This animated sequel offers more glamour, but less bite.
I was pleasantly surprised by Hotel Transylvania when I first saw it. I had heard mixed things going in, but Genndy Tartakovsky’s feature film debut turned out to be a real hoot, with stunning animation. There was also a real, emotional core to the story, which I wasn’t expecting, and a valuable lesson in tolerance. Granted, I didn’t love it as much as Geoff Chapman, who gave it a 9.0 on IGN, but it was still a great animated movie that the whole family could enjoy, especially horror buffs. Hotel Transylvania 2, on the other hand, doesn’t reach the same heights as its predecessor, although it does boast the same quality animation.
In the sequel (also helmed by Tartakovsky), Dracula (voiced by Adam Sandler) has relaxed a bit since the first movie and has lifted his human ban on Hotel Transylvania. But while things are going great on the business side, Drac is worried his half-vampire, half-human grandson Dennis isn’t showing any signs of being a vampire. So while Mavis (Selena Gomez) is busy visiting her human in-laws with Johnny (Andy Samberg) — and gets a culture shock of her own — Drac and his buddies Frank (Kevin James), Wayne (Steve Buscemi), Griffin (David Spade) and Murray (Keegan-Michael Key, replacing CeeLo Green) try to bring out the monster in Dennis by taking him to their old haunting grounds.
We want to hear it.
To its credit, Hotel Transylvania 2 takes the characters in some new and interesting directions. While Dracula acknowledges that humanity has changed in the last century, he’s still not ready to accept the idea of his grandson being human. This spurs all manner of hijinks, as Drac subjects Dennis to various monster trials (like throwing Dennis off a rickety, mile-high platform in the hopes he’ll turn into a bat and fly before he hits the ground). Other times, the monsters get in on the action too, resulting in wacky car chases, live-wire stunts and clever sight gags.
This is all perfectly executed by Sony’s animation team, led by Tartakovsky. Even though the movie is computer-generated, you can feel the little touches inspired by the filmmaker’s previous work, including Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack and Star Wars: Clone Wars. Unlike typical CG animation, Tartakovsky’s unique style often has the characters go off-model to accentuate their facial expressions and body movements. Combined, this creates a dynamic presentation that easily sets itself apart from most other animated films. Suffice to say, Hotel Transylvania 2 is a feast for the eyes — even if the story is sparser and more juvenile this time around.
Alas, the writing here just isn’t as strong, which probably has to do with Robert Smigel being the only returning writer from the first film (on which there were five) and Sandler being brought on to co-write. For example, most of the jokes are just rehashes from the first film. (Seriously, we get it: Drac doesn’t say “Blaah, blaah, blaah.” Move on!) Meanwhile, the sly nods and allusions to old horror movies have been replaced by smartphone gags and social media references.
Oh, and Mel Brooks voices Drac’s father Vlad, so there’s that!
Also, the sequel’s emotional impact is distinctly lacking compared to the first Hotel. Without giving too much away, the ending feels like a betrayal of Dracula’s ongoing arc, and a total cop-out. There’s also a weird, unfinished Mavis subplot, which is never really resolved. That’s not to mention the return of Hotel Transylvania’s grating pop music, which includes Drac “busting a move” and a car ride synched to this summer’s most overplayed song, “Worth It” by Fifth Harmony. The female group also opens and closes the movie with their soundtrack-exclusive single “I’m In Love With a Monster,” which is catchy but ultimately out of place.
While Hotel Transylvania 2 is a visual marvel, it doesn’t come anywhere close to the originality of the first movie. The story is weaker, the laughs are infrequent, and you can feel the movie’s desperate attempts to seem hip. Despite its comedian-studded cast, the real star of Hotel 2 is Tartakovsky’s animation, which is top-notch. It almost makes you wish Sony had moved forward with Tartakovsky’s pet project, Popeye, rather than a sequel to a movie that didn’t really need following up.
