Consider it an early Christmas gift: “Anna and the Apocalypse” is the zombie horror holiday musical you didn’t know you needed.
Just imagining that first pitch meeting is entertainment in itself. “It’s ‘High School Musical’ meets ‘World War Z!’ No no, it’s ‘Glee’ meets ‘Shaun of the Dead!’ Hold on … it’s Christmas! OK, ‘Love Actually’ meets ‘The Walking Dead!’ ”
Whatever its cinematic antecedents, “Anna,” which boasts an appealing cast of fresh-faced newcomers and a quirky Scottish sensibility, is charming, often clever, and unexpectedly moving, too. And who’s to say we’re not ready for a zombie horror holiday musical? Compared to your average TV newscast these days, it’s positively relaxing.
The film, directed by John McPhail with catchy original songs by Roddy Hart and Tommy Reilly, has a sad backstory. It’s based on a BAFTA-winning short film, “Zombie Musical,” by Ryan McHenry, who died at age 27 of cancer in 2015 just as his project was on the way to becoming a feature film. (He shares a writing credit here with Alan McDonald.)