Night of the Zoopocalypse
review by Bobby Blakey
There are constantly new animated features coming along, but most of them get lost in the shuffle of releases. The latest from directors Ricardo Curtis and Rodrigo Perez-Castro brings the animal fun and zombie genre together for Night of the Zoopocalypse featuring the voice talents of David Harbour, Scott Thompson, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee and Gabbi Kosmidis. Could this latest animated horror comedy bring something fun and fresh to the genre or will it be too infected to deliver?
Night of the Zoopocalypse follows a mountain lion and wolf lead a team of surviving animals to stop the virus and rescue their zoo after a meteor unleashes a virus that turns zoo animals into zombies.
Hearing that this film is loosely based on the short story ZOOmbies by Clive Barker made me a lot more interested than some of the early trailers and poster art. I honestly expected the film to be one of those straight to video types that missed the mark, but I could not have been more wrong. It’s not for everyone but walks a fun line in the comedy and old school horror vibe to be just plain fun.
The aesthetic and tone of the film seems to purposely be like a low budget old school horror film and makes for something that feels more original than if it had just gone the current styling. The story is simple and to the point with it allowing viewers to get right in on the chaotic action without trying to over explain or make it something more than it is. The stylings of the creatures and characters do that for it and allows it to just exist and play in this world.
The color palate here is perfection using a lot of bright vibrant colors masked in blues, greens and fog to create the horror tone. It’s never too dark to enjoy the insanity going on and the neon injections into the infected help them to stand
out in the darker areas. The distinct texture differences between the infected and noninfected is a great choice. Any of the animals that have hair of any kind almost looks more felt like instead of actual hair which made it stand out as something different. The zombies are all gummy and rubber like making it very clear who is what outside of their neon lights and deformities the develop.
Outside of their texture all of the characters have a unique look and style making for a fun little world without the horror elements. Add the zombie element and they get even more visually fun and gives the film a fun injection of chaos, visual fun and an overall unexpected good time. Some may not like their looks and will then likely put them off from the film, but I for one had way more fun than I thought I would and glad I gave it a chance.
Decide for yourself and head to the zoo to join the fight for survival when Night of the Zoopocalypse hits theaters on March 7, 2025 from Viva Pictures.