Zombies 2[a] is a 2020 American musical and dance Disney Channel Original Movie that premiered on Disney Channel on February 14, 2020. A sequel to the 2018 Disney Channel Original Movie Zombies, the film stars Milo Manheim and Meg Donnelly, and features Trevor Tordjman, Kylee Russell, and Carla Jeffery reprising their roles from the first movie, with Chandler Kinney, Pearce Joza, and Baby Ariel joining the cast. The film shows the zombies and cheerleaders, who have mostly since reconciled from the events of the first film, attempting to coexist and assimilate werewolves into the town of Seabrook.
| Zombies 2 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Based on | Characters created by David Light & Joseph Raso |
| Written by | David Light & Joseph Raso |
| Directed by | Paul Hoen |
| Starring | |
| Composer | George S. Clinton & Amit May Cohen |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Mary Pantelidis |
| Production location | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Cinematography | Rudolf Blahacek |
| Editor | Lisa Binkley |
| Running time | 84 minutes |
| Production companies | Bloor Street Productions, Inc. |
| Original release | |
| Network | Disney Channel |
| Release | February 14, 2020 |
A sequel, Zombies 3, was released in July 2022.
Plot
editPrior to the founding of Seabrook, settlers fought off a group of werewolves for control over an energy artifact, later known as the moonstone.
At the opening of the film, the zombies have reunited with and assimilated into the rest of Seabrook. Zed plans to ask Addison to Prawn, the Seabrook equivalent of Prom, while Addison captains a group of new recruits to compete against veteran cheerleaders coached by Bucky. Soon after, though, Bucky announces his candidacy for class president which means that the cheer captaincy will go to someone else; Addison hopes to succeed
A bus carrying the cheerleaders enters the nearby forbidden forest, Addison and the cheerleaders spot werewolves, which upon report to the local government, causes the mayor to reinstate anti-monster laws. Zombies are banned from Prawn, so to combat the new laws, Zed decides to run for class president to go to Prawn with Addison.
Meanwhile, the local werewolves' power-granting moonstone necklaces are losing their power. Werewolf prophecy states that a girl with white hair known as the Great Alpha will lead them to this moonstone, so the werewolves enroll at Seabrook to contact Addison. Zed attempts to gain their vote for him by offering them advice on how to assimilate into Seabrook, which the werewolves ignore in favor of embracing their werewolf traits.
Noticing Addison's white hair, Wyatt, a high-ranking werewolf, invites her to their den, where they tell her the prophecy and give her a fully charged moonstone necklace, which they have saved for the Great Alpha. If she is truly a werewolf, wearing it will cause her to transform. The werewolves give her one day to decide, and reveal that the destruction of the power plant will cause the destruction of the moonstone buried underneath it. The next day, Addison shows Zed the necklace, but feeling jealous, Zed secretly takes it. Zed wins his presidential debate against Bucky, but when the Z-band shorts out due to the moonstone, Zed becomes a full zombie, losing the election.
The werewolves head to Seabrook Power and face off against the demolition crew. The werewolves are arrested at the demolition site, but Addison, alerted by a siren at school, arrives with the cheerleaders and zombies, who get the adults to stop the demolition. After the demolition is postponed, Zed reveals to Addison that he took the necklace from her. Angry, she puts on the necklace, but finds out that she's not a werewolf. The device controlling the demolition shorts out, and Seabrook Power is unwillingly demolished.
Prawn night arrives and Zed, as well as the rest of the non-humans, show up to crash Prawn. Zed and Addison make up, however, the ground starts shaking and splits open with a blue glow from the hole. The werewolves realize that the moonstone is not destroyed and enter the hole to find it. The humans and zombies follow to help. They find the moonstone, but a huge boulder blocks the way. Zed removes his Z-band and uses his zombie strength to lift the boulder and allow the others to bring the moonstone out safely. They return to Prawn; Zed and Addison subsequently share their first kiss.
In the final scene, a glowing blue meteor falls from the Moon, waking Addison and making her hair glow, though she doesn't notice it.
