While the theme of the story is told right up front, the exploration of it through the lens of the world (or their zoo) ending is a fun twist on what you may expect from an animated release.

As an educator, I am always curious what new media is being released for children.  Even though I teach high school-aged students, having a background on what is coming out for any age can be beneficial in knowing what the youth are being exposed to.  Night of the Zoopocalypse is one of those films that is perfectly tailored to young children while having moments that can impact adults.

After a satellite crashes into a meteor, a chunk of it lands in the zoo where Gracie (Gabbin Kosmidis) calls home.  This meteor chunk contains a virus that turns animals into zombies.  Now it is up to Gracie and a ragtag team of animal survivors to try to escape their zoo.

Gracie is a timber wolf that loves training with her pack and is constantly told by her Gramma Abigail (Carolyn Scott) that she always needs to be with her pack and that all other animals should be considered dangerous.  This is the first few scenes of the film, so you know how this story is going to go.  Gracie is a fun and compelling character to follow that gives the film its heart.  It can be easy to predict the story beats of what may be coming, but having an interesting lead will keep you hooked.

Before the virus hits the zoo, we are introduced to a mountain lion named Dan (David Harbour) who has been brought in from the wild.  His goal is to get back to the wild, stopping at nothing to achieve that.  Dan is the character that goes through the most character growth throughout the film.  He and Gracie have moments on screen that are deeply impactful, making it easy to root for them and their quest of saving the zoo.  Dan is also a great character to show young boys that just because you are big and strong does not mean you have to do everything on your own.  It may be a subtle message, but important to show nonetheless.

The rest of the animals are one-dimensional and really have a stand-out characteristic about them outside of whatever animal they may be.  It is an easy way to make sure the focus is on Gracie and Dan, but learning more about the others would have added to the plot to help round out this cast of characters.  It was so easy just to immediately hate some of them throughout the film that having them explored a little bit deeper would have solved this issue.  There is a comic relief character that is introduced halfway through that gets more fleshed out than the animals we were introduced to in the first act.  While it makes sense to not have too many characters with deep arcs to follow for the story that is being told, it would have been nice to learn a little bit more about our gang.

When it comes to the animation style, it plays on the goofy, silly designs that adds to the charm of the film.  The body proportions are off, there are bright and vibrant – even unrealistic – color schemes and it is just fun to look at.  Some animation studios focus on trying to make their animation look as realistic as possible, but that kind of style would not have worked for this story.  It is supposed to be unrealistic, and having the lively cartoons tell it to you adds to the fun.  

The script is paced well enough that you are never bored watching but is still easy to follow for its target audience.  There are jokes that got me to giggle and enough gags that appease kids.  There is nothing that is overly childish that takes away from the funny moment, showing that writers are recognizing that kids appreciate humor that is more than just fart jokes.  However, there are some creepy moments as the virus begins its takeover of the zoo that can be disturbing for the smallest viewers.  There is enough fun to keep everyone engaged from start to finish, something that can be a rarity when it comes to kid-centered media.

With compelling main characters and an entertaining premise, Night of the Zoopocalyse  is the perfect rainy-day film.  The animation is bright to attract kids with a heartfelt story to keep older viewers occupied, it is nice to see a “kids movie” that is fun for all ages.

Grade: B

Oscar Prospects:
Likely: None
Should Be Considered: None

Where To Watch: In Theaters