Gummy Zombies Attack in Clive Barker’s Animated Movie ‘Night of the Zoopocalypse’ [Review]

For as much as people like to poke fun at kid-oriented genre productions these days, the fact is that there has never been a better time to be a child with an interest in horror. From less gruesome spin-offs like Jurassic World’s Chaos Theory to spooky PG-13 adaptations like Five Nights at Freddy’s, gateway horror is no longer limited to the dark corners of the Scholastic book fair. That’s also why we’ve been seeing some less-orthodox examples of the genre lately, such as Rodrigo Perez-Castro and Ricardo Curtis’s Night of the Zoopocalypse – an animated kids film produced by none other than Hellraiser creator, Clive Barker.

Barker is no stranger to kid-friendly fiction, having already published several fantasy novels as well as a handful of comic-books aimed towards children and young adults, but Zoopocalypse is the first major motion picture to be based on the author’s less disturbing work. In fact, this particular project began life over a decade ago when Barker shared an outline with fellow artist Ben Meares, with his original story (then named Zoombies) following a young child who becomes trapped inside of a zoo during a zombie apocalypse and must work together with the surviving animals in order to escape. This idea would then evolve into a script for a graphic novel before ultimately being picked up by movie studios interested in a more easily marketable take on the walking dead.

After a slow but steady development process involving an assortment of production houses based in France, Canada and Los Angeles, the feature was further altered into a more playful satire of zombie movies before being renamed. This updated version of the story removed the human element while also replacing the undead animals with gelatinous creatures that could be violently dismembered onscreen without traumatizing viewers in the process.

In the finished film, which had a limited theatrical release back in March and is now available on VOD, we follow the rebellious young timber wolf Gracie (Gabbi Kosmidis) as she struggles to accept her family’s pack dynamics while living inside of Colepepper Zoo. When a mysterious meteorite crashes into the zoo and begins transforming harmless animals into infectious Gummy Beasts, Gracie escapes her enclosure and teams up with the newly-captured mountain lion Dan (David Harbour) in an attempt to protect their fellow animals – and possibly find a cure for the apocalyptic infection.

Right off the bat, horror fans will notice countless visual gags and easter eggs meant to harken back to our favorite genre films, with stuff like the first Gummy Beast transformation and even the Kangaroo’s Pouch-Burster being obvious references to films like Gremlins, Critters and even Alien. While there are surprisingly few homages to specific zombie flicks, it’s clear that the animators did their homework when attempting to bring their favorite genre tropes to a younger audience.

This love for the material also extends to the film’s energetic visuals. From the neon green fog that rolls in after the zoo closes to the hazy purple lighting that takes over once the infection starts, the filmmakers were really flexing their atmospheric muscles when setting up the flick’s retro horror imagery. Hell, I’d even argue that there’s a bit of Giallo influence here during some of the more abstract shots, especially when Dan Levy’s catchy score finally kicks into gear.

The animals themselves are also a delight to behold, with the animators preferring to reproduce the impressions of each species rather than opting for realistic designs. A few of the critters feel slightly overdesigned due to some confusing colors and proportions, but I mostly enjoyed their lanky limbs and felt-like textures – as well as their classically cartoony body-language. Things get even more interesting when the Gummy Beasts are introduced, as the filmmakers are able to incorporate some clever body-horror into their elastic designs as the ravenous creatures continue to combine and mutate like a sugary rendition of John Carpenter’s The Thing.

Unfortunately, while I love how the moody late-night setting and appropriately apocalyptic stakes make the experience feel like a genuine low-budget zombie flick (and I appreciate the meta elements satirizing the genre), Night of the Zoopocalypse seems content with simply coasting on the entertainment value of its absurd premise rather than taking the time to develop these characters and the world that they live in.

For starters, most of these bickering animals are just plain unlikable. Sure, it makes sense that the high-stress situation would bring out the worst in this rag-tag band of survivors trying to scramble their way up the food chain, but that’s no excuse for the writers to avoid making up compelling reasons for us to root for them. Some of their interactions even come off as needlessly mean-spirited, as if the filmmakers were expecting that dark humor could make up for a generalized lack of personality. Of course, the biggest problem is with our lead duo. There simply isn’t enough time for Maggie and Dan’s budding friendship to come off as believable, and the whole “learning to embrace the pack” arc feels like it was snuck into the story at the very last minute.

There are a few other script issues as well, such as some iffy dialogue that sounds like it was translated to and from English several times before finally being recorded (and that’s not even mentioning the Care-Bears-esque finale that feels really out of place when compared to the horror parody that came before), but the most frustrating part of the experience is knowing how much work and talent went into bringing such a stock narrative to life.

Characters like the cinephile lemur Xavier (played by Pierre Simpson with a hilariously exaggerated French accent) and the slow-witted yet lovable pygmy hippo Poot (who was actually created before Moo-Deng became a viral meme) often break up the monotony, but they can’t quite make up for the story’s distinct lack of flavor. At the end of the day, Night of the Zoopocalypse feels like a five-star movie hampered by a two-star screenplay.

I mean, even the celebrity voice actors are doing a phenomenal job here, with Harbour’s gruff demeanor reminding a lot of John Goodman’s early vocal work. I even thought that Kosmidi’s exaggerated accent made Gracie adorable despite her disappointingly generic character arc. Despite my gripes with the movie, I’d actually be down to watch a sequel where these characters are given more room to grow.

In the meantime, I’d still recommend Night of the Zoopocalypse to anyone wishing to ease younger family members into the apocalyptic delights of the zombie genre without wanting to spark any night terrors. That being said, more discerning viewers will have to tune out some tragically pedestrian storytelling in order to enjoy the film’s impeccable atmosphere.

Night of the Zoopocalypse is available now on VOD.

This post was originally published on this site