Review: HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2  (ANIMATION/FANTASY-COMEDY)
2 out of 4 stars 
Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky
Featuring the Voices of: Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Kevin James, Steve Buscemi, David Spade, Keegan-Michael Key, Asher Blinkoff, Fran Drescher, Molly Shannon, Megan Mullally, Nick Offerman, Dana Carvey, Rob Riggle, Mel Brooks
Rated PG for some scary images, action and rude humor.
89 minutes
Verdict: Like the original, HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2 isn't quite as bad as it looks, but there's little to enjoy for anyone older than 10.
YOU MAY ENJOY HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2 IF YOU LIKED:
HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA  (2012)
BEDTIME STORIES  (2008)
ZOOKEEPER  (2011)
IGOR  (2008)
MONSTERS VS. ALIENS  (2009)

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2 is a shameless cash-grab that might usually have gone straight-to-video, but like the original, it's still not as bad as it looks.  It's unmistakably a kids movie with little to offer anyone over the age of 10, but it's not as vile as Adam Sandler's usual, and he even co-wrote this one.
In as predictable a sequel development as possible, Dracula's (voice of Sandler) daughter Mavis (voice of Selena Gomez) and her human husband Johnny (voice of Andy Samberg) have a kid, resulting in all the typical hijinks from pregnancy cravings to helicopter parenting.  But when little Dennis (voiced by newcomer Asher Blinkoff) still hasn't gotten his fangs and is nearing 5 years old, Mavis is considering raising her apparently human son in a human neighborhood away from Hotel Transylvania, the monster (humans welcome, since the events of the last film) resort, much to Dracula's dismay, so while Mavis and Johnny take a trip to California, Drac and his monster pals try to bring the monster out of the kid.
The sight gags and cliches are laid on in approximately equal and considerable thickness.  It's insanely, frenetically energetic in spite of its soulless mediocrity, like a bargain brand energy drink, and the results are intermittently amusing (maybe one or two real laughs) but also grotesque.
I don't think it's a spoiler to say that this is exactly the kind of animated movie that ends in an inexplicable dance party with all the characters, holding up a big middle finger to the parents dragged into the theater, saying, "Hey, it's a kids movie- money in the bank."  There's worse things a movie can be, but it is what it is.