If you’re a parent (like myself), you’re probably familiar with Disney’s ZOMBIES franchise.

Telling the story of Zed and Addison, a teenage zombie and an alien who find love in high school, the series has been a fan favourite amongst kids for much of the past decade. And, in ZOMBIES 4: Dawn of the Vampires, the duo are back for another (surprisingly effective) monster mash-up.

In Dawn of the Vampires, Zed and Addison (Milo Manheim and Meg Donnelly) are thrilled to be on summer break, even if this year’s ‘break’ means working hard to leave their mark on college in the Fall. However, after an unexpected detour, Zed, Addison and monster pals, Eliza and Willa, find themselves in uncharted territory. Caught in the middle of a war between Daywalkers and Vampires, the team decides to stay and help the two sides work out their differences. But these two sides are ready to rumble and Zed and Addison know they’re in for a rough ride. Even so, there’s a strange connection between opposing sides as young Nova and Victor (Freya Skye and Malachi Barton) seem to have found a common ground that may help them come together to battle and even greater threat that endangers them all.

In truth, the fourth ZOMBIES film is a soft reboot of the franchise and hits many of the beats that have defined the series over the years. And one can’t necessarily blame them. Oftentimes, when a series runs this long, there is a sense of repetitiveness, especially when they find what ‘works’. For example, just like other entries, Vampires is anchored by a potential ‘Romeo & Juliet’ style romance while focusing on themes of uniting people who are divided by fear. But, that doesn’t mean that what ‘works’ can’t keep working.

And, somehow, Dawn of the Vampires may actually be one of the better entries in this franchise.

With some energetic musical numbers and enjoyable new characters, ZOMBIES manages to expand the ‘monster’ world that they’d established into new spaces without destroying the continuity of the original films. For kids, this allows them to continue to follow their favourite characters more easily. (And, frankly, the pop tunes are fun and lively enough that parents won’t mind hearing them during long car rides.)

But what ZOMBIES does most effectively though is the passing of the torch. Because the franchise seems to be leaning into a new trilogy with younger characters, ZOMBIES handles its older characters delicately. After all, fans are well connected with the franchise’s core couple, Zed and Allison, and, if they move ahead too quickly with a new cast, they run the risk of damaging what they’ve built.

But Dawn of the Vampires does an excellent job of giving its original cast meaningful stories while still focusing its adventure on the new ones. As the beloved Zed and Allison, Manheim and Donnelly are featured prominently throughout the film but never take away from the film’s younger stars. (It’s also worth noting that Manheim and Donnelly have both taken on the role of producer with the new film as well.) They’re given solid musical numbers, reasonable screentime and even some character growth.

However, at the same time, the film’s story uses them as mentors to the new crop of mon-stars. Newcomers Skye and Barton are allowed to step into the spotlight while the legacy characters are actively cheering them on from the sidelines. (In fact, Manheim and Donnelly actually say that these new characters ‘remind them of themselves’ and that they’re ‘passing the torch’.) In doing so, Vampires strikes the necessary balance between old characters and new. (In fact, the film does so far more effectively than last year’s Descendants: The Rise of Red, another ‘new beginning’ that seemed to forget the value of the cast that came before.)

Having said this, the series seems to be in good hands with Skyle and Barton. Together, the kids have good chemistry onscreen together, breathing fresh air into the ZOMBIES world. As they step further into the forefront of the franchise, the film seems to acknowledge the challenge of them ‘leading’, especially at their age. In a moment of art imitating life, the tension between Daywalkers and Vampire allows the next generation to ask whether or not they’re ready to step up to the challenge. But, thankfully, Vampires does a good job of showing the skills of its new youth, giving their characters a bit of mystery and some meaningful moments together.

Admittedly, these sorts of films can be difficult to ‘critique’. They’re not designed to push for awards or critical applause. Instead, with simple messages and pop sensibilities, they’re pushing for a sense of youthful exhuberance while trying to teach kids how to care about other people. (And, maybe promoting their upcoming North American live show as well.)

And that’s perfectly fine.

But, every now and then, one still comes along that’s worth singing about. And, believe it or not, thanks to some delightful work by characters both old and new, ZOMBIES 4: Dawn of the Vampires might be it.

ZOMBIES 4: Dawn of the Vampires is available on Disney Channel on July 10th and streams on Disney+ the next day.