Columbia Pictures presents in association with LStar Capital, a Sony Pictures Animation film, Hotel Transylvania 2. Starring Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, David Spade, Steve Buscemi, Keegan-Michael Key, Molly Shannon, Fran Drescher, and Mel Brooks. Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky. Produced by Michelle Murdocca. Written by Robert Smigel & Adam Sandler. Executive Producers are Allen Covert, Robert Smigel, and Ben Waisbren. Music by Mark Mothersbaugh. Imagery and Animation by Sony Pictures Imageworks Inc.  Credits not final. Hotel Transylvania 2 has been rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for Some Scary Images, Action and Rude Humor.

A World-Famous Monster  The Human Family Issue

“Dracula may be a world-famous monster, but he’s really just a family guy,” says director Genndy Tartakovsky, who helped to reinvent classic monsters, like Dracula, Frankenstein, the werewolf, and more in the hit animated comedy Hotel Transylvania. The 2012 original film grossed more than $350 million worldwide and still holds the all-time record for highest opening movie during the month of September in the U.S. 

Now Drac’s pack is back, with Tartakovsky returning to the helm, for an all-new adventure in Hotel Transylvania 2. The film kicks off with humans and monsters finally learning to co-exist. “All is good in Drac’s world,” says Tartakovsky.  “Jonathan and Mavis have gotten married, and then they have a baby boy – Dennis.  And that leads to the big question in this film: is Dennis a vampire or is he a human?  Mavis and Johnny are ready to accept their son for whoever he is, but of course, Dracula secretly hopes that Dennis is a vampire. He’s afraid that if Dennis is a human, Mavis will want to raise him in the non-monster world instead of the hotel. So Drac is going to do anything to try to bring the fangs out of Dennis.”

Like any loving mother, Mavis wants what’s best for her child. As much as she loves the hotel – the only home she’s ever known – she feels that if Dennis is a human, the best place for him is to be raised with other humans. So, to check out what that might be like, Mavis entrusts her dad to watch Dennis while she and Johnny visit her human-in-laws in his hometown of Santa Cruz. While she is discovering the exciting ways of human life—from their 48 flavors of slushies to the 24/7 mini-markets—Drac is going a little batty back at the hotel imagining a life without his daughter, which makes him more determined than ever to bring out little Dennis’ fangs and give Mavis a reason to never leave Hotel Transylvania.

Drac’s solution: an epic road trip, in which Drac and his pals pull out all the stops, putting the little “monster-in-training” through monster boot camp. Plans go awry though when Drac’s own dad, Vlad, pays them an unexpected visit.

Tumultuous Confrontational Relationship

“Vlad is an old-school vampire,” says Tartakovsky. “Drac and his father have this very tumultuous, confrontational relationship – they’re at each other all the time.  Vlad is judging him, Drac is defensive.”

“Vlad is hilariously hardcore, he’s tough, he’s relentless,” says producer Michelle Murdocca. “He doesn’t give Drac a break. You really see why Drac is the way he is.”

Vlad is played by comedy legend Mel Brooks, one of the world’s few EGOTs (meaning he’s won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar®, and a Tony). “He’s one of the foundations of comedy, he’s been around forever, he shaped my comic sensibility, and he’s still sharp and witty, so I was very nervous to direct him. He’s amazing – it’s not like he needs directing,” says Tartakovsky. “But I remember at one point, he wanted to hear how I thought he should do one particular line. What was I gonna tell Mel Brooks? But he wanted me to do it, so I did it, and he liked it, and he did it the way I did it. That was an amazing moment for me – I’ll never forget that.”

To open and close the movie, the filmmakers called on one of the hottest up-and-coming acts in music, Fifth Harmony, whose hit single “Worth It” has spent all summer on the charts. The group kicks off the movie with the song “I’m in Love with a Monster.” 

Through it all, the filmmakers haven’t lost sight of what makes Hotel Transylvania so special. We got to redefine monsters – Dracula, Frankenstein, the Invisible Man, Mummy. What a great sandbox to do something really cartoony, really fun, not take itself too seriously, and make a really funny movie. For this film, we felt like there was still a connection to the characters, and it would be fun to revisit this world and see what the next adventure would be like. So that’s our goal: to make it silly, irreverent, fresh and fun, while still holding on to that emotional core.

Ultimately, the film is the perfect family entertainment. It has a ton of fun in this movie, with four generations of Draculas under one roof and humans now being accepted into the monster world, but there’s also a great message about accepting each other as we are. That’s a lesson we all, parent or child, need every day.

