Premiering on Disney Channel on June 28, ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series puts a spin on Disney’s beloved Zombies franchise. When the Seabrook crew is transported to an alternate timeline, they’re given the chance to redo their senior year of high school. Milo Manheim and The Winchesters‘ Meg Donnelly are back as Zed and Addison, and they’re joined by their friends Eliza, Willa, Wyatt, Wynter, A-spen, and Bree. The characters are all determined to make the best of the opportunity, but the second time around may be just as difficult to navigate as the first.

Chandler Kinney and Kylee Russell express their excitement for the new series, teasing new characters, plotlines, and songs. Russell notes that the animated aspect allows the Zombies franchise to explore endless possibilities and heightens the comedy like never before. While star-crossed romance and the group’s friendship remain the heart of the show, there will be plenty of fresh stories for long-time fans to enjoy.

Chandler Kinney and Kylee Russell chat with Screen Rant about the series’ new direction and what their characters are up to in ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series.

ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series Stays True To The Heart Of The Franchise

Screen Rant: You’ve both been playing these characters in different capacities and in different projects for years, but what excites you most about the direction of ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series?

Chandler Kinney: There’s not one thing that excites me the most. It all gets me so jazzed. I’m so happy to talk about it. We have so many new storylines and plots, and we see these characters in so many different lights that we’ve never really gotten a chance to see them in before.

We have new characters, we have new species, we have new worlds, new villains, new threats, new songs. [We have] so many new things, but also keep true to the heart of the franchise and the messages that we bring to the screen and the friendship at the heart of it all. We’re really excited. We’re so excited for people to see it.

Kylee Russell: I love that, because it’s animated, the possibilities are literally endless. The randomness and the comedy is just so out of this world. I’m just so excited and cannot wait for it to come out.

Kylee, we know that Eliza is excited to hit the books again this year, but how will school differ for her now that we have this redo?

Kylee Russell: She’s a little bit of a mad scientist, but she’s still super chill and cool about it. She comes up with the most out of this world inventions, and I cannot wait for people to see them. It’s really funny to see the things that she makes for something so simple.

What about Willa? How might this year change things up for her?

Chandler Kinney: I think for Willa, you just get to learn more about werewolves and werewolf culture. You definitely get to learn more about the wolves, which I think is really cool, because they’re kind of like a mysterious, elusive species, and so to dive more into their world and their intricacies and quirks is really fun and makes for some really silly storylines.

ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series Will Feature More Of Eliza And Zed’s Friendship

I love Eliza’s friendship with Zed. I feel like it wouldn’t be Zombies if he wasn’t getting your character caught up in some kind of shenanigans. Is there anything that you can share about their relationship in this new show?

Kylee Russell: You definitely do see more of them. I feel like in the movies, you know they’re best friends, but in the cartoon you can tell that they grew up together, they know each other. They really are like brother and sister. There’ll be times where Eliza gets Zed out of trouble, times Zed gets Eliza out of trouble. You will see much more of their friendship, and they’re so funny together. I can’t wait.

Chandler Kinney: I feel like Eliza keeps Zed in check constantly.

Kylee Russell: One-hundred percent.

You mentioned some new characters. What are they going to bring to the series?

Chandler Kinney: I think we can share one new character, and that’s Dae, who we love so much. Dae is so sweet and quirky and a little bit awkward and introverted. Something that I love about the Zombies franchise is that it is this massive friend group, but there’s really representation for everyone in every way. No matter your walk of life, no matter your experience, I think everybody gets to see themselves on screen.

I do think a little gap that we were missing personality-wise was maybe someone a little bit more quiet and to themselves and needs maybe a little nudge to get out of their comfort zone or step out of their shell, and Dae brings that in a really beautiful, endearing way. I’m excited for people to get to know her.

About ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series

From the uber-popular “ZOMBIES” franchise, “ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series” invites us into the daily lives of Zed, Addison, Eliza, Willa, Wyatt, Wynter, A-spen, Bree and the entire Seabrook crew. The friends may have figured out each other, but they haven’t quite figured out how to survive high school, so alien tech allows them to transport to an alternate timeline and re-do their senior year.

Check out our ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series interview with Milo Manheim and Meg Donnelly as well.

Source: Screen Rant Plus