Goosebumps: The Vanishing has a completely new central cast, led by David Schwimmer, Ana Ortiz, Jayden Bartels, and Sam McCarthy. This eight-episode anthology season follows twins Cece and Devin Brewer, their friends, and several adults linked to the disappearance of four teenagers in 1994. Here is who plays each principal character, how the group is connected, and which classic Goosebumps books inspired the season.
Goosebumps: The Vanishing features a new cast and a new story rather than continuing the teen ensemble from the 2023 season. The eight-episode anthology season follows fraternal twins Cece and Devin Brewer, their father Anthony, and a group of Gravesend, Brooklyn, teenagers who become entangled in a supernatural threat connected to four teenagers who disappeared in 1994.
The season premiered on January 10, 2025, with all eight episodes released at once on Disney+ and Hulu. Disney+ currently lists it as a single-season, TV-14 horror anthology with eight episodes.
Who plays the main characters in Goosebumps: The Vanishing?
| Actor | Character | Role in the story |
|---|---|---|
| David Schwimmer | Anthony Brewer | Cece and Devin’s divorced father, a former world-class botanist or scientist whose basement research is central to the mystery |
| Ana Ortiz | Jen Diaz | Alex’s mother, a police detective whose own teenage history is connected to the old disappearance |
| Jayden Bartels | Cece Brewer | Devin’s ambitious, debate-focused fraternal twin sister |
| Sam McCarthy | Devin Brewer | Cece’s intelligent but less conventional twin and one of the young investigators |
| Elijah M. Cooper | C.J. Lewis | A sociable Gravesend teenager who hears the neighborhood gossip and becomes an early witness to something terrifying |
| Francesca Noel | Frankie Garcia Bravo | A warm, artistic teenager whose friendship with Devin creates tension with Trey |
| Stony Blyden | Joseph “Trey” Jimenez III | A recurring Brooklyn local whose challenge sends Devin toward the abandoned military site |
David Schwimmer as Anthony Brewer
Anthony Brewer is Cece and Devin’s divorced father. He is a former world-class botanist or scientist who has become absorbed in science, mystery, and the unresolved disappearance of his teenage brother. Anthony is also caring for an aging parent while the twins spend the summer with him in Gravesend.
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His basement research provides the season’s first major connection between the Brewer family and the supernatural threat. The character is therefore more than a distracted or secretive parent: Anthony’s scientific work and family history help explain why the past is returning in the present.
Ana Ortiz as Jen Diaz
Jen Diaz is Alex Diaz’s mother and a dedicated police detective. She is strict about rules and neighborhood safety, but that protectiveness comes from a traumatic event involving friends during her own adolescence.
Jen’s past overlaps with the mystery of the four teenagers who vanished in 1994. That makes her an important adult perspective on the investigation. She is not simply trying to stop a group of teenagers from breaking rules; she has personal reasons to fear what might happen when the old case is disturbed.
Jayden Bartels as Cece Brewer
Cece is Devin’s fraternal twin sister. She is gifted, focused, and strongly associated with debate and achievement. Cece is used to succeeding and maintaining a carefully controlled image, which can make her view of other people and situations narrower than she realizes.
That pressure becomes especially important in the episode “Monster Blood,” whose official description places Cece’s perfect image under strain. Despite her competitive instincts, Cece is dependable when her friends genuinely need her. Her character arc is built around the gap between appearing in control and responding when control is no longer possible.
Sam McCarthy as Devin Brewer
Devin is Cece’s intelligent but less conventionally driven fraternal twin. Where Cece is Type A and achievement-oriented, Devin tends to do only what is necessary, resists social expectations, and frequently gets himself into trouble.
Devin is one of the central young investigators of the season. His friendship with Frankie matters to him, but Trey sees that relationship as a threat, adding a personal conflict to the supernatural mystery. Devin’s willingness to challenge expectations also helps bring him closer to the abandoned military site and the events surrounding the 1994 disappearances.
Elijah M. Cooper as C.J. Lewis
C.J. Lewis is outgoing, observant, and deeply plugged into Gravesend gossip. He works at his parents’ restaurant and is often late with food deliveries, which makes it difficult for him to convince his skeptical parents that his excuses are justified.
C.J. becomes particularly important in “The Boy Who Cried Monster.” The episode’s official synopsis says that he sees something horrific at Anthony’s house but cannot persuade anyone to believe him. His storyline adapts the familiar Goosebumps idea of an unbelievable monster sighting while grounding it in C.J.’s relationship with his family and community.
Francesca Noel as Frankie Garcia Bravo
Frankie is warm, friendly, and artistically inclined. She is ambitious, but she is also cautious about taking risks. The character is coping with the loss of her father and the absence of her hardworking mother, who is a nurse.
Frankie’s friendship with Devin is significant enough to make Trey feel threatened. That tension gives the teenage group a believable social fault line even before the supernatural danger escalates. Frankie’s reluctance to take risks also contrasts with the increasingly dangerous choices made by Devin, Trey, and the rest of the group.
Stony Blyden as Joseph “Trey” Jimenez III
Trey is a Brooklyn local whose ego often gets ahead of his judgment. He challenges Devin to enter the abandoned military site where four teenagers disappeared decades earlier. That dare helps set the season’s central chain of events in motion.
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Trey is listed as recurring cast in Disney’s official fact sheet. His rivalry with Devin is partly driven by pride and partly by his perception that Devin’s friendship with Frankie threatens his position within the group.
