Clive Barker is famous for scaring people. Whether it’s demons from the underworld or malevolent spirits, his films have provided some of the best scares of the last few decades, and now his formula has been adapted to a story for kids. Yes, you read that right: Night of the Zoopocalypse is a new animated Canadian/French/Begian co-production that has taken an idea from Barker and turned it into a fairly funny and mildly scary (for young kids) gateway horror film.
Loosely based on Barker’s short story Zoombies,” Night of the Zoopocalypse follows a young wolf cub called Gracie (Gabbi Kosmidis) who ends up teaming up with a gruff mountain lion called Dan (David Harbour) and a band of merry misfits to survive an alien invasion. The adventure feels like a cross between Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Night of the Living Dead.
Gracie is relentlessly trained by her grandmother Abigail (Carolyn Scott) in case something, anything, ever happens. However, Gracie–who has spent her whole life in isolation–is resigned to the idea that nothing will. This cues something happening, in the form of a meteorite landing in the zoo, and when a fluffy bunny eats said meteorite, it turns into a monster that is a cross between a zombie and a gummy bear. Damage caused by the meteorite allows Gracie to leave her enclosure where she finds the monster, runs away, and ends up tranquilized and locked in a vet station alongside several other animals including Ash (Scott Thompson), a sardonic ostrich; Felix (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee), a self centred proboscis monkey; Xavier (Pierre Simpson), a lemur obsessed with midnight movies; and Frida (Heather Loreto) a capybara with an out-sized attitude.
As the bunny escapes its enclosure and sets about infecting every other animal, our heroes must make a plan to survive the night. What follows is a fun romp for kids and adults alike. Each character has a part to play in the ensemble, and a lesson to learn. Thompson and Lee standout among the supporting cast, infusing their somewhat thinly draw characters with real life and personality. There’s also a late addition to the team in Poot (Christina Nova), an adorable pygmy hippopotamus, who offers some of the films bigger laughs with the silly, forgetful, occasionally mildly sinister character.
The real story is Gracie and Dan working together, though. Gracie learns that the change happening at the zoo isn’t so great and that she must rise to the occasion, while Dan learns that being a loner isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Their adventure through the monster-filled zoo is madcap and fun, and makes good use of the amenities you might find in a real zoo, like a playground, a ball pit, and a cable car. Pay attention in these scenes as there fun details are made possible by the “gum beasts” candy makeup, and the arc of Gracie and Dan going from reluctant allies to close friends is truly sweet.
The film also just has a very fun look. Fans of horror will recognize tropes of ’80s low budget horror with everything draped in mist to a green-purple colour scheme and lighting makes everything feel eerie. The monster designs are fun and dark and weird in a way that should appeal to all ages, but smaller kids might get scared in a few moments here and there. Yes, it’s a fun family adventure, but it’s also a zombie apocalypse story and the stakes feel real.
There is some clever writing at play too. While the main plot is perhaps a little predictable for horror fans, there are plenty of great character moments, and if you get a little lost, the film-obsessed Xavier will occasionally–in one of the films better recurring meta gags–pop up to tell you exactly where you are in the plot.
In a world dominated by Pixar and Dreamworks, Night of the Zoopocalypse is a fun reminder that other studios produce good work, and there’s never been a better time to go to the movies and support a Canadian production. There’s something here for everyone: a few small scares, more than a few big laughs, and a fun adventure that almost anyone can enjoy.
Night of the Zoopocalypse is now in theatres.
Night of the Zoopocalypse is in cinemas now.
