Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampireswill likely prompt a number of rewatches of the widerZombiesfranchise, but some installments are better than others. The Disney Channel musical franchise kicked off in 2018, following the adventures of teenage zombie Zed (Milo Manheim) and half-human, half-alien cheerleader Addison (Meg Donnelly) after they overcome prejudice and fall in love.
The arrival of2025’sZombies 4: Dawn of the Vampiresnow sees the franchise tied asthe longest-running series of Disney Channel original musicals of all time. It is currently ranked alongsideDescendants(which has four movies) andHigh School Musical(which has three flagship movies and the 2011 spinoff movieSharpay’s Fabulous Adventure).
While it will soon be lapped by theupcomingDescendants 5,theZombiesfranchise occupies a special place in Disney Channel historyas both one of their most robust series and one of their most contemporary. Here is how they stack up against one another, includingDawn of the Vampires, which debuted on Disney+ on July 11.
Zombiesis a solidDisney Channel Original Movie(DCOM), otherwise it would not have launched such a robust franchise. However, as is the fate of many franchise progenitors fromStar WarstoThe TerminatortoThe Evil Dead,it contains many elements that would be improved upon in later installments.
This includes the music. While the songs incorporate a rap element that is not foregrounded in earlier Disney Channel musical franchises such asHigh School Musical,Camp Rock, orTeen Beach Movie,the music is otherwise cheerful but generic bubblegum pop, the likes of which would be expected from a DCOM of the late 2010s.
TheCamp RockandTeen Beachfranchises only had two feature-length installments apiece.
The musical numbers themselves would also become more exhilarating down the road. The choreography in the originalZombiestrends toward a generic, peppy Disney Channel style, thoughthe creative spark of later movies can be seen in “BAMM,“a number that incorporates a trampoline floor, lending the choreography an almost supernatural aspect that highlights the special abilities of zombiekind.
Additionally, while the first movie boasts one of the least sprawling casts of the franchise,its storytelling isn’t very tidy. It attempts to use the rift between zombies and humans as a metaphor for a number of real-world historical issues, including school integration and apartheid, and the sheer number of parallels results in the allegory feeling unfocused and confusing.
However, so much of what the movie is doing provides a road map for the franchise. This includessetting up the character arcs of Addison discovering her true ancestryand Zed being torn between assimilation and embracing his uniqueness, as well as establishing characters who would become mainstays of the franchise, including Zed’s tech whiz best friend Eliza (Kylee Russell).
There are a number of elements ofZombies 4: Dawn of the Vampiresthat are the best in the franchise. This includes the performances of Milo Manheim and Meg Donnelly, both of whom have spent four movies continuing to perfect their characters and whoreach their pinnacle of both comedy and emotionalityin the fourth installment.
Additionally, the soundtrack containsthe most varied and exciting array of musical influences of the quadrilogy. WhileZombies 2andZombies 3also had more complex soundtracks than the original movie, the musical references range from 2010s R&B to Green Day and beyond, resulting in a textured and effortlessly listenable roster of songs.
However, there are somedemerits that placeDawn of the Vampiresat the middle of the pack. For instance, theZombies 4cast only includes four returning characters, namely Zed, Addison, Eliza, and the werewolf pack leader Willa (Pretty Little Liars: Summer SchoolstarChandler Kinney).
It seems clear that the vampires and daywalkers introduced in the movie are meant to be the characters that Zed and Addison pass the torch to for future installments. However, the romance between lead vampire Victor (Malachi Barton) and lead daywalker Nova (Freya Skye) suffers from feeling likea more shallow retread of Zed and Addison’s romance.
Additionally, while the music is excellent,the choreography inZombies 4is the weakest since the original installment, featuring only a few scattered moments that harness the exuberant energy of the franchise’s best production numbers.
Ultimately,Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampiresis perhaps the most solid entry in the franchise in terms of its construction and execution. However, this results in itfeeling the most like any other Disney Channel musical. In fact, its summer camp setting makes it seem like it is attempting to be something of an update onCamp Rock’s format.
However,theZombiesfranchise is at its best when it is at its most overloaded and chaotic, as its overstuffed nature allows it to pursue kooky story avenues that see it reaching dizzyingly creative heights.
Zombies 3is proof that the franchise biting off more than it can chew can pay dividends. The numbers reach their peak in this installment, whichseeks to dazzle the audience at every opportunity, using the arrival of aliens to build an EDM rave element into both the music and the choreography.
This is what makes the massive production number “Alien Invasion” such a standout, in addition to the synchronized KPop dance moves of the extraterrestrials andthe production value of the descending mothership wreaking havoc on one of Seabrook’s main streets.
However,Zombies 3also excels at classic musical theater moments, as shown in the number “Ain’t No Doubt About It,” which sees Zed and Addison trying to forcibly ignore their doubts about the future of their relationship while dancing cheerily through dangerous situations. It’s an exquisitely designed and unforgettable sequence that feels like a live-action cartoon.
However, the highs ofZombies 3’s musicality are met withfranchise lows in terms of storytelling. It would be more or less impossible for any franchise to sustain the number of characters that the third installment has, let alone one with as slippery a grip on metaphor and allegory asZombies.
The movie’s narrative dashes around distractedly,groaning under the weight of a gargantuan ensemblethat now has major speaking roles for four zombies, five and a half human cheerleaders, three werewolves, and three and a half aliens.
However,Never Have I Ever’s Terry Hu andHigh School Musical: The Musical: The SeriesstarMatt Cornett in particular do shine as two of the new aliens, sothe addition of another group of characters to the franchise isn’t all bad.
Zombies 2occupies the perfect middle groundbetween the original movie andZombies 3. Narratively, it reaches a good balance, allowing the travails of the new werewolf characters, primarily Willa, Wyatt (Pearce Joza), and Wynter (Ariel Martin), to inform Addison’s character arc while servicing an unusually focused metaphor for how indigenous populations are treated by colonizers.
Ariel Martin is a social media personality who is primarily known as Baby Ariel.
Additionally, while its musical numbers don’t reach the heights ofZombies 3, there arewell-staged moments including the stick dance in “Call to the Wild,“and the music begins to stray from its uniform bubblegum tone.
While the introductory number “We Got This” shows that the franchise can still excel at bubblegum, the Bruno Mars-esque number “Like The Zombies Do” and especially the Rihanna-infused “We Own the Night” show thatthe sequel has a handle on a much broader spectrum of sounds.
While all four of theZombiesmovies have their own unique strengths,Zombies 2feels like a greatest hits package of what each of the other movies has to offer.
