Mel Brooks checks in for 'Hotel Transylvania 2'

Mel Brooks is undead and loving it.

The legendary comedian and filmmaker voices the ancient vampire Vlad — the cranky old father of Adam Sandler's Dracula — in the animated sequel Hotel Transylvania 2. The film arrives in theaters Sept. 25, 2015, and is directed by the returning Genndy Tartakovsky.

The centuries-old Vlad is "like my real, honest-to-goodness personality. I'm pretty grumpy," 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 hapless human Jonathan (Andy Samberg).

A family get-together in the follow-up feature brings Vlad to town — along with some secrets and drama — to visit the estranged son he hasn't seen in years. He turns everybody's life upside down, from Drac, Mavis and Jonathan to hotel regulars such as Frank (Kevin James), Wayne Werewolf (Steve Buscemi) and Murray the Mummy (Keegan-Michael Key).

Jonathan found Drac intimidating in the original movie, but he's really weirded out 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 acknowledges. "He doesn't treat Dracula with a lot of respect and they're often at odds. It makes for some wonderful comedy."

It was Brooks and Sandler's mutual admiration society that brought the iconic funnyman into the franchise. Sandler personally called Brooks up to offer him the role. "And I said, 'Adam, are you sitting down?' " Brooks says. " 'It's a little shocking — I am your father.' "

A major appeal of the movie for Brooks was getting to work with Sandler in the recording booth. "He's easy to play vocal ping-pong with," the older actor says, but Sandler is also adept at communicating the deeper emotions within Drac. "He's very helpful in indicating there's more than meets the eye here. There are some complicated feelings that should be expressed, and he helped me with that."

Adds Murdocca: "They have a real amazing connection, not just comedically. They understand one another."

Horror comedies are old hat for Brooks, who directed 1974's Young Frankenstein and 1995's Dracula: Dead and Loving It. For the latter film, he had worked with the late Leslie Nielsen and other actors on perfecting a fang-worthy 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. "That Middle-European Transylvanian sound is sweet, it's cute, and if you believe in vampirism, it's correct."

Brooks also took the lead on aspects of Vlad's look and design. The craggy 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 of old, leathery spookiness."