About the Characters

Once upon a time, Dracula was a controlling, dominating guy who used his strength and charisma not only to create the world’s only hotel for monsters, but to become the world’s worst helicopter dad right up until his daughter’s 118th birthday. He’s better now – or is he? Now that he’s a grampa – make that “vampa” – no one could be happier… but when his grandson, Dennis, looks like he might be human instead of a vampire, Drac cracks – determining to bring out the “late fanger’s” fangs no matter what.

Johnny can’t believe his luck – since he stumbled into the Hotel Transylvania, the only human ever to set foot there in 200 years, he’s now 28, he got the girl, got married, had a kid, and even got the dream job of making the hotel more human-friendly. All he wants is to stay at the hotel, but when his wife makes the case for returning their son to the human world, he and Mavis make that California trip to explore the place where he grew up. 

Mavis, 125-year-old daughter of Dracula who has always been fascinated by the human world – and that’s even more true now that she has married Johnny and become the parent of a four-and-a-half-year-old boy. Like every mom, she only wants what’s best for her child. While she’ll love Dennis the same no matter if he’s vampire or human, she knows that if he’s human, his life will be so much easier if he leaves the hotel for the human world.

Frank, a best friend is the guy you can count on no matter what – and that’s Frank and Drac. Everyone needs a guy to ride shotgun… when you’re on a secret road trip… to try to figure out if your grandson really is a vampire. Well, maybe not – and the job may get sticky now that Frank’s face is recognizable everywhere in the human world – but Frank will still stick close to Drac and as far away from fire as he can get.

Griffin, the invisible man, couldn’t be happier – he’s found love. Well, he’s sort of found it – his beloved is invisible, too. In fact, the other guys aren’t quite sure she exists.

Wayne, the werewolf has a gazillion wolf pups with his wife Wanda and too little “me time,” which may be why he jumps at the chance to help Drac with his grandson problem. The thing he doesn’t see coming is that his youngest daughter, Winnie, has developed a crush on little Dennis – call it “puppy love.”

Murray, the mummy is the undead life of the party. This rotund, wrapped reveler is always ready for a good time, so he jumps at the opportunity to help bring out the fangs in the little monster-in-training, Dennis.

Wanda, While Wayne is on the road trip with the fellas, it’s up to Wanda to take care of their dozens of offspring. But that’s all right – there’s nowhere that this sweet mom would rather be. 

Vlad, nobody can decide if Drac’s dad, Vlad, is old-school or just plain old – but no matter. He’s a legendary monster, one so distrustful of humans that he never even leaves his cave anymore. Dracula has a complicated relationship with his dad and hasn’t seen him in years – that is, until Mavis secretly invites him to her son’s birthday party. But when Vlad finds out that humans and vampires are living together at the hotel, the fate of Hotel Transylvania is up for grabs.

Dennis, all vampires have until their fifth birthday to sprout their fangs. And wouldn’t you know it… Dennis – Mavis and Johnny’s four-and-a-half-year-old son – hasn’t grown any fangs yet. Desperate to prove the kid is a vampire, Drac and his friends put the little guy through a “monster-in-training” boot camp to help bring out his vampire side.

Synopsis

The Drac pack is back for an all-new monster comedy adventure in Sony Pictures Animation's Hotel Transylvania 2! Everything seems to be changing for the better at Hotel Transylvania... Dracula’s rigid monster-only hotel policy has finally relaxed, opening up its doors to human guests. But behind closed coffins, Drac is worried that his adorable half-human, half-vampire grandson, Dennis, isn’t showing signs of being a vampire. So while Mavis is busy visiting her human in-laws with Johnny – and in for a major cultural shock of her own – “Vampa” Drac enlists his friends Frank, Murray, Wayne and Griffin to put Dennis through a “monster-in-training” boot camp.  But little do they know that Drac’s grumpy and very old, old, old school dad Vlad is about to pay a family visit to the hotel.  And when Vlad finds out that his great-grandson is not a pure blood – and humans are now welcome at Hotel Transylvania – things are going to get batty!

Hotel Transylvania 2

Directed By: Genndy Tartakovsky

Produced By: Michelle Murdocca, Adam Sandler, Allen Covert, Ben Waisbren

Screenplay By: Robert Smigel

Dubbing Cast: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Fran Drescher, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, David Spade, Keegan-Michael Key, Mel Brooks

Genre: Animation, Comedy

Language: English

Rating: I 

Running Time: 89 min 

Trailer: http://youtu.be/l5fgxUvLtcw