It’s rare for an animated series to grow up with its audience; when it comes to shows like Paw Patrol and CoComelon kids inevitably grow out of them. But if the characters mature and the storylines evolve, there's a chance their attention might linger.

Take my 10-year-old daughter, who, sadly, has started rolling her eyes at anything with a talking dog or characters with magical powers. Instead, she's become obsessed with live action sitcoms, with a particular fondness for shows that I grew up with like Full House and Friends.  

So, when I told her that we could watch the first couple episodes of the new season of Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir (premiering on Disney+ July 2), she was not impressed at first. I was disappointed because it was in heavy rotation in our house in the past. I even bought her a blanket with ladybug wings to fly around the living room in as she watched. 

But once I convinced her to sit with me and watched, she couldn't help but enjoy herself. Here's what we both thought of season 6 of the show.

Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir premiered 10 years ago. My daughter first watched as a toddler, and then into early childhood. She was fascinated by the bright colors and daring escapades of Parisian superheroes Ladybug and Cat Noir. The dangerous villains and high stakes adventure kept her captivated. It went over her head that by day, Ladybug and Cat Noir were average high school students named Marinette and Adrien and neither knew of each other's superhero identities. 

As she entered the tween phase, she wanted to stop watching. But I knew my daughter needed to give Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir another chance. When she isn’t indulging in ‘90s nostalgia, so much of her TV viewing is in the form of bite size, YouTube videos. Most are harmless but don’t have much substance or a defining message. 

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir has become a much more layered and nuanced show, going way beyond just simple showcasing super powers and defeating villains—and that's why I thought it would be a valuable contrast to the YouTube videos my daughter typically asks to watch.

I told my daughter all about the intriguing plot and relatable characters, make the show one she would want to watch. In previous seasons, the episodes were anthologized, meaning that each one followed a self-contained story with no narrative arc to follow through the whole season.

But in season 6, the episodes are serialized, in other words they follow one continuous narrative—and the story focuses on the long awaited relationship between Marinette and Adrien.

As we enter season six, Marinette and Adrien still don’t know about each other's secret identities which might have become a frustrating plot point had it dragged on to long. But there’s a compelling twist in their “love square” (as fans have affectionately dubbed it) that raises the stakes.

Adrien has been in love with Ladybug while Marinette has been in love with Adrien. In Season 6, Adrien and Marinette have fallen in love, and are dating. Their hidden identities do complicate the relationship but Marinette finds it more complicated to find the right actions and words to show Adrien how she cares about him. Learning to communicate whether it’s with friends or in a romantic relationship is a relatable and complex struggle for both kids and adults. 

Now that my daughter is old enough to appreciate the high stakes of Adriren and Marienette’s love story, she was intrigued—though she admitted the “will they, won’t they” nature of Marinette and Adrien ever finding out each other's alter egos as Ladybug and Cat Noir could start to get old.

That is when I had to remind her that she religiously watches Friends—a show that hooked audiences by dragging out if Ross and Rachel would ever get together until the very last episode of the series.  

What really kept my daughter watching was that the central drama is less about defeating villains (though there’s plenty of nail biting moments and darkness to overcome as the main characters inhabit their superhero identities). 

Friendship, peer pressure, and social media are what Marinette, Adrien and their friends ultimately stress over the most.  The series now goes deeper into their lives at school, their family secrets, and childhood backstories. It feels like a more mature take that is trying to reflect real kids lives, and help them process similar experiences they might be going through.

For instance, in the premiere, Adrien is upset that he doesn’t have a passion to pursue—it’s extremely relatable to start questioning your place and purpose in life once you hit that age when you're about to become independent and forge your own path in life. And just maybe kids watching going through a similar experience might feel a little less lonely as they figure out their own purpose in life.

Though season 6 of Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir feels more sophisticated than past seasons, it’s still contains elements that are appropriate for younger kids to enjoy. 

The underlying themes of bravery, kindness, empathy, and working together to overcome challenges are topics that all ages can benefit from watching. 

And Marinette/Ladybug is an inspiring female protagonist that wouldn't hurt to introduce kids of all genders to early on: She is intelligent, courageous and kind—and extremely resilient in the face of all the challenges that both she and her alter ego have to deal with.

On top of that, one of the highlights of the show is that the behavior from the villainous characters often arises out of self doubt or insecurity—there are no purely "bad" people on the show, just people who make mistakes or don't always have good intentions—which is perfect for opening up conversations about empathy and understanding with people with whom we might not always get along.    

One last note about the setting: Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir takes place in Paris, and a stunningly beautiful, animated version of Paris at that. Ladybug's version of Paris captivated my daughter and made her want to learn all she can about the city.

So just a warning: My daughter is determined to convince me and my husband that Paris should be our next family vacation destination, and the show might convince your kids that they need to do the same.

But hey, there are worst places than Paris for your kid to become obsessed with. Maybe we'll see you there.

The new season of Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir is now streaming on Disney+.