Memorable moment:  Mavis does her stunts on her BMX when she and Jonathan visit a bike park in Jonathan'€™s old neighborhood.  (Courtesy of Sony Pictures Animation)

The predictability of the story in Hotel Transylvania 2 leads to a flat film despite a strong message of tolerance and acceptance. The movie lacks the strength of its prequel.

The idea of bringing monsters and ghouls together onto the screen with Hotel Transylvania in 2012 was quite intriguing. But the story in the sequel, Hotel Transylvania 2, stretches a humdrum plot.

The first film of the Hotel Transylvania series followed a human named Jonathan (Andy Samberg) as he discovers a hotel run by Dracula (Adam Sandler) and befriends the monsters that live in the hotel, later developing a romantic relationship with Dracula'€™s daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez).

In Hotel Transylvania 2, the lovebirds start to build their new life together as the film begins with the wedding preparations of Jonathan and Mavis.

Fast forward to two years after the wedding, Mavis asks Dracula to fly together and play hide and seek as bats, just like they used to do, using the chance to tell him that she'€™s pregnant.

When the much-anticipated day arrives, Mavis gives birth to half-human/half-vampire baby boy, named Dennis.

Dennis is having his first birthday and starts to crawl and walk, and Mavis starts to become an overprotective mother, ordering the hotel'€™s employees to make the hotel baby-safe by erecting a gate on the stairs, setting up toilet locks, putting soft edges on sharp corners, and much more.

Dracula is curious about finding out whether Dennis'€™ fangs have started to show, telling everyone and reassuring himself that the fangs might be late.

Mavis frequently explains to Dracula that Dennis may not be a vampire but simply a regular human like his father, and may not grow any fangs.

Insisting on proving that his grandson is a vampire, Dracula wakes Dennis up one night without Mavis knowing, to play with him. Dracula shows him how to be a bat and fly, asking him to do the same.

Getting caught in the act, Mavis is upset with her father and asks him to accept Dennis as he really is.

She expresses her plan to move out of the hotel and move to Jonathan'€™s parents'€™ house as she thinks it'€™s a better environment to raise a child.

Dracula develops a scheme with Jonathan who never wants to return to his old life, telling him to take Mavis to see his parents'€™ house while vacationing, so she can see herself if the place really suits her imagination.

As Mavis and Jonathan have their adventure in the human city, Dracula and his ghoul friends embark on their adventure, taking Dennis to places that are expected to make him act like a vampire.

Dracula also takes Dennis to a vampire boot camp that he attended when he was little, taking him to a dilapidated tower inside the camp where Dracula was once taught how to fly and throwing him from the top as he hopes the boy'€™s wings will open.

Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, the film offers sharp animation detail. The most memorable and entertaining scene is when Mavis does her stunts on her BMX when she and Jonathan visit a bike park in Jonathan'€™s old neighborhood.

Despite the strong message about tolerance and acceptance the movie is trying to convey, the whole story is actually predictable and flat. It offers no twist and no strong character development that could enrich the plot.

The comedic elements in the film barely raised a laugh from the audience.

The film, available on 2-D and 3-D, does not have much to offer for adults, but serves as an entertaining picture with colorful monsters for kids.

When it comes to animation, this reviewer is very difficult to please. Only a handful of animated films could be regarded as favorites, and unfortunately Hotel Transylvania 2 is not one of them.

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