Mel Brooks Checks in for Hotel Transylvania 2
Mel Brooks， the legendary[传奇的] comedian[喜剧演员] and filmmaker voices the ancient vampire Vlad―the angry old father of Adam Sandler’s Dracula―in the animated sequel[续集] Hotel Transylvania 2.
The centuries-old Vlad is “like my real personality[个性]. I’m pretty grumpy[脾气坏的]，” jokes Brooks， 88. “It was a good choice.”
The first Hotel Transylvania in 2012 explored the generational gap between Drac and his young （for a vampire） 118-year-old daughter Mavis （Selena Gomez）， her need to see the world outside the family hotel and her attraction to the simple human Jonathan （Andy Samberg）.
A family get-together in the sequel brings Vlad to town―along with some secrets and drama―to visit his son he hasn’t seen in years. He turns everybody’s life upside down， from Dracula， Mavis and Jonathan to hotel[老顾客] such as Frank （Kevin James）， Wayne Werewolf（Steve Buscemi） and Murray the Mummy （Keegan-Michael Key）.
Jonathan found Dracula intimidating[吓人的] in the original[原作的] movie， but he’s really confused[使糊涂] by Vlad. “He actually lives in a cave―he is about as old school as it gets，” says producer Michelle Murdocca. “So when he comes and sees that Dracula is running a hotel， he’s like， ‘What is going on here？’”
Vlad can be mean and tough， Brooks says. “He doesn’t treat Dracula with a lot of respect[尊重] and they’re often arguing. It makes for some wonderful comedy.”
Horror comedies are natural for Brooks， who directed 1974’s Young Frankenstein and 1995’s Dracula： Dead and Loving It. For the latter[后者的] film， he had worked with the late Leslie Nielsen and other actors on doing a perfect vampire accent.
So for Vlad， “I had that with me. And I didn’t have to make it older because I’m almost 100， so I played it out of my own voice，” Brooks says.
Brooks also had ideas for Vlad’s look and design. The character originally was a little scarier and darker， but Brooks suggested the filmmakers open up his eyes and make them bigger and friendlier so kids would like him.
“Actually， it’s like a little bit of Mel coming through，” says Murdocca. “You can see that warm guy in there behind this exterior[外在的] of old， leathery[坚韧的] spookiness[幽灵一般].”
传奇喜剧演员及电影制作人梅尔・布鲁克斯将在动画电影《精灵旅社》的续集中为德古拉（亚当・桑德勒配音）的老爸―脾气暴躁、老掉牙的吸血鬼老弗拉德一角配音。
这个活了几百岁的弗拉德“就和我自己的性格一样，脾气暴躁。”88岁的布鲁克斯开玩笑说。“真是选对人了。”
2012年的《精灵旅社》讲述了德古拉和他年轻的（对于一个吸血鬼来说）女儿―118岁的梅菲丝（赛琳娜・戈麦斯配音）之间的代沟。梅菲丝想出去看看家庭旅馆外面的世界并被人类乔纳森（安迪・萨姆伯格配音）吸引的故事。
在续集里，弗拉德因为一次家庭聚会而去城里看望多年未见的儿子，同时也带来了一些秘密，制造了一连串戏剧事件。他把每个人的生活都弄得颠三倒四，包括德古拉、梅菲丝、乔纳森，以及弗兰克（凯文・詹姆斯配音）、狼人韦恩（史蒂夫・布西密配音）和木乃伊穆雷（基冈・迈克尔・基配音）等旅馆的常客。
在第一部电影里，乔纳森觉得德古拉很可怕，而弗拉德却让他倍感困惑。“他住在一个山洞里，为人有够老派守旧的。”制片人米歇尔・穆尔多卡说。“所以他刚到时，看到德古拉在经营一个旅馆，他的第一反应是：‘这里出什么事了？’”
布鲁克斯说，弗拉德又苛刻又强硬。“他不怎么尊重德古拉，两人常常闹矛盾，由此产生了一些精彩的喜剧效果。”
恐怖喜剧对于布鲁克斯并不是什么新鲜玩意。1974年他曾执导过《新科学怪人》，1995年又执导了《吸血鬼也疯狂》。在后一部电影里，他与已故的莱斯利・尼尔森及其他演员创造出了一种恰到好处的吸血鬼的口音。
所以对弗拉德这个角色，“他身上的特点我都了然于心。我也不必刻意扮老，因为我本来就快一百岁了，所以我只需要用自己的声音去演绎就可以了，” 布鲁克斯说。
布鲁克斯对弗拉德的外型和设计也有自己的想法。这个角色原本的设定更加阴暗吓人，但布鲁克斯建议制片人让弗拉德的眼睛睁开，让他的双眼看起来大一点、友善一点，孩子们才会喜欢他。
“其实透过这个角色可以看到一点梅尔・布鲁克斯的影子。”穆尔多卡说。“你可以看到在这个家伙苍老强韧、阴森吓人的外表背后，是一个温暖的人。”