On this page, Danny Gonzalez reviewed the Disney Channel Original Movie Zombies in his recently uploaded video on Youtube with titled – I’M Z-O-M-B-I-E-S. This movie offers a strange allegory for racism in America. It portrays humans living side by side with a community of zombies, where the zombies are the minorities in the metaphor.
Typical Disney Channel Movies vs. Zombies
Most Disney Channel movies follow the same pattern – a not-so-popular kid getting ready for their first or last day of school with bland pop music playing in the background. However, Zombies was a refreshing change from that norm. The intro to the movie is a fun little cartoon about how 50 years ago, a power plant explosion in the town of Seabrook turned half the town’s population into zombies.
The Z-Band
In the present day, zombies are no longer as dangerous as they once were, thanks to a device called the z-band. This device delivers a dose of soothing electromagnetic pulses that keep the zombies from eating brains. As a result, half the characters in the movie are zombies, but because of the z-band, they do not have the urge to kill people.
The scene where the Z-band malfunctions:
- Coach sees Zed’s insane display of athleticism and asks him to join the football team despite the risk of him turning into a zombie.
- Zed joins the football team, but his Z-band malfunctions easily.
- This scene is a terrible metaphor for racism as it portrays people treated differently because of their appearance and the possibility of them turning violent.
Zombies in School
In the movie, zombies are still walled off from the rest of the town, live in the slums, and wear government-issued clothes. However, things have changed for the better, and zombies are now allowed to attend the human school. Zed, a zombie, is super excited because today is the first day that zombies are allowed to attend the human school. He is especially excited to try out for the football team.
The segregation of zombies:
- Addison tries to talk to Zed in public, but she gets dragged away by the other cheerleaders who lecture her about being different.
- Addison is not allowed to hang out with Zed in public, so they hang out in the zombie safe room.
- Zombies have been given privileges, but they are still segregated from the rest of the school.
The football game:
- Zed plays the first football game of the season, but his Z-band is in normal mode.
- To keep his privileges, Zed convinces Eliza to hack his Z-band and turn him halfway to full zombie.
- Zed’s performance is great, but he goes insane and punches and kills the opposing team.
Addison – The Human Main Character
Addison lives on the human side of town where everybody is normal. In fact, everybody on this side of town hates anyone who is different, even if it is just a little bit. This means that if you are a zombie, they will hate you. Addison is the classic DCOM popular girl. She is blonde, a cheerleader, and is excited to try out for the cheerleading team. However, she has one secret – her hair is white, which is a little bit different. She fears that if anyone outside her family found out, she would never be allowed to cheer.
The Songs in the Movie
All the songs in the movie are forgettable, and not catchy at all. However, they do offer some insight into the movie’s lore. For instance, in the first song, we learn that the zombies have their own language, which is surprising since the power plant accident happened 50 years ago. We also meet a radical zombie, Eliza, who believes that zombies deserve better treatment and need to rise up.