Zombies (franchise)

American musical media franchise

For the 1970s horror film series, see Zombi (film series).

Zombies

Original work| Zombies and Cheerleaders
by David Light and Joseph Raso
Owners| Disney Channel
Disney Branded Television
Years| 2018–present
Films and television
Animated series| Zombies: The Re-Animated Series (2024)
Television short(s)| Zombies: Addison's Moonstone Mystery (2020–2021)
Television film(s)|

* Zombies (2018)
* Zombies 2 (2020)
* Zombies 3 (2022)
* Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires (2025)

Theatrical presentations
Musical(s)|

* Descendants/Zombies: Worlds Collide Tour (2025)

Miscellaneous
Directed by| Paul Hoen
Produced by|

* Mary Pantelidis (1-3)
* Skot Bright (4)

Written by|

* David Light
* Joseph Raso
* Josh Cagan (4)

Music by|

* George S. Clinton (1-3)
* Amit May Cohen (2 and 3)
* Tom Howe (4)

Starring|

* Milo Manheim
* Meg Donnelly

Cinematography|

* Robert Drinkmann (1)
* Rudolf Blahacek (2)
* Christian Herrera (3)
* Carlos González (4)

Edited by|

* Lisa Jane Robison (1)
* Lisa Binkley (2-4)

The Zombies franchise consists of four musical adventure-comedy films directed by Paul Hoen, three Disney Channel Original Movies and one film that premiered on Disney+ before airing on Disney Channel. Written by David Light and Joseph Raso, the series consists of Zombies (2018), Zombies 2 (2020), Zombies 3 (2022), and Zombies 4 (2025). The franchise stars Milo Manheim as Zed and Meg Donnelly as Addison. Zombies premiered on Disney Channel on February 16, 2018, Zombies 2 premiered on Disney Channel on February 14, 2020, and Zombies 3 premiered on Disney+ on July 15, 2022 before airing on Disney Channel on August 12, 2022. Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires premiered on Disney Channel on July 10, 2025. It was originally meant to be a television series titled Zombies and Cheerleaders, but it was never developed, and was instead remade as the film Zombies.[citation needed]

## Film series

[edit]

### Zombies (2018)

[edit]

Main article: Zombies (2018 film)

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.[1] Its trailer was released on January 5, 2018.[2] Zombies was released on February 16, 2018. The film was watched by 2.6 million viewers on its premiere night.[3][4]

### Zombies 2 (2020)

[edit]

Main article: Zombies 2

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.[5] 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.[6] The film was released on February 14, 2020, watched by 2.5 million viewers[7] and received positive reviews.

### Zombies 3 (2022)

[edit]

Main article: Zombies 3

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 Milo Manheim returning to star.[8] Paul Hoen was also reported to be returning as director as well as David Light and Joseph Raso as writers.[9] Light, Raso and Suzanne Farwell will executive produce.[10][11] On May 19, 2021, Matt Cornett, Kyra Tantao and Terry Hu joined the cast as A-Lan, A-Li and A-Spen.[12] Chandler Kinney, Pearce Joza, Ariel Martin, Trevor Tordjman, Carla Jeffery, Kylee Russell, James Godfrey and Kingston Foster were reported to be reprising their roles. Production began on May 31, 2021.[13] In May 2022, it was announced that RuPaul would be voicing the mothership. It was also announced that the film would premiere on July 15, 2022 on Disney+ as an original film, with an extended version premiering on Disney Channel on August 12.[14]

### Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires (2025)

[edit]

Main article: Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires

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.[15] In March 2024, Swayam Bhatia, Julian Lerner, Mekonnen Knife, Lisa Chappell, and Jonno Roberts joined the cast.[16] Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires premiered on Disney Channel on July 10, 2025.[17]

## Television series

[edit]

### Zombies: Addison's Moonstone Mystery / Zombies: Addison's Monster Mystery

[edit]

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.[18] 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

[edit]

Main article: 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 alongside Gary Marsh and the films' writers Joseph Russo and David Light.[19][20] Zombies: The Re-animated Series Shorts premiered on July 21, 2023 on Disney Channel,[21] and the full series debuted on June 28, 2024.[15]

## Live performances

[edit]

### Descendants/Zombies: Worlds Collide Tour (2025)

[edit]

