Zombies: The Re-Animated Series Explained

Genre:
Based On:
    Developer:
    Voices:
    Theme Music Composer:
    • Matt Wong
    • Jack Kugell
    • Hanna Jones
    Open Theme:"My Year (The Re-Animated Remix)"
    Composer:Amit May Cohen
    Country:
    • United States
    • Canada
    Language:English
    Num Seasons:1
    Num Episodes:11
    Executive Producer:
    • Aliki Theofilopoulos
    • Jack Ferraiolo
    • Gary Marsh
    • David Light
    • Joseph Raso
    Runtime:22 minutes (11 minutes per segment)
    Company:
    Last Aired:present
    Channel:
    Related:Zombies
    Zombies 2
    Zombies 3

    Zombies: The Re-Animated Series is an animated musical television series based on the Disney franchise Zombies.[1] It is a co-production between American studio Disney Television Animation and Canadian studio Atomic Cartoons, alongside vanity card Bloor Street Productions. The show brings back most of the original cast from the first three films.[2]

    Zombies: The Re-Animated Series premiered on June 28, 2024, on Disney Channel, followed by its Disney+ premiere the next day.[3]

    Premise

    Following graduation day at Seabrook High School, A-Spen does a time warp that enables everyone to re-do senior year together as they engage in various misadventures in Seabrook.[4]

    Characters

    Main characters

    Other characters

    Episodes

    Season 1 (2024)

    Production

    Development

    In 2022, creator Aliki Theofilopoulos, and Amphibia story editor Jack Ferraiolo were approached by Disney executives to develop an animated series based on Disney Channel's Zombies franchise, which they agreed to do due to the franchise's high school setting providing multiple storytelling opportunities, having liked the Zombie films, and wanting to work together on a project.[15]

    On June 15, 2022, during the Annecy Film Festival, Disney Television Animation announced development on animated series based on the Zombies franchise, titled Zombies: The Re-Animated Series, on Disney+. Writers Joseph Raso and David Light were set to return from the original trilogy as executive producers, alongside Gary Marsh, Theofilopoulos, and Ferraiolo.[16] Theofilopoulos and Ferraiolo also serve as showrunners for the series.[17]

    Writing

    The producers wanted to use the series' animated format as "[an] opportunity to push ideas conceptually and visually" within the franchise. They also wanted the show to have a strong focus on its ensemble cast, drawing inspiration from shows such as New Girl and Freaks and Geeks, as well as teen comedies Ferraiolo watched in his youth, wanting to "juxtapose dumb ideas with achieving a goal" much like in the latter. The writers wanted the series to explore issues relatable to teenagers and "blow it out of proportion" while keeping the story grounded in "the emotional truth of being a teenager".

    Casting

    On August 12, 2022, Meg Donelly and Milo Manheim were confirmed to be reprising their roles as Allison and Zed from the original trilogy. On November 18, 2022, Theofilopoulos confirmed that Carla Jeffery would reprise her role as Bree in the series.[18] Voice recordings for the series had already began by that point. In June 2023, Ariel Martin, Chandler Kinney, Pearce Joza, Trevor Tordjman, Jonathan Langdon, James Godfrey, Kylee Russell, and Terry Hu were confirmed to be reprising their roles in the series. In May 2024, it was announced that Kahyun Kim would be voicing a new character named Dae.

    Animation

    Animation services will be provided by Atomic Cartoons.[19] Matt Doering will serve as art director for the series.[20] The artists designed the characters so that they could be reminiscent of their appearance in the movies while also fitting an animated format.[21]

    Music

    The series features a musical number per episode, performed by its voice cast.[22] Several songwriters from the films returned to work on the series.[23] Theofilopoulos drew inspiration from her experience in Phineas and Ferb for the show's songs, wanting to combine the humorous tone of the Phineas and Ferb songs with the musical style from the Zombies films. She also drew inspiration from her experience in Descendants: Wicked World.

    The song "My Year" from the first film serves as the series' opening theme, with new lyrics to fit the plot of the series. The songwriters originally conceived several original songs to be used as the opening theme; the songs were ultimately used as musical numbers within the series.

    Release

    In 2023, Zombies: The Re-Animated Series Shorts premiered on July 21, on Disney Channel, Disney Channel's YouTube, and DisneyNOW, and later on Disney+.[24] [25]

    In May 2024, the trailer of Zombies: The Re-Animated Series was released.[26] The television series premiered on June 28 on Disney Channel, and became available to stream the following day on Disney+.[27]

    Reception

    Ashley Moulton of Common Sense Media gave Zombies: The Re-Animated Series a score of three out of five stars, said the series depicts positive messages and role models, citing environmentalism and the character of Addison Wells, and suggested that tweens who admire high school life can enjoy the series without encountering the more problematic aspects often associated with teenage characters in other shows.[28] Lee Brown of The Review Geek rated Zombies: The Re-Animated Series 5.5 out of 10 and found it to be bright and silly, describing it appealing mainly to children who are already fans of the franchise, as it contains few jokes or themes that would resonate with older teens or grown-ups, though saying the series may not be particularly memorable. They stated that while the show offers occasional chuckles, it might not hold much appeal for those unfamiliar with or uninterested in the Zombies universe. However, Brown asserted that the series does provide positive messages that parents might appreciate discussing with their children.[29]

