About the franchise
It all started 50 years ago in the planned community of Seabrook where a lime soda incident at the Seabrook Power Plant caused an explosion that turned anyone exposed to its fog into brain-eating zombies. The zombies were contained in an area called Zombieville and the government later made Z-Bands to keep them from craving brains through electromagnetic pulses. The second film revealed a pre-Seabrook history involving werewolves having an artifact known as the moonstone that the settlers fought them over. The franchise follows Zed, a zombie, and Addison, a human cheerleader, as they fall in love and fight for acceptance in monsters in Seabrook. Zed and Addison would break the fourth wall to explain some things to the viewers. The franchise has received the most critical acclaim and popularity of any of Disney's most recent properties yet, and has become one of Disney Channel's highest rated film series to date.Film series
''Zombies'' (2018)
Students from Zombietown transfer to Seabrook High, a school whose suburban town is filled with uniformity, traditions and pep rallies. When Zombie football player Zed and human cheerleader Addison fall in love, chaos ensues, and the two must lead their groups' to coexistence with each other. In May 2017, ''Zombies'' was reported to have begun production. Its trailer was released on January 5, 2018. ''Zombies'' was released on February 16, 2018. The film was watched by 2.6 million viewers on its premiere night.''Zombies 2'' (2020)
Zed and Addison have continued to steer both their school and community toward unity. However, the arrival of the werewolves complicates their relationship. In early 2019, a sequel to ''Zombies'' was in production, with the actors, director and writer returning. Pearce Joza, Chandler Kinney, and Ariel Martin joined the cast with Kylee Russell, Trevor Tordjman, Carla Jeffery, James Godfrey, and Kingston Foster reprising their roles from the first film. The film was released on February 14, 2020, watched by 2.5 million viewers and received positive reviews.''Zombies 3'' (2022)
Seabrook's humans, zombies, and werewolves coexist. Being this is senior year at Seabrook's high school for Zed and Addison, the former is looking to become the first zombie admitted into higher education with a football scholarship, and the latter is in the final stages of preparing to open a new cheerleading pavilion and host a competition consisting of cheer teams from around the world. Meanwhile, aliens arrive at Seabrook, whose leaders A-Spen, A-Li, and A-Lan initially claiming they are interested in spectating the cheer competition Addison organized. In late-March 2021, Disney Channel green-lit ''Zombies 3'' with Meg Donnelly and''Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires'' (2025)
In February 2024, Disney Branded Television greenlit ''Zombies 4'', with Meg Donnelly and Milo Manheim reprising their roles and are also set to executive produce the film. Chandler Kinney and Kylee Russell were also set to return for the film. Additionally, Freya Skye and Malachi Barton join the cast as new characters, Nova and Victor, respectively. Paul Hoen returns to direct, with David Light, Joseph Raso, and Josh Cagan writing the film. Hoen, Light, Raso, Jane Fleming, and Mark Ordesky will also serve as executive producers. Mahita P. Simpson will co-executive produce the film. Production for the film began in March 2024 in New Zealand. In March 2024, Swayam Bhatia, Julian Lerner, Mekonnen Knife, Lisa Chappell, and Jonno Roberts joined the cast.Television series
''Zombies: Addison's Moonstone Mystery'' / ''Zombies: Addison's Monster Mystery''
On October 16, 2020, ''Zombies: Addison's Moonstone Mystery'', a series of animated shorts, began airing on Disney Channel. The story revolves around Addison (Meg Donnelly) who journeys through a mysterious dreamscape to find her true identity. The series was renewed for a second season with its new title, ''Addison’s Monster Mystery'', which premiered on October 1, 2021.''Zombies: The Re-Animated Series''
In June 2022, during the Annecy Film Festival, it was reported that an animated series, titled ''Zombies: The Re-animated Series'', is being developed by Disney Television Animation for Disney+ and Disney Channel. '' Descendants: Wicked World'' creator and director Aliki Theofilopoulos and '' Amphibia'' story editor Jack Ferriolo will serve as creators and showrunners. The duo will also executive-produce the series alongsideCrew
Cast
Reception
Reception for the films have generally been positive. On Rotten Tomatoes, ''Zombies 2'' has an approval rating of 100% based on 5 reviews, with an average score of 7.4/10, while ''Zombies 3'' has an approval rating of 80% based on 5 reviews, with an average score of 7.8/10.References
{{Disney franchises Disney Channel Original Movie films Films shot in Toronto Comedy film franchises Film series introduced in 2018 Disney Media Networks franchises