Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Hotel Transylvania 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Monster Higher

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 13, 2016

Hotel Transylvania 2 isn't all that thematically different from any old Monster High film in which "acceptance" and "being oneself" are the key themes. But it's worlds away superior in every other way. Never mind that Sony's big production leaves Monster High in the dust in terms of visual and aural prowess, it's also home to vastly superior storytelling, far better developed and relatable characters, less cringe-worthy monster puns, and significantly more watchability, all in a span of two films, not the endless streams of stuff that flow from the Monster High universe. HT2 delights in every facet. It's breezy, cute, colorful, and funny. While it may lack some of the more enticingly original notes of its predecessor, it does well to build on established characters and lore (both introduced in its own world and borrowed from other sources) to make an entertaining return visit to the world's most diversely populated hotel.

Here comes the vamp...

Wedding bells are ringing! Human Jonathan (Andy Samberg) and Vampire Mavis (Selena Gomez) are getting married. Of course, after love and marriage comes Dennis (voiced by Asher Blinkoff), the couple's lovable orange-haired infant. But is he a monster or a human? Jonathan and Mavis are doing what they can to raise him right in an environment that may not be suited to his needs, where everyday happenings may prove too much for him to handle. Best they wait to see if he develops his fangs or not. But Mavis' father, Dracula (voiced by Adam Sandler), isn't willing to be so patient with the boy. He wants to force the issue and prove to the world that Dennis is, indeed, a monster. When Jonathan and Mavis take a trip to Jonathan's home in California, they leave their little boy in Dracula's care. Dracula takes it upon himself to ensure that the boy's monstrous side makes an appearance, even it means partaking in drastic measures -- measures of which Mavis would not approve -- to make Dennis the boy he wants him to be.

HT2's central story is one of family. The picture has a lot of fun with the typical family dynamic, taking the everyday child rearing process and transforming it into a catchy and quick back-and-forth between traditional human upbringing and more offbeat monster baby raising techniques. The movie explores the benefits, and the dangers, of pulling a child every which way they can be pulled as adults, eager to shape them in their own image rather than allow them to grow up to be themselves, imprint upon them their own values, loves, desires, experiences, hopes, and dreams. Of course, the film's thematic underpinnings are just that. HT2 is rightly more concerned with having fun with the process in a hugely comical way, which includes many background monsters having their moment to shine.

And it's often those background characters and supportive elements that elevate the movie. There's a really cool nod to Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula near the end that will absolutely go over the head of every five-year-old in the audience, but it's amongst the best nod to adults ever found in an animated film. The wedding at film's start takes plenty of monster-centric liberties with the traditional ceremony that earns a number of laughs. Dracula returns to his roots in one sequence and laments that his once hardcore monster training camp for kids has essentially been taken over by the PC police. There's even an "abstract" monster who inspires an "abstract" painting. All of the joyous little touches are total delights that, combined with the film's fantastic digital construction and pitch-perfect voice acting, makes for one of the most spook-tacular (had to get a bad monster pun in there somewhere!) films fit for all ages.

Hotel Transylvania 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Hotel Transylvania 2's expectedly gorgeous 1080p transfer dazzles and delights in every scene. Even as much of the background is bathed in black, foreground colors and details never lag behind. Colors pop with unmatched vibrance. Whether Dennis' mop of orange hair, Blobby's gelatinous green body, the rainbow of colors at a California convenience store, or any other delights in the film's festive palette, there's no shortage of expertly alluring coloring. Details are likewise precise. Sony's 1080p image squeezes out as much raw animated detail as is possible, down to the finest fabric textures, character lines, woods, bricks, and support elements. Clarity is dazzling from start to finish. Blacks are precisely deep and refined, critical considering the film's underlying darkness. Banding, aliasing, and other issues that sometimes creep into digitally animated features are nowhere to be seen. This is an exceptional presentation from Sony.

