Disney Junior's animated series Vampirina will premiere Sunday, October 1 (11:00 a.m. EDT), with two back-to-back episodes simulcast on Disney Channel and Disney Junior. The episodes will also be available on Disney Junior VOD, Disney Junior YouTube and in the new DisneyNOW app, which will also debut two additional episodes same day. New episodes will be presented every Monday and Friday in October on Disney Channel and Disney Junior.
Special screenings of Vampirina will take place at movie theaters across the U.S. on Saturday, October 21; Thursday, October 26; and Saturday, October 28, as part of "Disney Junior at the Movies – HalloVeen Party!," presented by Fathom Events. The screening events will include a never-before-seen episode of Vampirina, a costume party for kids and families, with more to be announced soon. Tickets go on sale Friday, September 22, at FathomEvents.com/DisneyJunior.
Set in a Pennsylvania neighborhood, the series stars Lauren Graham, James Van Der Beek and Isabella Crovetti as the Hauntley family, friendly vampires who have recently moved from their home in Transylvania. The stories follow Vampirina (aka "Vee") as she faces the joys and trials of being the new kid in town including making friends and attending a new school in the human world. Along the way, Vee learns that it may be easier to blend in with her peers, but it's more valuable to celebrate the qualities that make each individual unique.
Extensions for the series include multiple storybook and early reader book titles from Disney Publishing Worldwide, as well as dolls, plush, playsets and role-play products from Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media launching October 1. Vampirina will be available on Disney DVD beginning Tuesday, October 17 and will include four 22-minute episodes.
In addition to Van Der Beek, Graham and Crovetti, the Vampirina voice cast includes: Mitchell Whitfield ("My Cousin Vinny") as playful ghost, Demi; Jordan Alexa Davis ("Sofia the First") as Vee's best friend and next-door neighbor, Poppy; ViviAnn Yee ("The Boss Baby") as another one of Vee's close friends, Bridget; Dee Bradley Baker ("Phineas and Ferb") as Vee's teacher, Mr. Gore, and the Hauntley's dog, Wolfie; Benji Risley ("If You Give a Mouse a Cookie") as Poppy's twin brother, Edgar; Cree Summer ("A Different World") as Poppy and Edgar's mom, Edna; and Ian James Corlett ("Dinosaur Train") as Chef Remy Bones, the Scare B&B's resident skeleton chef.
Recurring guest stars include Tony Award-winning Broadway performers Patti LuPone ("Evita") and Brian Stokes Mitchell ("Kiss Me, Kate") as Vee's grandparents, Nanpire and Grandpop; and Wanda Sykes (ABC's "black-ish") as Vampirina's cantankerous yet loyal gargoyle sidekick Gregoria.
Inspired by Disney Publishing's popular children's book series "Vampirina Ballerina," written by Anne Marie Pace and illustrated by LeUyen Pham, the series includes leaders from the creative team on Disney Junior's Peabody Award-winning animated series "Doc McStuffins" including creator/executive producer Chris Nee and co-executive producer Norton Virgien. Nicky Phelan ("Octonauts") serves as director. Broadway composers Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond ("The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes") are the series' songwriters and Layla Minoui ("Castle") is composer. Each episode of "Vampirina" features two 11-minute stories and one original song. The series is produced by Academy Award®-nominated animation studio Brown Bag Films in association with Disney Junior.