For the uninitiated, the Disney Channel Original Movie franchise “Z-O-M-B-I-E-S” is about a Stepford-esque town called Seabrook that is the unwitting source of all things supernatural. It’s also a thinly veiled allegory for prejudice. The first movie, “Z-O-M-B-I-E-S,” is about a charismatic teenage zombie, Zed, who falls in love with a friendly cheerleader, Addison, and the obstacles they overcome to be together. In “Z-O-M-B-I-E-S 2,” Zed and Addison must contend with the indigenous people of Seabrook, the werewolves. In “Z-O-M-B-I-E-S 3,” a group of harmony-loving aliens immigrate to Seabrook, once again upsetting the delicate social order.

Despite my best efforts, I became obsessed with the movies sometime in 2021. The song “We Own the Night” went viral on TikTok, we were still deep in quarantine, and I was bored and miserable at my remote accounting job. Those factors, plus catchy songs and a zombie-human romance, sucked me right in. I gave the third movie a glowing review and even shared a few of my ideas for more ZOMBIES content. My ideas were terrible, but they came from my heart.

While we eagerly await the release of the fourth ZOMBIES movie, the Disney overlords have been kind enough to release some hot animated ZOMBIES content to keep us temporarily satiated. Now I’ll admit, I was skeptical. “ZOMBIES: Addison’s Moonstone Mystery,” was complete dog shit. It made me even more embarrassed to watch a children’s show, something I didn’t think possible. I didn’t watch “ZOMBIES: Addison’s Monster Mystery,” because, fool me once, shame on you.

“ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series Shorts,” debuted in 2023, and given the cute CGI, I gave it a shot. Sabrina Carpenter’s “Please Please Please” had not yet been released, but it was the soundtrack to my hopes and dreams for this show.

And lo and behold, the series was pretty good. The ZOMBIES franchise at its best and funniest feels like a live-action cartoon, so converting it into an animated medium and embracing the silliness of that medium was a slam-dunk. The first attempt with the Addison stories failed for a few reasons, but mostly because the show seemed to lack the light-hearted sense of self-awareness that was present in the movies. In “The Re-Animated Series,” the show presents one goofy concept after another, which expands on the quirky universe introduced in the “Z-O-M-B-I-E-S” movies and gives the audience more time with the characters in less-dramatic, lower-stakes situations.

I was surprised by how sharp, creative, and funny the writing was. The writers took full advantage of the diverse ensemble cast and the untapped potential of Seabrook. Because of the animated format, the show can make bolder storytelling choices represented in the visuals, like giant Praying Mantis Monsters, flying aliens, and blob creatures that stalk the hallways of Seabrook High. In some ways, “The Re-Animated Series” feels like a spiritual successor to “Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius,” in which the science fiction and supernatural plot points are ways to put the characters we like in ridiculous scenarios rather than ask existential questions (it’s not “Futurama” or “Rick and Morty”).

After three movies, the Z-O-M-B-I-E-S franchise has more than enough unique characters for an interesting ensemble show. I’d argue that Zed and Addison, the world’s cutest couple, remain the series’s heart, but “The Re-Animated Series” pairs plenty of characters together in different combinations for storytelling purposes. For example, A-Spen, the lovestruck non-binary alien leader from “Z-O-M-B-I-E-S 3,” and Wynter, a werewolf character I tolerate in small doses, band together to make Bjork-like music. Bonzo, an underrated zombie character, is given the chance to display his culinary genius in an episode heavily based on “The Shining” (yes, there is a reference to the hallway scene, which is very funny). Even self-obsessed Bucky has several great moments where he’s allowed to grow and display characteristics other than narcissism.

In a lot of Disney content, the actors look like they’re being held at gunpoint and forced to pretend they’re having fun doing what is essentially a summer job. I feel for these semi-exploited actors. They’re required to sing, dance, and act in content suitable for Sunday school, but they’re usually adults in their early 20s. I remember what I was like in my early 20s, and I can’t imagine maintaining a clean image for my prepubescent fanbase while learning complicated choreography, reciting corny dialogue, and performing in a bunch of promotional material where I’m pressured into saying it was the greatest job ever. This long tangent is my way of explaining that on “ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series,” the cast actually seems to be having a good time. They’re still at work, but they’re voicing familiar characters and occasionally singing funny songs, not learning Broadway numbers on a compressed timeline. And, like I said earlier, the material they’re working with is funny and clever, so the actors sound engaged and give better performances.

“ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series” is a good time, but don’t turn it on and expect “X-Men ’97” or “The Mandalorian.” It’s a good show for people who are already fans of the “Z-O-M-B-I-E-S” franchise. Or, more likely, it’s a show for the parents who have been forced to watch the “ZOMBIES” movies with their kids. In that second scenario, a lot of jokes and references may not land with younger audiences, but the show is still pretty and colorful enough that they’ll be entertained. Also, each 25-minute episode has two parts, so it goes by quickly enough that the kids won’t have time to get bored or confused by the grown-up content.

If “The Re-Animated Series” is renewed for another season, I do have a few suggestions. I’d suggest it tone down the will-they, won’t-they teen romance between Wyatt the Werewolf and Eliza the Zombie because no matter how much the show forces it, I do not care. Instead, why not play up the budding attraction between fierce alpha Willa and alien A-Spen? Those two barely even had a scene together in the show, yet in the live-action movie, A-Spen was willing to risk it all just to have Willa step on their neck.

Oh, and my last suggestion is about the Sasquatch. I love the guy and don’t want to change a thing about him, but I will admit that I was unprepared for the erotic site of him without pants. Sasquatch walks around in nothing but a jersey and a well-conditioned ‘do, and I’m supposed to watch that and not feel anything? Disney, I’m just a girl, but I’m also a woman. Throw some shorts on him or else he’s all I’m picturing the next time I read a Chuck Tingle book.

“ZOMBIES 4: Dawn of the Vampires” is set to debut sometime in 2025. I pray this show will get renewed by then.