Hotel Transylvania 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Hotel Transylvania 2 features a festive, full, and fit DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. There's no shortage of entertaining sound effects and corresponding delivery that's spacious, detailed, and bass-friendly. Monsters slither and scurry all over, maneuvering from one speaker to another with impressive ease and consistency. Thunder cracks with piercing sharp definition. Crashes and other heavy effects present with a detailed low end that's as prodigious as it is tight. Music enjoys superior definition, whether playful score or sugary Pop beats. Spacing is effortless and wide, filling the entire stage with musical goodness. Clarity delights throughout the entire range, including, again, potent bass lines that yield a healthy bit of weight and oomph to the proceedings. Dialogue delivery is naturally clear and center focused. Every verbal nuance is clearly defined, all the way from Asher Blinkoff to Mel Brooks.

Hotel Transylvania 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Hotel Transylvania 2 contains a lengthy assortment of extras, headlined by two audio commentary tracks and several kid-centric pieces. A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV digital copy code are included with purchase.

• Audio Commentary: Director Genndy Tartakovsky delivers a satisfying, detailed, oftentimes technical-in-nature exploration of the film, discussing changes made along the way, storytelling concepts, music, characters, the expanded use of color in the film, character and environment design, expanding beyond the first film's hotel's confines, and so much more.
• Audio Commentary: Writer/Actor Adam Sandler, Writer/Actor/Producer Robert Smigel, and Actor/Executive Producer Allen Covert offer a track that's almost in every way the opposite of Tartakovsky's. While there's a few comical technical insights, this is mostly a laid-back, breezy track that's more about having fun with the film than it is shaping the story of its production.
• Monster Lullaby Scary-Oke Sing Along with Dennisovitch! (1080p): Karaoke versions of the following songs: Hush Little Monster (1:14), Twinkle, Twinkle Little Bat (1:48), and Vlady Had a Little Drac (1:05).
• Throw the Ultimate Monster Party! (1080p, 5:45): A fun piece that shows kids how to make Bat Garland, Frankenstein Punch, and Mini Kakie Cakes.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Hotel T Commercial [Alternate Opening] (1:54), She's Home! [Alternate Opening] (2:42), Making the Hotel Safe (1:35), The Crew Lands in Jail (3:04), Raising the Dead (2:39), Flashback to Drac's Camp (0:57), and Meet Dad (5:32). Note that scenes aren't necessarily end-movie complete.
• Make the Scary and Silly Sounds of HT2 (1080p, 6:24): Foley Artist Robin Harlan shares some of the secrets to making the movie's unique sound effects.
• The New Guys (1080p, 3:32): A quick introduction to this film's new characters: Dennis, Kakie, Vlad, and Bela.
• How to Draw Your Favorite Characters (1080p, 5:04): Production Designer Michael Kurinsky, along with Actor Asher Blinkoff, demonstrate the art of drawing characters for the film, including Dennis and Papa Drac.
• Music Video (1080p, 3:42): "I'm In Love with a Monster" by Fifth Harmony.
• Meet the New Characters -- Animation Progressions (1080p, 7:17): Director Genndy Tartakovsky, Production Designer Michael Kurinsky, and Visual Effects Supervisor Karl Herbst discuss some new characters and the art of creating them for the movie, including Dennis, Jonathan's family, Vlad, and The Cronies.
• Character Sketch Gallery (1080p): A selection of drawings available individually or as a slideshow.
• Previews (1080p): Additional Sony titles.

Hotel Transylvania 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While Hotel Transylvania may not be the first movie or franchise people think of when considering the modern digitally animated cinema landscape, they're a couple of really solid movies that manage to put together a detailed world full of likable characters worked into engaging yet simple stories. Hotel Transylvania 2 doesn't reinvent the wheel, it just makes it smoother and, compared to other, similar ventures, far less cringe-worthy. It's fun, colorful, and addictive. It's breezy, humorous, and suitable for audiences of all ages. Sony's Blu-ray is stellar, yielding superb video and audio to go along with a large assortment of extra content. Highly recommended.