Not as enchanting as the first one but scarier with far bigger effects, though none is spectacular, much of which is clumsy: the spiders, the snake, and the angry tree. More tiring than the first since it's more of the same thing. The new ugly slave-like character is unbearably irritating. It is similar to the Smeagol/Gollum character in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, only a lot less interesting.
The one character I enjoyed much is that of the owner of the flying car. Check especially the moment he accidentally celebrates the tale of the boys' adventures in the flying car. My previous favorite character from the first movie does not compare, and is a lot less interesting this time around.