At the Disney Entertainment Showcase on August 9, 2024, held during the D23 Expo, Disney Branded Television, Disney Concerts, Disney Music Group, and AEG announced the Descendants/Zombies: Worlds Collide Tour, set for summer 2025.[22][23] The tour will bring together stars from both the Descendants and Zombies franchises, with appearances by the Descendants: The Rise of Red and Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires stars Kylie Cantrall, Malia Baker, Dara Reneé, Ruby Rose Turner, Freya Skye and Malachi Barton. The tour will be an immersive and interactive live concert experience celebrating music from both franchises and will be held in arenas across the United States, from July 17 through September 16, 2025. [24][25] On June 27, 2025, the cast of the tour released the single "Worlds Collide", with vocals from Kylie Cantrall, Malia Baker, Dara Reneé, Joshua Colley, Malachi Barton, Freya Skye and Mekonnen Knife.[26]

## Crew

[edit]

Year  | Film  | Director  | Producer  | Writers  | Composer(s)  | Cinematographers  | Editor

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

2018  | Zombies | Paul Hoen | Mary Pantelidis  | David Light & Joseph Raso  | George S. Clinton | Robert Drinkmann  | Lisa Jane Robinson
2020  | Zombies 2 | George S. Clinton and Amit May Cohen  | Rudolf Blahacek  | Lisa Binkley
2022  | Zombies 3 | Christian Herrera
2025  | Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires | Skot Bright  | David Light & Joseph Raso and Josh Cagan | Tom Howe | Carlos González

## Cast

[edit]

List indicators

This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in the series.

* An empty grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
* V indicates a voice-only role.

Character  | Films  | Television series

|
|

Zombies | Zombies 2 | Zombies 3 | Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires | Zombies: Addison's Moonstone Mystery | Zombies: The Re-Animated Series
2018  | 2020  | 2022  | 2025  | 2020–2021  | 2024–present
Zed Necrodopolis  | Milo Manheim
Addison Wells  | Meg Donnelly
Bucky Buchanan  | Trevor Tordjman  |  | Trevor Tordjman
Eliza Zambi  | Kylee Russell
Bree  | Carla Jeffery  |  | Carla Jeffery
Zoey Necrodopolis  | Kingston Foster  |  | Kingston Foster
Bonzo  | James Godfrey  |  | James Godfrey
Principal Lee  | Naomi Snieckus |  | Naomi Snieckus
Coach  | Jonathan Langdon |  | Jonathan Langdon
Dale Wells  | Paul Hopkins |
Missy Wells  | Marie Wards  |
Zevon Necrodopolis  | Tony Nappo |
Lacey  | Emilia McCarthy |
Stacey  | Jasmine Renee Thomas  |
Tracey  | Mickeey Nguyen  |
Willa Lykensen  |  | Chandler Kinney
Wyatt Lykensen  |  | Pearce Joza  |  | Pearce Joza
Wynter Barkowitz  |  | Ariel Martin |  | Ariel Martin
Kevin "Jacey"  |  | Noah Zulfikar  |
A-Lan  |  | Matt Cornett |
A-Li  |  | Kyra Tantao  |
A-Spen  |  | Terry Hu  |  | Terry Hu
The Mothership  |  | RuPaul CharlesV |
Angie  |  | Sheila McCarthy |
Nova Bright  |  | Freya Skye |
Victor  |  | Malachi Barton |
Vera  |  | Swayam Bhatia  |
Ray  |  | Julian Lerner  |
Vargas  |  | Mekonnen Knife  |
Commander Bright  |  | Jonno Roberts  |
Vampire Eldress  |  | Lisa Chappell |

## Critical response

[edit]

Each film is linked to the "Critical response" section of its article.

