Adam Sandler and his gang of friends voice some of history’s scariest monsters, in this sequel to the 2012 surprise hit. In “Hotel Transylvania 2”, Drac (Sandler) becomes a grandfather after his daughter (Selena Gomez) and her new hubby Johnny (Andy Samberg) become pregnant with a human side baby boy named Dennis. Drac has five years to turn this boy into the carrier of the bloodline before he loses Dennis, as well as his daughter to the sunny and human side of California. “Hotel Transylvania 2” might not be a greater or equal punch to it’s original, but the film does manage to pack a few laughs, on top of a warm hearted message that proves this sequel has enough bite to it’s howl. That message reminds us all that life is too short to not be happy with who we are. If you don’t fit in, find the place that accomodates you and never let it go. We must all be comfortable with the things that make us different, and that is a message that i never thought i would find in an Adam Sandler film. I can certainly say this, Sandler is 3 for 3 in animated features, and i think his elementary brand of humor works best in an animated form. The film (Written by Sandler and friend Robert Smigel) has a lot of beautiful color backdrops, complete with a very detailed characature design for the monsters it spoofs. The voicework isn’t anything out of this world considering everyone in cast is easy to recognize by their longtime accents, but it’s well enough cast to bring out the best in every size and shape that these creatures inhabit. Perhaps the biggest handicap to the film comes in the form of it’s 80 minute runtime, and it’s because of that the story greatly suffers due to inept amount of time being spent on every little area. It all feels very rushed considering this film had three years to be worked on. Too much is being shoved in way too fast, and i personally would’ve preferred another ten to fifteen minutes to focus more on what this all means for Drac. Luckily, the second half of the film fixes most of the wrongs about the opening half hour that really had me yawning in repetitive schtick. I did laugh a few times. Most of which came in reaction shots to these larger than life characters being embarassed in situations that you would never see in their classic black and white films. Where the comedy could do without is where it brutally dates itself with cell phone, stupid children’s shows, and even today’s pop music scene jokes that will really put a limiting timestamp on this film in ten years or so. It may not seem like a big problem, but offering social commentary on things that just aren’t important to the film’s story or characters, make it feel like the movie is reaching hard for something to compel it’s audience with. The last half hour of the movie really drives home that earlier discussed message. There is an antagonist who is violently shoved into the film without any backstory or mention of him in earlier scenes, but the finale shows us why these monsters are a force to be reckoned with. Overall, “Hotel Transylvania 2” just misses the eye opening dazzle of the first presentation, but it’s a pretty safe bet that the kiddies will have enough of a fun time without being weighed down by the problems i had with the run time. 80 minutes will be perfect for kids who sometimes have problems with staying glued to the screen for too long.

6/10