Night of the Zoopocalypse (2024)

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Night of the Zoopocalypse, originally titled Night of the Zoombies, is a 2024 animated comedy-horror film directed by acclaimed storyboard artists Rodrigo Perez-Castro and Ricardo Curtis. Both filmmakers also served as storyboard supervisors, with Perez-Castro doubling as the film’s design supervisor. The screenplay was written by James Kee, with production handled by Steven Hoban.

The film draws inspiration from a concept by legendary horror creator Clive Barker (Hellraiser) and is loosely adapted from his unpublished short story “ZOOmbies.” Blending family-friendly thrills with creature-feature chaos, the story follows a group of zoo animals forced to survive a sudden zombie outbreak triggered by a mysterious meteor-borne virus that mutates animals into grotesque, gelatinous monsters.

The movie premiered at the 57th Sitges Film Festival on October 6, 2024, before rolling out internationally in early 2025. It was released in France by Apollo Films on January 29, 2025, Belgium on February 19, 2025, and in the United States and Canada on March 7, 2025 through Viva Kids and Elevation Pictures, earning strong critical praise for its visuals and inventive tone.

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Movie Details

  1. Title: Night of the Zoopocalypse
  2. Original Title: Night of the Zoombies
  3. Year: 2024
  4. Genre: Animated, Comedy, Horror, Family
  5. Country of Origin: Canada
  6. Directors: Rodrigo Perez-Castro, Ricardo Curtis
  7. Writer: James Kee
  8. Producer: Steven Hoban
  9. Inspired By: Concept by Clive Barker
  10. Festival Premiere: Sitges Film Festival (October 6, 2024)

Full Plot Summary

Set in Vancouver, British Columbia, the film centers on Gracie, a young timber wolf living at Colepepper Zoo, an expansive animal theme park. Gracie’s life is shaped by the teachings of her overly cautious grandmother, Gramma Abigale, who constantly trains the wolf pack for looming “disasters” and warns them never to trust animals outside their group.

One night, after the zoo closes, a meteor crashes into the Kuddle Korner petting zoo. A pink rabbit consumes fragments of the meteor and becomes infected by an unknown alien virus. Curious and uneasy, Gracie escapes her enclosure to investigate and discovers the rabbit cocooned inside a massive biological pod. When a mutated arm bursts from the pod and attacks her, Gracie narrowly escapes.

She soon encounters Dan, a newly arrived mountain lion with a hostile demeanor and a deep desire to return to the wild. Their confrontation ends abruptly when an unsuspecting zookeeper tranquilizes them both and places them in the veterinary station overnight.

Meanwhile, the rabbit fully transforms into Bunny Zero, a deranged mutant dubbed a Gum-Beast due to its gelatinous appearance. Bunny Zero rapidly spreads the infection throughout the zoo, turning animals into slobbering zombie-like creatures.

Gracie and Dan escape alongside a small group of uninfected animals:

  1. Xavier, a movie-obsessed red ruffed lemur
  2. Felix, a vain and selfish proboscis monkey
  3. Frida, a fiery, no-nonsense capybara
  4. Ash, a sarcastic and skeptical ostrich
  5. Poot, a baby pygmy hippopotamus

The survivors are attacked by Fred, an infected gorilla and Felix’s former enclosure mate, forcing the group to split up and flee through tunnels, gift shops, and zoo enclosures as the Gum-Beasts multiply.

Gracie returns to her enclosure hoping to rescue her family, only to discover that her entire pack has already been infected. During a chaotic escape, Dan becomes infected after being attacked by a merged Gum-Beast but is mysteriously cured when submerged in soap and water. Shaken and emotionally distant, Dan abandons the group, taking the zoo’s access card key with him.

The remaining animals devise a plan to cure the Gum-Beasts by luring them into Dan’s enclosure and flooding it with soap and water. Dan ultimately returns to help, but the plan backfires when the infected creatures fuse into a gigantic mutant amalgam, absorbing nearly everyone except Gracie and Dan.

Hope emerges when Poot, briefly infected, is cured after activating a music-box snow globe. Gracie realizes the melody matches the zoo’s theme song, which plays nightly from the clock tower at 7:00 p.m. She deduces that sound and music are the true cure to the infection.

As the monstrous amalgam absorbs Dan, Gracie races to the clock tower while Poot distracts the creature. Despite a final ambush by an infected Felix, Gracie successfully activates the tower. The music destroys the amalgam and restores all infected animals to normal.

In the aftermath, friendships are repaired, trust is rebuilt across species, and Gracie’s pack finally embraces cooperation over fear. Dan leaves the zoo to return to the wild but gives Gracie the key, symbolizing choice, freedom, and hope for the future.

