Disney Junior’s latest big star is undead. In the six years since it’s inception, the network has successfully released some animated series’ which have become huge hits with young viewers. It isn’t just Mickey Mouse that has drawn their attention but things such as the long running Doc McStuffins, Sofia the First, and Elena of Avalor seem to have gained a very loyal following. This hasn’t necessarily been true of every series that has aired on the network but overall it seems Disney Junior is doing quite well with a majority of their original programming and Vampirina is the latest to grab the attention their youthful audience.

Vampirina of course is the star of the series and she used to live with her family in Transylvania. Most known this location as being modern day Romania but honestly, most children aren’t going to put the connection together and in the history of vampires, Transylvania is a bit more familiar. As the opening theme song tells us, her former home was also a place where monsters were commonplace but then her family decided to relocate to Pennsylvania and I assume in the minds of the creators, it was simply because the two locations rhyme. How the Hauntley family has opened up a “Scare” B&B and try and adjust to life in the human world while their new neighbors and friends do the same with their new vampiric neighbors.

My daughter seemed to have almost instantly fallen in love with the Vampirina series but this is also the same little girl who debated being Wednesday Addams this year for Halloween if that illustrates anything. What most children may not realize, and certainly some parents as well, is that Vampirina is actually based on a series of books, Vampirina Ballerina, although the visual look between the books and the series is very drastic and the animated series seems to take a much different direction. Vampirina isn’t the only character in the series obviously and she has moved to Pennsylvania with her parents, Boris and Oxana, her grandparents Nanpire and Grandpop, the family dog Wolfie who happens to be a werewolf, a gargoyle named Gregoria, and a ghost named Demi. The family is also joined by Chef Remy Bones, a skeleton who is the chef of the Scare B&B.

There’s an underlying message carried through Vampirina from the very first episode and that would be one of acceptance. This plays out on both sides as the Hauntley’s try and adjust to the way life is now that they live around humans. Vampirina, or Vee as she’s called, has made new friends as well including Poppy and her brother Edgar as well as Bridget. On the opposite side of things Vee and her family merely want to fit in with everyone else despite their background. Although they are vampires, they can exist in the daylight but unlike some other recent vampires who could also walk within the light, the Hauntly family doesn’t sparkle.

The Hauntley family seems to draw some characteristics from some other historic television families with a horror inspired background. There are the Munsters which revolved around a family of monsters who saw their life as being normal but also went to great lengths at times to fit in with everyone around them despite their reactions. There are also some similarities to the Addams Family and their eccentric outlook on everything. Vampirina definitely has a humorous outlook of both sides of the coin. It shows children that while there are things that they may find normal in their own lives, it might seem different to others.

Vampirina also has the same approach that many other series on Disney Junior have. Each of the episodes are broken up into two mini-episodes and there isn’t necessarily any ongoing story although a few themes and incidents may be referenced on occasion. I think there may be a rule where anything on Disney Junior needs to feature at least one song outside of the opening theme and Vampirina has plenty of those.

The DVD includes six full length episodes which, with there being two separate stories in each, gives you a total of twelve different tales to enjoy. Besides utilizing the theme of acceptance, Vampirina works in more mundane concepts, things your child is likely to deal with in their daily lives, and teaches a lesson without them perhaps realizing it. This is one of the things in particular that I have appreciated with some of the other Disney Junior original programming. The writers manage to take a concept that virtually every child is going to deal with and to a certain degree teaches them how to cope with it. The child may not always realize this but most parents are savvy enough to realize what they are trying to do. The DVD also features songs from the episodes in their own bonus feature which simply makes them easier to access. There are two complaints I have had in the past with Disney Junior releases on home video. The first is that Disney still doesn’t seem to see the need in releasing these on blu-ray nor do they include the episodes as part of their digital library with the enclosed code.

Vampirina definitely seems to have won over the hearts of young Disney Junior fans. Regardless of her undead appearance, Vee and her family have taught children that being different isn’t necessarily something to be ashamed of or anything that you should make fun of. The minor gothic horror aspects of the series also tend to set it aside just enough to be different and yet it stays educational and with another season or two already on the way, there’s no way that this little vampire is showing any signs of the final nails being driven into her coffin.

Mike is the resident reviewer for Couponing to Disney and his own site Underland Online. He has a toddler daughter and is obsessed with Haunted Mansion and all things Disney. You can read Mike’s complete bio here.