"Z-O-M-B-I-E-S"

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You've probably heard this story before, boy meets girl, girl likes boy, girl and boy get torn apart because she's a cheerleader and he's a zombie. Okay, maybe not quite that part, but the rest is true in this new Disney Channel Original Movie that takes a page out of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" and brings a little bit of school spirit.

Fifty years ago in an ideal little Stepford-like town called Seabrook, an incident created a green haze that turned many into brain-eating zombies. Building a wall between them, the people of Seabrook and the zombies of what would become zombie town became two different worlds.
Now in present day, zombies no longer crave brains because of a wristband device that sends signals to the brain making them more human-like in order to live more normal lives, but the distrust and prejudice from humans is still strong, even when offered the chance to go to Seabrook High School.
On the first day there, Zed (Milo Manheim) a zombie who dreams of playing football meets Addison (Meg Donnelly) an aspiring cheerleader and there is an instant connection.
Yet despite the integration of the school, there is no desire to accept the zombies from the student body, especially from the high and might cheer squad and its captain and Addison's cousin Bucky (Trevor Tordjman), but with the help of Zed's friends Eliza (Kylee Russell) and Bonzo (James Godfrey) they might just yet find the courage to make others see that differences make you who you are and that individuality should be celebrated and cheered on.

This isn't the first time Disney has taken Shakespeare's work and made original pieces. The Lion King 1 and 2 were based off of "Hamlet" and "Romeo and Juliet" and another Disney Channel Original Movie "Let It Shine" was inspired by "Cyrano". This was more "Romeo and Juliet" meets "High School Musical". Yet the contrast between Seabrook with its primped and polished pastel vanilla society verses the grungy, ripped and edgy world of Zombie Town was fascinating. It helped the musical numbers that were performed for each different side to illustrate their differences, yet still having settings of neutral territory for where the differences are no longer a factor. While it will probably never make Broadway, it will give kids and some adults a chance to learn about being individuals and not giving into the pressures of intolerance. For that amazing message, I give this family friendly film three and half stars, and not just because a zombie ate half of one of the stars. If you wish to catch it again, it will be playing again on Monday at 7 on the Disney Channel. Go Zombies!

⭐⭐⭐½

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