Additional recurring cast
Disney’s official cast information also lists the following recurring or additional performers:
- Sakina Jaffrey as Ramona
- Christopher Paul Richards as Matty
- Eloise Payet as Hannah
- Arjun Athalye as Sameer
- Kyra Tantao as Nicole
The official fact sheet confirms these character names and performers but does not provide enough biographical or plot information to responsibly describe their individual roles in greater detail. Their inclusion in the cast list should not be treated as evidence that each is a member of the central investigating group.
How the characters are connected
- Cece and Devin Brewer: fraternal twins and the children of Anthony Brewer.
- Anthony and the twins: Anthony is their divorced father; his scientific work and family history connect the present-day plot to the supernatural threat.
- Jen and Alex Diaz: Jen is Alex’s mother and a police detective.
- Alex and The Haunted Car: Alex’s rebellious behavior leads her to steal a car that has a mind of its own.
- Devin and Frankie: they are friends, and their closeness contributes to Trey’s jealousy and rivalry with Devin.
- C.J. and Anthony’s house: C.J. works in the local community and is among the first people to witness something horrifying at Anthony’s home.
- The teenagers and the 1994 mystery: the current group is drawn into the consequences of four teenagers’ disappearance decades earlier.
- Jen and the older case: Jen’s own adolescence was marked by a tragedy involving friends, giving her a personal connection to the mystery.
Episode guide and character connections
Goosebumps: The Vanishing has eight episodes. The episode titles, as currently presented on Disney+, are:
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- “Stay Out of the Basement, Part I”
- “Stay Out of the Basement, Part II”
- “The Haunted Car”
- “Monster Blood”
- “The Boy Who Cried Monster”
- “The Girl Next Door”
- “Welcome to Camp Nightmare”
- “Invasion of the Body Squeezers”
The opening two-parter is most closely tied to Anthony and the Brewer family. “The Haunted Car” is the clearest Alex-centered story, while “Monster Blood” puts pressure on Cece’s carefully maintained image. “The Boy Who Cried Monster” follows C.J.’s frightening but unbelievable discovery.
The remaining titles point to the season’s broader anthology approach. They evoke multiple classic Goosebumps concepts rather than describing a single continuous adaptation of one novel.
Which Goosebumps books inspired The Vanishing?
The season draws on elements from several classic R.L. Stine Goosebumps books. It is not a direct, one-to-one adaptation of a single novel.
The most obvious connection is Stay Out of the Basement, which supplies the title and central botanical idea for the two-part opening story. Scholastic’s description of the book centers on Dr. Brewer’s plant testing and his children’s concern as his behavior becomes increasingly plant-like. The television season reworks that premise around Anthony Brewer, his research, the twins, and the larger Gravesend mystery.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteReaders comparing the opening episodes with their source material can look for Goosebumps Stay Out of the Basement, the physical paperback associated with the story. It is the book behind the opening premise, not a novelization of the television season.
Other named or clearly signposted source connections include:
- The Haunted Car
- Monster Blood
- Welcome to Camp Nightmare
- The Girl Who Cried Monster
- The Ghost Next Door
There are also differences between the announced source titles and the final Disney+ episode list. For example, the episode list uses “The Boy Who Cried Monster” and “The Girl Next Door,” while Disney’s announcement referenced “The Girl Who Cried Monster” and “The Ghost Next Door.” That variation reinforces the important distinction between using a book’s themes or title concept and reproducing its original plot.
For readers who want several of the referenced stories in physical form, a Goosebumps boxed set or Goosebumps retro collection can be a practical starting point. These are related reading and collector products, not official The Vanishing merchandise, and the exact contents and availability of collections can change.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallWhere can you watch Goosebumps: The Vanishing?
You can watch Goosebumps: The Vanishing on Disney+ and Hulu in the release information supplied by Disney. All eight episodes were made available on January 10, 2025, rather than being released weekly. Availability, subscription requirements, and catalog presentation can vary by country, so viewers should check the current Disney+ or Hulu listing for their region.
Is The Vanishing connected to the 2023 Goosebumps season?
The Vanishing is a separate anthology story from the 2023 season. It does not continue the previous season’s teen ensemble as its central cast. Instead, it introduces the Brewer family, the Diaz family, C.J., Frankie, Trey, and the other Gravesend characters.
The two seasons are connected by the broader Goosebumps anthology identity and their use of R.L. Stine-inspired horror concepts, but viewers can approach The Vanishing as its own story.
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Is Goosebumps: The Vanishing based on one book?
No. The season combines elements from multiple Goosebumps books, including Stay Out of the Basement, The Haunted Car, Monster Blood, and Welcome to Camp Nightmare. Its overarching plot about Gravesend, the Brewer family, and the teenagers who disappeared in 1994 is a television anthology storyline rather than a straightforward screen version of one R.L. Stine novel.
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Is Goosebumps: The Vanishing a continuation of the 2023 season?
No. Goosebumps: The Vanishing is a separate anthology story from the 2023 season and introduces a new central teen ensemble in Gravesend, Brooklyn.
Which Goosebumps book is The Vanishing based on?
The season draws on multiple books, including Stay Out of the Basement, The Haunted Car, Monster Blood, and Welcome to Camp Nightmare. It is not a direct adaptation of one novel.
Where can you watch Goosebumps: The Vanishing?
The eight-episode season was released on Disney+ and Hulu on January 10, 2025. Regional availability and subscription requirements may vary.
The Bottom Line
Goosebumps: The Vanishing is led by David Schwimmer, Ana Ortiz, Jayden Bartels, Sam McCarthy, Elijah M. Cooper, Francesca Noel, and recurring performer Stony Blyden. The new ensemble follows a separate Gravesend mystery built from several classic Goosebumps ideas, with Anthony Brewer’s basement research, Alex’s haunted car, C.J.’s monster sighting, and the 1994 disappearance tying the character stories together.
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