Night of the Zoopocalypse

by Mike McGranaghan

Clive Barker is not typically associated with family fare. Nevertheless, the Hellraiser creator gets a “story inspired by” credit on the animated movie Night of the Zoopocalypse. Parents need not worry. There are no Cenobites or S&M imagery here. This is a PG-rated horror-comedy where all the scary stuff is presented in a humorous manner that will only terrify the most sensitive of children. If your kiddos are curious about horror but not yet ready for the hard stuff, the picture makes a good introduction to the genre.

The setting is the Colepepper Zoo, a place with lots of animals, amusement park rides, and attractions. One night, a meteor hits the zoo, unleashing a virus that turns infected animals into gelatinous mutant creatures with glowing eyes and nasty temperaments. A small group of survivors escapes the virus. They include a mountain lion (voiced by David Harbour), a wolf, a pygmy hippo, and a cinema-obsessed lemur. With danger lurking in every corner, the group must either find a way to get out of the zoo or determine how to undo the virus’s effect.

Night of the Zoopocalypse has animation that’s enormously fun to look at. The filmmakers rely on a color palate with a heavy emphasis on purple and green, creating a throwback feel to vintage zombie tales. Common horror shots are recreated, too, from quick camera zooms toward a screaming character to action presented in a tilted image. The mutants offer additional pleasure. Whenever an animal becomes infected, it’s able to reconfigure its own body, leading to very creative visuals, along with some of the movie’s biggest laughs.

You won’t find much storytelling depth here. The plot has a theme about working together, although it makes fun of its own cliché by having the lemur point out that such messages are commonplace in cinema. By and large, the picture is just a ride, with some form of crazy mayhem taking place every few minutes. A proboscis monkey desperately fleeing an army of zombified tree frogs is a particular highlight, as is an escape sequence that utilizes the zoo’s chair lift ride.

So basically, this is Night of the Living Dead meets Madagascar. That unlikely combination works because it’s carried out with abundant humor and a working knowledge of horror tropes. Night of the Zoopocalypse may not be on the same level as Paranorman or Monster House, but it’s solid family entertainment that will delight children while still holding their parents’ attention.

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