Cast
edit- Milo Manheim as Zed, a zombie
- Meg Donnelly as Addison, a white-haired teenage girl
- Trevor Tordjman as Bucky, Addison's self-centered xenophobic cousin who leads the Seabrook High School cheerleading team
- Kylee Russell as Eliza, a zombie who is friends with Zed and fights for equality
- Carla Jeffery as Bree, a cheerleader who is Addison's friend
- Chandler Kinney as Willa, the leader of the Forbidden Forest's werewolf pack
- Pearce Joza as Wyatt, the brother of the leader of the Forbidden Forest's werewolf pack
- Ariel Martin as Wynter, the over-eager member of the Forbidden Forest's werewolf pack
- Kingston Foster as Zoey, Zed's younger sister
- James Godfrey as Bonzo, a zombie who is friends with Zed and mostly speaks zombie language that has to be translated by Zed and/or Eliza
- Naomi Snieckus as Ms. Lee, the principal of Seabrook High School
- Tony Nappo as Zevon, Zed and Zoey's father
- Jasmine Renée Thomas as Stacey, a female cheerleader who is friends with Bucky and a member of the Aceys
- Emilia McCarthy as Lacey, a female cheerleader who is friends with Bucky and a member of the Aceys
- Noah Zulfikar as Kevin, the latest member of the Aceys
- Paul Hopkins as Dale, Addison's father who is the Chief of the Zombie Patrol
- Marie Ward as Missy, Addison's mom who is the mayor of Seabrook
- Jonathan Langdon as Coach, the unnamed coach of the Seabrook High School football team, who has now started a froyo side-business
Production
editIn early 2019, a sequel to Zombies was in production, with returning stars, directors, and writers.[1] Pearce Joza, Chandler Kinney, and Ariel Martin joined the cast with Kylee Russell, Trevor Tordjman, Carla Jeffery, James Godfrey, and Kingston Foster reprising their roles from the first film.[2] The film is written by David Light and Joseph Raso, directed by Paul Hoen, and executive produced by Anna Gerb, Paul Hoen, and Joseph Raso. Production on the film began on May 27, 2019,[3] and wrapped in Toronto on July 15, 2019. Scenes were also shot at Rockwood Conservation Area.[4] Mary Pantelidis served as producer.[5]
Soundtrack
editRelease
editZombies 2 was released on DVD format on May 19, 2020; the DVD release also featured the music video of "The New Kid In Town" performed by Baby Ariel.[6]
Reception
editCritical response
editOn the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 5 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.50/10.[7]
Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media rated the movie four out of five stars, praised the film for the depiction of tolerance and understanding as positive messages, found the characters portrayed by Milo Manheim and Meg Donnelly to be positive role model, and complimented the educational value for the film's approach on social-emotional themes such as body positivity.[8] Rachel Wagner of Rotoscopers gave the film a 3 out of 5 stars rating, praised the performances of the cast and the chemistry between Milo Manheim and Meg Donnelly, while complimenting the musical performances.[9]
Ratings
editDuring its premiere on February 14, 2020, in the 8:00 PM time slot, Zombies 2 attracted a total of 2.46 million viewers, with a 0.52 rating for people aged 18–49.[10] The sequel performed better than the original among young adults between 18 and 49 years old.[11]
Accolades
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Canadian Cinema Editors Awards | Best Editing in Television Movie or Mini-Series | Lisa Binkley | Nominated | [12] |
| Leo Awards | Best Picture Editing in a Television Movie | Lisa Binkley | Nominated | [13] | |
| Canadian Alliance for Film and Television Costume Arts and Design Awards | Best Costume Design in Film Sci-Fi/Fantasy | Zombies 2 | Won | [14] |
Sequel
editA third film, Zombies 3, was announced on March 22, 2021. Filming took place in Toronto, beginning on May 31, 2021.[15][16] The film premiered on Disney+ on July 15, 2022, and was followed by an extended version premiering on Disney Channel on August 12, 2022.[17] The third film involves an alien invasion. On May 20, 2022, RuPaul was announced to have joined the cast as the voice of "The Mothership", described in the official synopsis as "a comedically passive-aggressive UFO".[18]
Notes
edit- ^ The movie is stylized with hyphens as Z-O-M-B-I-E-S 2 on most Disney websites
References
edit- ^ Bruce Haring (February 11, 2019). "Disney's Zombies 2 Sequel Heads into Production with Returning Stars, Director, Writers". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
- ^ "Zombies 2 Show Bios". Walt Disney Television Press. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
- ^ Denise Petski (May 21, 2019). "Zombies 2: Pearce Joza, Chandler Kinney & Ariel Martin Join Disney Channel Movie". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
- ^ Stacey Grant (July 15, 2019). "Everything We Know About Disney's Zombies 2". Seventeen. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
- ^ "A New Pack of Werewolves Claw Its Way Into the Highly-Anticipated Zombies 2, Premiering Friday, Feb. 14" (Press release). Disney Channel. December 12, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2020 – via The Futon Critic.
- ^ "Disney's Zombies 2 DVD Review". FlickDirect. June 4, 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
- ^ "Zombies 2 (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ Ashby, Emily. "Zombies 2 Movie Review | Common Sense Media". Common Sense Media. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
- ^ Wagner, Rachel (February 17, 2020). "[REVIEW] Werewolves Join the Dance Party in 'Zombies 2'". Rotoscopers. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
- ^ Mitch Metcalf (February 18, 2020). "Top 150 Friday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.14.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
- ^ "L+SD Ratings: "ZOMBIES 2" Outperforms Original Among Young Adults, Nearly Matches Viewership Total". Headline Planet. February 19, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
- ^ "2021 Leo Award Nominations » Canadian Cinema Editors / Les Monteurs et Monteuses de cinéma canadien". Canadian Cinema Editors / Les Monteurs et Monteuses de cinéma canadien. May 21, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
- ^ "2021 LEO AWARDS, Nominees by Program". www.leoawards.com. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
- ^ "Official Nominees & Winners 2021". CAFTCAD Awards. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
- ^ Andy Swift (March 22, 2021). "Zombies 3: Disney Channel Confirms 'Final Installment' in Musical Trilogy". TVLine. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
- ^ Petski, Denise (May 19, 2021). "'Zombies 3': Matt Cornett, Kyra Tantao, Terry Hu Join Disney Channel Movie". Deadline. Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ Nolfi, Joey (May 20, 2022). "RuPaul joins Disney's Zombies 3 movie as the mother of all alien spaceships". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- ^ Nolfi, Joey (May 20, 2022). "RuPaul joins Disney's Zombies 3 movie as the mother of all alien spaceships". EW. Retrieved June 20, 2022.