Cast and Characters

  1. Gabbi Kosmidis as Gracie, a young timber wolf and reluctant leader
  2. David Harbour as Dan, a gruff mountain lion yearning for freedom
  3. Scott Thompson as Ash, a sarcastic ostrich
  4. Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Felix, an egotistical proboscis monkey
  5. Pierre Simpson as Xavier, a film-obsessed lemur
  6. Heather Loreto as Frida, a fiery capybara
  7. Kyle Derek as Fred, a gorilla and former enclosure mate
  8. Christina Nova as Poot, a naïve baby pygmy hippopotamus
  9. Bryn McAuley as Bunny Zero, the infected rabbit leader
  10. Carolyn Scott as Gramma Abigale, Gracie’s paranoid grandmother
  11. Rob Tinkler as Maynard, one of Gracie’s brothers

Ending Explained

The ending reveals that music, not physical force, is the antidote to the alien virus. By activating the clock tower and broadcasting the zoo’s theme song, Gracie disrupts the mutant hive-mind, dissolving the Gum-Beast amalgam and curing every infected animal. The conclusion reinforces the film’s central themes of unity, communication, and trust overcoming fear.

Critical Reception

Night of the Zoopocalypse holds an 88 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from over 34 reviews. Critics praised the film for successfully balancing child-friendly horror with imaginative visuals and emotional depth. The consensus describes it as a vibrant introduction to horror that delivers gentle scares while dazzling audiences with bold neon animation and creative creature design.

Reference

  1. 👉 Night of the Zoopocalypse (English Wikipedia) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Zoopocalypse (Wikipedia)
  2. 👉 Night of the Zoopocalypse (Italian Wikipedia) — https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Zoopocalypse (Wikipedia)
  3. 👉 Night of the Zoopocalypse (Spanish Wikipedia) — https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Zoopocalypse (Wikipedia)
  4. 👉 Night of the Zoopocalypse (Portuguese Wikipedia) — https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Zoopocalypse (Wikipedia)
  5. 👉 Une nuit au zoo (French Wikipedia) — https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Une_nuit_au_zoo (Wikipedia)

📊 Ratings & Reviews

  1. 👉 Night of the Zoopocalypse – Rotten Tomatoes (Critics & Ratings) — https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/night_of_the_zoopocalypse (Rotten Tomatoes)
  2. 👉 Night of the Zoopocalypse Reviews – Metacritic page — https://www.metacritic.com/movie/night-of-the-zoopocalypse/critic-reviews/ (Metacritic)
  3. 👉 Night Of The Zoopocalypse Digital Streaming Release Date (WhenToStream) — https://www.whentostream.com/news/night-of-the-zoopocalypse-gets-digital-streaming-release-date (When To Stream)

📰 Reviews & Articles

  1. 👉 Night of the Zoopocalypse film review (OutNow English) — https://outnow.ch/en/Movies/2024/NightOfTheZoopocalypse/Review/ (OutNow)
  2. 👉 Night of the Zoopocalypse French review (OutNow FR) — https://outnow.ch/fr/Movies/2024/NightOfTheZoopocalypse/Critique/ (OutNow)
  3. 👉 The Guardian film review (UK) — https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/oct/07/night-of-the-zoopocalypse-review-zombified-animal-caper-horror-kids-clive-barker (The Guardian)
  4. 👉 MovieWeb news mention about Rotten Tomatoes score — https://movieweb.com/clive-barker-night-zoopocalypse-rotten-tomatoes-score-reviews/ (MovieWeb)
  5. 👉 Pete Kirkpatrick’s film review — https://petekirkpatrickreviews.wordpress.com/2025/10/14/film-night-of-the-zoopocalypse-2024-rodrigo-perez-castro-ricardo-curtis/ (Pete Kirkpatrick’s Reviews)

🎬 Production & Film Info

  1. 👉 Screen Brussels project page (animation production details) — https://screen.brussels/en/project/night-zoombies (screen.brussels)
  2. 👉 Official Clive Barker website (project listing) — https://www.clivebarker.info/filmswip.html (Clive Barker)

📺 Video Reviews & Official Trailers

  1. 🎥 Night of the Zoopocalypse | Movie Review (YouTube) — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lfb7CfsdaHQ (YouTube)
  2. 🎥 Official Trailer – Night Of The Zoopocalypse (YouTube) — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLr51KDhZYA (YouTube)

📌 Additional Film Coverage & Mentions

  1. 👉 Common Sense Media – Movie review & parent guide — https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/night-of-the-zoopocalypse (Common Sense Media)
  2. 👉 OutNow – Night Of The Zoopocalypse film info page (English) — https://outnow.ch/en/Movies/2024/NightOfTheZoopocalypse/ (OutNow)
  3. 👉 OutNow – Night Of The Zoopocalypse film info (French) — https://outnow.ch/fr/Movies/2024/NightOfTheZoopocalypse/ (OutNow)

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