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: Alexa . Laurén . May 16, 2024 . Disney Shares ‘ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series’ Trailer, Premiere Date . 2024-08-06 . . en.
    2. Web site: Kelley . Aidan . June 3, 2024 . The 7 Best New Movies & Shows Coming to Disney+ in June 2024 . 2024-08-06 . . en.
    3. Web site: Schwarz . John . June 7, 2024 . DISNEY’S ‘ZOMBIES: THE RE-ANIMATED SERIES’ DEBUTS JUNE 28 ON DISNEY CHANNEL AND JUNE 29 ON DISNEY+ . 2024-08-06 . Bubbleblabber . en-US.
    4. Web site: Joshi . Nidhi . May 21, 2024 . ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series Brings Back The Adventures Of Undead At Seabrook High . 2024-08-06 . . en.
    5. Web site: Voice Of Addison (Zombies: The Re-Animated Series) – Behind The Voice Actors . August 6, 2024 . Behind The Voice Actors .
    6. Web site: Voice Of Zed (Zombies: The Re-Animated Series) – Behind The Voice Actors . August 6, 2024 . Behind The Voice Actors .
    7. Web site: Voice Of Winter (Zombies: The Re-Animated Series) – Behind The Voice Actors . August 6, 2024 . Behind The Voice Actors .
    8. Web site: Voice Of Willa (Zombies: The Re-Animated Series) – Behind The Voice Actors . August 6, 2024 . Behind The Voice Actors .
    9. Web site: Voice Of Wyatt (Zombies: The Re-Animated Series) – Behind The Voice Actors . August 6, 2024 . Behind The Voice Actors .
    10. Web site: Voice Of Bree (Zombies: The Re-Animated Series) – Behind The Voice Actors . August 6, 2024 . Behind The Voice Actors .
    11. Web site: Voice Of Bucky (Zombies: The Re-Animated Series) – Behind The Voice Actors . August 6, 2024 . Behind The Voice Actors .
    12. Web site: Voice Of Bonzo (Zombies: The Re-Animated Series) – Behind The Voice Actors . August 6, 2024 . Behind The Voice Actors .
    13. Web site: Voice Of Eliza (Zombies: The Re-Animated Series) – Behind The Voice Actors . August 6, 2024 . Behind The Voice Actors .
    14. Web site: Voice Of A- Spen (Zombies: The Re-Animated Series) – Behind The Voice Actors . August 6, 2024 . Behind The Voice Actors .
    15. Web site: Bennett . Tara . June 7, 2024 . Toon In: Animated TV Highlights for June, from Ultraman Rising to Zombies: The Re-Animated Series . 2024-08-06 . . en-US.
    16. Web site: Pedersen . Lise . Pedersen . Lise . 2022-06-15 . Disney Reveals Animated Series Slate at Annecy Festival (EXCLUSIVE) . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220712065759/https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/disney-annecy-1235294867/ . 2022-07-12 . 2022-11-18 . . en-US.
    17. Web site: Showrunners Behind Disney’s ‘ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series’ Discuss the Franchise’s New Incarnation . 2024-06-26 . Animation Magazine.
    18. 1593424486350495746 . alikigreeky . So much fun with Carla today! #zombiesreanimatedseries https://t.co/OeUdsETaEw . Aliki . Theofilopoulos . Aliki Theofilopoulos . November 18, 2022 . April 14, 2023 . en . https://web.archive.org/web/20221119031609/https://twitter.com/alikigreeky/status/1593424486350495746 . November 19, 2022 . live.
    19. Web site: ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series . 2024-05-16 . Atomic Cartoons . en-US.
    20. Doering . Matt . mattdoering . 1589861908857098250 . November 8, 2022 . Before the news cycle gets (extra) crazy this week, I wanted to share that I recently started a new project! I'm Art Directing "Zombies: The Re-Animated Series" at Disney TVA!! Can't wait for you all to see what @alikigreeky and @jackferraiolo have planned for the show! https://t.co/F3YU2H6IEm . en . April 14, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221214050703/https://twitter.com/mattdoering/status/1589861908857098250 . December 14, 2022 . live.
    21. Web site: AdThrive . 2023-10-28 . LightBox Expo Recap: "Shorts in Short" with Disney Television Animaation's "ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series," "Broken Karaoke," and "Theme Song Takeover" . 2024-05-16 . LaughingPlace.com . en-US.
    22. Web site: McPherson . Chris . 2024-05-15 . Disney's 'ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series' Trailer Brings Your Favorite Undead Teens Back [Exclusive] ]. 2024-05-15 . . en.
    23. Web site: Reif . Alex . 2024-06-14 . Annecy Recap: "Storytelling Through Music" with Disney Television Animation . 2024-06-26 . LaughingPlace.com . en-US.
    24. Web site: Sarto . Dan . June 13, 2023 . Disney Branded Television Reveals Massive Animation Slate at Annecy 2023 . 2024-08-06 . . en.
    25. Web site: West-Rosenthal . Lauren Brown . July 17, 2023 . Exclusive: Meg Donnelly and Milo Manheim Share All the Details of the New 'Zombies' Animated Series . 2024-08-06 . . en.
    26. Web site: Dick . Jeremy . May 17, 2024 . Zombies: The Re-Animated Series Trailer Puts a Spin on the Disney Movie Trilogy . 2024-08-06 . . en.
    27. Web site: Foertsch . Rachel . June 25, 2024 . Milo Manheim & Meg Donnelly On Zed And Addison's Romance In ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series . 2024-08-06 . . en.
    28. Web site: Moulton . Ashley . Zombies: The Re-Animated Series TV Review Common Sense Media . 2024-08-06 . . en.
    29. Web site: Brown . Lee . August 7, 2024 . ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series Season 1 Review – Assorted hijinks featuring the monsters of SeaBrook High . August 16, 2024 . The Review Geek.

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