Mavis is totally pampered by her father; however, she is headstrong and smart, and in many ways, a typical 118-year-old teenage girl. She is grown slightly bored with the domain of her childhood  she has lived within her father’s hotel and its grounds all her life and she longs to travel, experience life and see the world but, once she meets Jonnystein (Jonathan) and they "have a zing" nothing will be the same.

One might wonder, if Mavis is capable of turning into a bat and can fly, why doesn't Mavis just leave to explore the world without hesitation? "She is emotionally grounded by her father's fear-filled stories, not wanting to disappoint or desert him," explains Bob Osher, president of Sony Pictures Digital Productions. And while most parents don't have to fear the day their child will literally fly away as Mavis can, they can definitely understand the anxiety of empty-nest syndrome that pervades this vampire home, making Dracula's grip on Mavis even tighter and her concern about leaving him even deeper.