From a narrative by Clive Barker, Night time of Zoopocalypse takes a household movie and offers it a monstrous paint job.
PLOT: When a meteor crashes into Colepepper Zoo, a virus that transforms the animals into slobbering zombie-like mutants is unleashed. Now, the unaffected animals should band collectively to cease it earlier than it’s too late.
REVIEW: It’s exhausting on the market for animated movies not being produced by both Disney or Dreamworks. It appears as if most are dismissed with out having these two corporations hooked up. But a few of the greatest animation lately has come from smaller studios. So it’s thrilling to see a brand new animated movie releasing, with neither juggernaut hooked up, and that includes a reputation that’s positive to boost some eyebrows: Clive Barker. That’s proper, the Hellraiser creator has taken time away from the world of the macabre and is as a substitute specializing in household animation with Night time of the Zoopocalypse.
The story of Night time of the Zoopocalypse follows Gracie, a wolf who desires to know her function each in life, but in addition along with her pack. When a mysterious meteor crashes into an enclosure, what’s inside begins to take over the opposite zoo animals. Gracie has to affix forces with different animals, every of them having distinctive quirks and being quite impartial. They must discover ways to work collectively with the intention to cease this outbreak from spreading. And with this being a child’s film, they do an excellent job of avoiding demise, whereas nonetheless ramping up the stakes.
Gracie is a enjoyable sufficient lead, although I had extra curiosity within the outcast of the group, performed by everybody’s favourite small-town sheriff. David Harbour is the largest voice concerned and his character Dan is a wild mountain Lion, newly launched to the zoo. He’s a loner and refuses to be a part of a pack, so you possibly can see the place the problems come into play. Gracie is so plain, that Dan’s imply aspect offers Night time of the Zoopocalypse a little bit of life. I appreciated the dynamic between the carnivores and herbivores, and the way they work together.
The actual star of the film comes within the type of Poot, an adorably Pigmy hippo voiced by Christina Nova. Poot follows within the footsteps of different lovable characters with restricted vocabulary like Boo from Monster’s Inc. Given how lengthy animation takes, the filmmakers actually received fortunate to have a personality that’s positive to get comparisons to viral sensation, Moo Deng. Poot will get loads of laughs and is the center of the movie. If this movie catches on, I’m positive a lot can be owed to Poot.
The animation may simply be described as easy however that doesn’t imply it’s dangerous. There’s a bareness to a few of the environments, however nothing ever feels low cost. I additionally actually beloved all of the totally different digital camera lens, which provides such a unique look than the same old flat canvas of animation. The character designs are all nice and provides the movie its identification. I’m so sick of animated movies simply attempting to be photorealistic and taking away all of the caricature components. Although I do must name out the unusual designs of the people, which makes them into these weirdly proportioned monstrosities.
Co-directors Ricardo Curtis and Rodrigo Perez-Castro have an extended historical past in animation, having labored on movies like The Iron Big, The Incredibles and Monster’s Inc. They’re taking all that information and know-how and placing all of it into Night time of the Zoopocalypse. Regardless of Clive Barker’s title being hooked up, that is nonetheless firmly a child’s film, so Hellraiser followers ought to most likely get their expectations in examine. If something, the Barker title is a good way to get those who in any other case wouldn’t have taken the leap, to observe the movie. They are saying the story is predicated on an idea by Barker, so it’s exhausting to say simply how a lot he truly contributed to the ultimate product.
Even in it’s simplicity, I actually loved my time with Night time of the Zoopocalypse. The character designs standout from the Pixar-style that each studio appears to be doing nowadays. And I fairly appreciated the characters, who managed to get me rooting on their heroic journey.
NIGHT OF THE ZOOPOCALYPSE IS COMING TO THEATERS ON MARCH 7TH, 2025.
