Zombies and humans have to learn to coexist in high school in the Disney Channel Original Movie, “Z-O-M-B-I-E-S.” The humans live in their perfect town of Seabrook, but the town has a dark secret. Zombies live in the town and they are treated as second class citizens because decades before one of the zombies bit off a man’s ear. Now, the zombies are finally getting to go to high school with people, but they quickly learn that just because they are in the same building, they still won’t be treated the same.

The message in this film works well to address issues of racism, sexism, classism and several other “isms” and translate it in a way for a Disney Channel audience to understand. You can swap out zombies for any of those other “isms” and the story would be just as prescient as it is in this film. It’s a story we’ve seen told hundreds of times before, and one we’ll, unfortunately, need to see told hundreds of more times before it gets through some people’s heads. The message is great. The film, on the other hand, is a typical DCOM.

Disney Channel Original Movies are not meant to be judged in the same way as hit films we see in theaters. They are meant to be cheesy. They are meant to appeal to pre-teens, tweens and early teenagers. Adults aren’t supposed to be enamored with them. They can be, but that’s a bonus. These films are trying to target those who are going through adolescence. If I were 12 years old and watching this film, I would probably really enjoy it. Unfortunately, I’m in my mid-30s now, so this film did little for me. I’m glad it exists for those it’s trying to target though.

The quality of the film does not damage the hard work of the actors. They are incredibly talented singers and dancers. Their acting definitely needs some polishing, but given this film has two sequels by the time I’m watching it, they’ve had time to improve. I expect to see many of these actors continue on in other films like many other Disney Channel stars of the past have. They’ve got talent, that can’t be denied.

This film had its fun moments. The songs were catchy. The dancing was amazing. The choreography was spot on. I enjoyed myself far more than I expected when I put this on. If I can find a way to enjoy parts of this, despite the film doing little for me, I’m sure it’s a hit with the target audience.

Rating: 3 stars

What did you think of “Z-O-M-B-I-E-S?”

Jeremy Brown

Jeremy has been a big Disney fan since he was a kid growing up during the Disney Renaissance. One day he hopes to go to every Disney Park in the world.

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