hotel Transylvania, monsters are now accepted… everywhere. That boggled my mind, monsters are showing being married to regular human beings and being accepted by the rest of the planet with no mention as to how governments are reacting to this or if people are freaked out.

Now I know this might be too much for a kid's movie but wouldn't it have been a lot more interesting of a movie if it was about how the rest of the world reacts to the sudden knowledge that MONSTERS HAVE BEEN LIVING AMONG THEM THE ENTIRE TEAM?

So overall Hotel Transylvania 2 is not as good as the original. While the original had a neat story and clever ideas this one seems to be more like a second thought. It's just entertainment for your kids, none of Pixar's adult storytelling is here and that's okay if you're just looking to pass an hour.

I'm going to give Hotel Transylvania 2 a C-

Great movie!

[roseann-32974 · 7/10 · 26 October 2015]

I watched this movie with my girlfriend. She wanted to watch a movie that put her in a happy mood, and Hotel Transylvania 2 was definitely a great choice. She loved the movie, and she was in a much better mood afterwards. I loved the movie also. I loved the comedy, and even though I feel some jokes were slightly yawners, I still had my heavy laughing moments. I do not normally watch animation, but this was one of the better animations that I have seen. I am happy I went to see this movie, and I think it is appropriate for all ages. Even the older people will still find enjoyment in watching this film. The voices were very well done, and super clear. I loved the distinction between the characters and their voices. The cast was a very great selection. Overall, I gave this movie a 7/10. I feel some jokes could have been more clever, and I feel the movie had it's boring parts. But it is a solid 7/10. I feel like it gives a positive message, and I would see it again. Overall, it was a great movie. I recommend it to anyone who is wanting a "feel good" film.

Just the same as the first movie

[Seraphion · 6/10 · 10 October 2015]

The story did well in taking a new angle on the entire basic premise from the original movie and developed it in a predictable way. But that's just about it for me. Most of the funny things in this movie had already been out in the trailers already, leaving no longer comedic stuff to laugh at unexpectedly. The movie had only the short one-liners left. Also besides Adam Sandler and the rest of the monster crew, the voice acting really need more attention. Selena Gomez as a mom, really? The movie might as well change the voice actor altogether since Selena didn't even bother to add anything to her voice or intonation as her role changes from a kid into a mom. Andy Samberg as someone from SNL also didn't bring a good weight on the comedy as it's expected from him.