Film  | Rotten Tomatoes

|

Zombies | —
Zombies 2 | 100% (5 reviews)[27]
Zombies 3 | 75% (8 reviews)[28]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Evans, Greg (May 11, 2017). "Production Begins On Disney Channel's 'Zombies' For 2018 Premiere". Deadline. Archived from the original on May 12, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
2. ^ Lenker, Maureen Lee (January 5, 2018). "Disney Channel original movie 'Zombies' to unite cheerleaders and zombies in a new musical". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
3. ^ "Ratings - Disney Channel's Original Movie "Zombies" Reaches 10.3 Million Viewers Over the Holiday Weekend". The Futon Critic (Press release). February 20, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2021 - via Disney Channel Press Release.
4. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (February 16, 2018). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Friday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.16.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 15, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
5. ^ Haring, Bruce (February 11, 2019). "Disney's Zombies 2 Sequel Heads into Production with Returning Stars, Director, Writers". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 11, 2019. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
6. ^ "Zombies 2 Show Bios". Walt Disney Television Press (Press release). Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
7. ^ "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Friday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.14.2020". Showbuzz Daily. February 14, 2020. Archived from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
8. ^ Johnson, Zach (March 22, 2021). "Production Begins This Spring on Disney Channel's ZOMBIES 3". D23. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
9. ^ Pedersen, Erik (March 22, 2021). "'Zombies 3': Disney Channel Digs Up Second Sequel; Meg Donnelly & Milo Manheim Return As Franchise Goes Intergalactic". Deadline. Archived from the original on March 23, 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
10. ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (March 22, 2021). "'Zombies 3' Greenlighted at Disney Channel". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
11. ^ Sandwell, Ian (March 23, 2021). "Zombies 3: Everything you need to know". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
12. ^ "Breaking News — Matt Cornett, Kyra Tantao and Terry Hu Land Out-of-This-World Roles in "Zombies 3," The Third Installment of Disney Channel's Highly Popular Franchise". The Futon Critic (Press release). May 19, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2021 - via Disney Channel press release.
13. ^ Petski, Denise (May 19, 2021). "'Zombies 3': Matt Cornett, Kyra Tantao, Terry Hu Join Disney Channel Movie". Deadline. Archived from the original on May 20, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
14. ^ Nolfi, Joey (May 20, 2022). "RuPaul joins Disney's Zombies 3 movie as the mother of all alien spaceships". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 23, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
15. ^ a b Campione, Katie (February 10, 2024). "Zombies 4: Disney Channel Franchise Expands With Another Sequel Film & New Animated Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 17, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
16. ^ Cordero, Rosy (March 26, 2024). "Disney's Zombies 4 Rounds Out Cast As Production Begins In New Zealand". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 26, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
17. ^ Petski, Denise (April 22, 2025). "'Zombies 4: Dawn Of The Vampires' Disney Channel Movie Gets Premiere Date & First Trailer". Deadline. Archived from the original on June 27, 2025. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
18. ^ Damore, Meagan (October 2, 2020). "Disney's Zombies Animated Shorts Land a Spooky Release Date (Exclusive)". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on November 2, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
19. ^ Pedersen, Lise (June 15, 2022). "Disney Reveals Animated Series Slate at Annecy Festival (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on July 12, 2022. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
20. ^ @alikigreeky (June 15, 2022). "Some news" (Tweet) - via Twitter.
21. ^ Disney Channel [@DisneyChannel] (June 13, 2023). "Get ready! Here's your first look at the Seabrook crew in #ZOMBIESReanimated. ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series Shorts premieres on July 21 on @DisneyChannel, and keep your eyes peeled for the full series, which will be here before you know it!" (Tweet). Retrieved February 21, 2024 - via Twitter.
22. ^ Faber, Maxon (August 10, 2024). "Video: Rita Ora Announces "Descendants/Zombies: Worlds Collide Tour" at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event". LaughingPlace.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
23. ^ Sharpe, Josh (August 12, 2024). "'Descendants/Zombies: Worlds Collide Tour' Coming in Summer 2025". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
24. ^ "The Unmatched Power of Disney Storytelling on Display from Disney Entertainment on Night One of D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event". The Walt Disney Company. August 9, 2024. Archived from the original on August 11, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
25. ^ Aniftos, Rania (November 8, 2024). "Disney's Descendants/Zombies: Worlds Collide Tour Sets Summer 2025 Dates". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 16, 2025. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
26. ^ Becker, Amy (June 27, 2025). "Disney releases 'Worlds Collide,' a new franchise mashup song for the 'Descendants/Zombies' tour". ABC. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
27. ^ "Zombies 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
28. ^ "Zombies 3". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 28, 2024.

* v
* t
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Zombies franchise

Films|

* Zombies (2018)
* soundtrack
* Zombies 2 (2020)
* soundtrack
* Zombies 3 (2022)
* soundtrack
* Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires (2025)
* soundtrack

Television series|

* Zombies: The Re-Animated Series (2024)

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