It is weirdly easy to forget that animated movies aren't just drawings. When you sit down with a bucket of popcorn and watch a ginger-haired toddler try to fly off a diving tower, you aren't thinking about a middle-aged man standing in a sound booth in Los Angeles wearing sweatpants. But that's exactly how the magic happens. The cast of Hotel Transylvania 2 is one of those rare lightning-in-a-bottle situations where the studio basically took a Saturday Night Live reunion and moved it to a spooky castle in Transylvania.
Adam Sandler didn't just show up to voice Dracula. He basically ran the show.
Usually, sequels feel like a cash grab. They feel thin. However, by the time the second film rolled around in 2015, the chemistry between the actors was so baked-in that it felt less like a movie and more like a bunch of friends hanging out. You've got the core group—Sandler, Andy Samberg, and Selena Gomez—but then the sequel threw in a literal comedy legend: Mel Brooks. Honestly, if you can get Mel Brooks to play a cranky, ancient vampire named Vlad, you've already won.
The Monster Squad: Breaking Down the Main Players
Let's look at the heavy hitters. Adam Sandler's Dracula is the heartbeat of the film. In this one, he’s a "Vampa," a grandfather struggling with the fact that his grandson, Dennis, might be human. Sandler brings that specific brand of frantic, overprotective energy he’s been honing since the nineties. It works. It works because underneath the "blah, blah-blah" accent, there is a genuine sense of anxiety about family legacy.
Then you have Selena Gomez as Mavis.
She’s the grounded one. While the monsters are losing their minds over whether or not a toddler is growing fangs, Mavis is just trying to be a good mom. Gomez’s voice work is often underrated here because she has to play the "straight man" to a group of eccentric, screaming monsters. It’s a tough gig. She provides the emotional tether that keeps the movie from spiraling into pure slapstick.
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And then there's Andy Samberg. Johnny.
Johnny is basically the human embodiment of a golden retriever. Samberg plays him with this relentless, wide-eyed optimism that should be annoying but is somehow incredibly endearing. His chemistry with the rest of the cast of Hotel Transylvania 2—even if they recorded their lines separately—is what makes the "Zing" feel real.
The Supporting Monsters You Actually Care About
The "Drac Pack" is where the comedy density really lives. Kevin James voices Frank (Frankenstein), and he brings that lovable, slightly dim-witted persona he’s famous for. Steve Buscemi is Wayne the Werewolf. Buscemi’s voice is so distinct—kind of raspy and perpetually tired—that he’s perfect for a werewolf who is utterly exhausted by his dozens of unruly pups.
David Spade plays Griffin the Invisible Man. The joke, obviously, is that you can’t see him, but Spade’s sarcastic, dry delivery makes him visible through personality alone. Keegan-Michael Key took over the role of Murray the Mummy in this film (replacing CeeLo Green from the first movie), and he brought an explosion of energy. Key is a master of physical comedy through voice alone. You can practically hear his eyebrows moving.
Mel Brooks and the Arrival of Vlad
The biggest addition to the cast of Hotel Transylvania 2 was undoubtedly Mel Brooks.
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Think about it. The man is a comedy institution. He directed Young Frankenstein. Having him play Dracula’s father, Vlad, was a meta-commentary that most kids missed but every parent in the theater appreciated. Vlad is a "vampire's vampire." He’s old-school. He’s scary. He doesn’t like all this "co-existing with humans" nonsense.
Brooks was 89 years old when the movie came out. Eighty-nine! And he still had more comedic timing in his pinky finger than most actors have in their entire bodies. His presence elevated the third act of the film from a standard family squabble to a multi-generational clash of values. It’s about the old guard meeting the new world.
The Kid Who Stole the Show: Dennis
We have to talk about Asher Blinkoff. He voiced Dennis (or "Dennis-ovich" if you're Drac).
Voice acting for children is notoriously difficult. Often, studios hire adult women to voice young boys because they are more reliable and can hit the pitch. But using Blinkoff was a smart move. There is a specific, raspy innocence in a real child's voice that you just can't fake. Every time Dennis says something sweet, the stakes for Dracula’s frantic meddling get higher.
If Dennis doesn't get his fangs by his fifth birthday, he has to move away. That’s the engine of the plot. Blinkoff makes you care about those fangs.
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Why This Specific Cast Worked So Well
Most animated films today just throw a bunch of famous names at a script and hope for the best. It’s called "stunt casting." But the cast of Hotel Transylvania 2 feels different because many of these people have worked together for decades.
Sandler, James, Spade, and Buscemi are a tight-knit circle. They have a rhythm. They know how to set each other up for jokes. When you hear Frank and Wayne bickering, it sounds like two old friends who have been arguing about the same thing for twenty years. It doesn’t sound like actors reading lines in a vacuum.
Genndy Tartakovsky, the director, is a legend in his own right (Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack). He’s known for high-energy, "rubbery" animation. He pushed the voice cast to be bigger, louder, and faster. The result is a movie that feels like a classic Looney Tunes short but with modern heart.
Some Facts People Get Wrong
- The Mummy Switch: A lot of people didn't even notice that Murray the Mummy changed actors. Keegan-Michael Key stepped in seamlessly for the sequel.
- The Writer’s Room: Adam Sandler actually co-wrote the script with Robert Smigel (the man behind Triumph the Insult Comic Dog). This is why the humor has that specific "Happy Madison" flavor.
- Dana Carvey: Yes, that was Dana Carvey voicing Dana, the camp director. Another SNL legend added to the mix.
The Legacy of the Second Film
By the time the credits roll, the movie has made a pretty firm point about identity. It’s not a deep philosophical treatise, sure. It’s a movie about monsters. But the voice cast sells the idea that "human" or "monster" doesn't matter as much as "family."
The film was a massive hit, outperforming the original at the box office. Much of that is due to the brand recognition of the cast of Hotel Transylvania 2. People trust Sandler to deliver a certain type of family-friendly entertainment, and he delivered.
Actionable Takeaways for Movie Fans
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the world of these actors or the film itself, here is what you should actually do:
- Watch the "Making Of" Featurettes: Look for the "Meet the New Cast" clips on the DVD or digital extras. Seeing Mel Brooks in the recording booth is a masterclass in performance.
- Check out Genndy Tartakovsky’s other work: If you liked the visual style, watch Primal or Samurai Jack. It’s the same creative mind but with a completely different tone.
- Follow the SNL Thread: If you enjoyed the chemistry of the main monsters, look into the 1990s era of Saturday Night Live. That’s where the DNA of this cast was formed.
- Listen for the Cameos: Keep an ear out for Chris Kattan and Molly Shannon. The movie is packed with small voice roles from comedy greats that are easy to miss on a first watch.
The movie stands as a testament to the fact that voice acting is real acting. It requires a level of exaggeration and precision that is totally different from live-action work. The cast of Hotel Transylvania 2 didn't just phone it in for a paycheck; they created characters that felt like a weird, dysfunctional, but ultimately loving family. That’s why we’re still talking about it years later.