[2] The film is based on the unaired pilot Zombies & Cheerleaders by David Light and Joseph Raso, and stars Milo Manheim and Meg Donnelly, playing zombie football player Zed and human cheerleader Addison who meet and fall in love, and who must lead their respective groups to coexist with each other.

[4][5] The franchise that has spawned from the film resulted in the release of a sequel, Zombies 2, which premiered on Disney Channel on February 14, 2020.

She then rips off her wig exposing her naturally white hair, which she had hidden due to the residents of Seabrook being against anything different, angering her parents.

[10] Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media rated the movie 3 out of 5 stars, praising the positive message and role models, stating, "There's stereotyping on both sides of the divide for most of the story, as well as some mean-spirited exchanges between humans and zombies, often driven by adults.

But the relationship that develops between a human girl (Meg Donnelly) and a zombie boy (Milo Manheim) has a big impact, inspiring their peers to set aside misconceptions and befriend each other.

"[4] Rachel Wagner of Rotoscopers.com rated the movie 4 out of 5 stars, stating, "If you are a fan of the recent Disney Channel musicals then you will definitely love Zombies.

"[11] Kyle Burbank of Laughing Place gave the film 3.5 out of 5, writing, "While it may seem strange to single out, perhaps my favorite part of Zombies was the production design.

[12] During its premiere in the 8:00 PM time slot, Zombies attracted a total of 2.57 million viewers with a 0.46 rating for people aged 18–49.

[15][16] In February 2019, it was announced that a Zombies sequel was going into production with returning stars, director, and writers; filming took place in spring 2019.

[19][20] Production began on the sequel in May 2019, with Pearce Joza, Chandler Kinney, and Ariel Martin joining the cast of the film.