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Follow Vampirina and her two best friends, Poppy and Bridget, as they take the stage and start their very own band: the Ghoul Girls!
If you get past the obnoxious theme song for Disney’s “Vampirina,” an adorable show about a new family of vampires who move into a human town as normal as pumpkin pie will reward you. Enjoy six episodes – each two mini-sodes like most Disney Junior cartoons – and some bonus music video shorts on your daughter’s new favorite disc. Although I must say, the accompanying music has not been music to my ears. The show is cute enough to tolerate the music but maybe they skip the songs if they cannot find a better songwriter. I know, a little judgy, for a kids show but us moms have to listen to this stuff and often on repeat. It ought to be worth the listen.
On with the show. Vampirina is the name of the newest girl in town. Not just any girl but a vampire from a family of monsters in a town of humans. Talk about culture shock. None of Vampirina’s friends have coffins in their bedrooms or pet gargoyles. Speaking of the pet gargoyle, the voice is Wanda Sykes and comes with all the sassy energy her audience so enjoys. Also, none of her neighbors own pet ghosts or werewolves. What I found most interesting about the show is Vampirina is an only child. Most Disney Junior shows include a younger sibling, but maybe vampires don’t mate as often as their children live for centuries.
The episodes are far from predictable – the writers spread their wings with this cartoon – with fun plots. Vampirina has two sidekicks – neighborhood sisters Poppy and Bridget. While they are cute and adventurous, their mother’s voice is more nightmarish than the vampire family she seems to trust to leave her girls with all day every day. Everyone has a different parenting style. Back to the plots. While they all focus on highlighting the difference between vampire life and human life, my favorite part is the parents let their pet ghost and gargoyle babysit their only child.
Other fun plots include Vampirina switching to a human and her bestie switching to a vampire with the help of special pendants, babysitting a tattle tailing parrot, and starting a ghoulish rock band. While the plots are fun, watch because of the special abilities of vampires – super speed, the ability to turn into a bat and fly, and super-heightened senses. These qualities make for a fun show. The characters are well written with decent qualities and worthy of a child’s time. Although, this is not a learning show. Do not expect your daughter to learn anything but empathy for those from a different culture – definitely a relevant topic.
Did I mention Lauren Graham is the voice of Vampirina’s mother Oxana? Try to recognize the “Gilmore Girls” star with her thick accent. Daddy is no stranger to the television either – most everyone has heard of James Van Der Beek from “Dawson’s Creek.” Vampirina is played by Isabella Crovetti who is also the voice of Shine in “Shimmer and Shine.” All of these characters and more are great reasons to let your kids enjoy this show. Don’t worry, the vampire family seems to be vegetarian as they never prey on their neighbors or anything else as far as I can tell. For spooky-loving little divas, this show will become her favorite!
Now available on Disney DVD
