Night of the Zoopocalypse 2025 Movie Review
“Night of the Zoopocalypse” looks like it could be a silly animated feature aimed at a younger demographic, but then there’s the “from the mind of Clive Barker” selling point. Barker’s mind is also responsible for macabre outings such as “Hellraiser” and “Nightbreed,” which aren’t quite bedtime stories for younglings – unless you want them traumatized. It turns out the movie, which is co-directed by storyboard artists Ricardo Curtis and Rodrigo Perez-Castro, is adapting Barker’s short story, ZOOmbies. His original idea was that of a kid trapped in a zoo during a zombie outbreak, but the focus shifted to a spirited exploration of animal panic coupled with life lessons such as togetherness.
Writers James Kee and Steven Hoban keep the story silly, with comedy at the forefront rather than legitimate scares. French musician Dan Levy, who was one half of the two-member pop band The Dø, heightened this. It makes for an easy-to-take-in collaboration, with colorful, cartoonish animation that puts viewers at ease.
Set in Colepepper Zoo, a hybrid zoo and amusement park located in an undisclosed city, “Night of the Zoopocalypse” introduces Gracie (voiced by Gabbi Kosmidis), a wolf who feels at home in the confines of her pack. There’s no real threat, nor are the wolves considered prey, so there’s very little need to sharpen her survival skills. Gracie can’t take her Grandma Abigale’s (Carolyn Scott) warnings seriously when she proclaims, “Sooner or later, something bad or worse is going to happen. It always does.” That warning will soon be fully realized when these talking animals have the worst night of their lives.
One night, the zoo closes down like it does any other night. An automaton clock displaying cartoon animal characters broadcasts an annoying jingle that lets everyone know it’s time to go home. Parents drag their whining children out, zookeepers begin their nightly ritual, and the animals relax, knowing their environment is about to get quieter.
That changes when a glowing purple meteor falls out of the sky, careening to earth, and crashing into the petting zoo barn. An adorable bunny is too curious for its own good and will soon become known as Bunny Zero (voiced by Bryn McAuley), since the little critter will be the first to become zombified by this mysterious cosmic visitor. Feeling something is off, Gracie investigates and finds a slimy purple pod housing a mutated animal that will spread its virus via bite, something that will soon take over just about every zoo animal.
Hoping to evade these gummi-like zombie animals and escape the zoo, Gracie manages to group up with other surviving animals with the same goal. In the zoo infirmary, Gracie finds Xavier (Pierre Simpson), a movie-obsessed red ruffed lemur who purposely gets sick or injured so zoo doctors will leave him in front of a television overnight. This is also where Gracie encounters a gruff mountain lion named Dan (David Harbour) who will reluctantly agree to become her bodyguard. The others are cabybara Frida (Heather Loreto), a sarcastic ostrich named Ash (Scott Thompson), and an arrogant proboscis monkey (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee), and they will all have to figure out where to hide and survive from hideously mutated beasts.
“Night of the Zoopocalypse” wastes no time getting to the central threat of the title, as the infection spreads throughout the zoo with panic also spreading amongst the main characters. Screenwriters James Kee and Steven Hoban know the attention span of their target audience and save most of the character introductions for moments in which the animals are hiding or exploring ways to survive, to keep the story’s momentum. Only one human (a zoo worker) can be found at the movie’s start, which is odd considering a place with rides and wild animals should have 24-hour security, but the focus is on silliness.
On that note, the movie is light on scares and leans more on the gooey blue/green almost transparent hues of the infected with their glowing bright blue eyes. Levy’s synth score amplifies creepiness and menace when needed, and ramps up whenever frantic action sequences go wild, but this isn’t a graphic plague that will freak kids out. That being said, there’s some noticeably fun voice work (specifically Harbour and Sun-Hyung Lee) that will amuse adults and a wide range of species, from pygmy hippopotamus Poot (Christina Nova) to a looming western lowland gorilla named Fred (Kyle Derek), to follow. The directors stage some energetic action, one in particular on a moving gondola lift. Still, for the most part, the movie comprises several moments of comedy spread throughout the runtime.
Despite its emphasis on slapstick silliness, “Night of the Zoopocalypse” may be a bit much for very young viewers with its mutated animals running amok. The animation design (mostly from Canadian studios) apart from the characters is spot-on, offering an eerie look at night time in the zoo environment with haziness, mist, and unnatural lighting. The inevitable climax is large in scope yet becomes cumbersome and predictable. Not many chances are taken in the movie, but for the most part, it’s an engaging outing that entertains those who enjoy silly animal antics.
