Ever since the sequel swarm began, with Hollywood pumping out part two or three or four of every original work, the main question on the mind of a sequel viewer is “How does this compare to the first movie?” In fall of 2012, the new Halloween classic Hotel Transylvania made its debut. This fall, the sequel Hotel Transylvania 2 arrived in theaters and of course the question is, as always: “How does this compare to the first movie?”

The story for the second movie focuses around Dennis, the half-vampire half-human son of Mavis and Jonathan. Mavis worries that Dennis may not be safe in a hotel full of monsters. Her worries get worse as he grows older and shows no signs of being a vampire. She decides to move to “a normal place” near Jonathan’s parents. Dracula is less than pleased by this and is determined to bring out Dennis’s fangs, so he sends Mavis and Jonathan to visit California and takes Dennis out for some monster training.

The writers Robert Smigel and Adam Sandler balanced the drama and comedy extremely well. The comedy is the best part of the movie. Just like the first movie, almost every joke hits home. When I was watching, the entire theatre was cracking up. The drama is also heartwarming in the places in needs to be.

The characters are mostly the same as Hotel Transylvania, with the addition of Jonathan’s family and Dracula’s father, Vlad, who becomes the antagonist in this film. But I question the need for a villain, seeing as the first movie didn’t have one. Maybe the inclusion of Vlad would have been better if he appeared earlier but he doesn’t and it leaves the audience with little connection to him.

One thing that perfectly matches up to the first movie is the animation and sound. A central appeal of Hotel Transylvania is the fluid, energetic animation and attention to detail that I’m happy to say is just as good in the sequel, if not better. Its particularly shining moments are in the flight and dance scenes. The voice acting is also very well done, with a full set of returning star cast members such as Adam Sandler and Selena Gomez.

Besides the characters, one other thing brings down this movie. The first movie was fun, becoming a new Halloween classic for the family, but Hotel Transylvania 2 tries so hard to be hip it comes off as the uncool dad of the original. The amount of pop culture references and technology used in the sequel turns it into something that will be dated in less than a year. Sony smartphone product placement, Flo Rida, social media, face morphing apps, and YouTube, all add into the mush of things that will bring this movie down.

Despite that, Hotel Transylvania 2 is a very enjoyable sequel. The animation holds up, so does the story for the most part. If you liked the first movie you’ll enjoy the addition to the fictional world. The comedy alone is reason enough to watch it, so I definitely recommend it if you want a laugh with a nice bit of drama. In the end, even when compared to the first movie, Hotel Transylvania 2 is a fun time with lively animation and a sweet story that will touch your family’s hearts.