George A. Romero’s 1968 horror classic Night of the Living Dead is getting the animated remake treatment with Night of the Animated Dead, and IGN can exclusively reveal the first trailer for this star-studded recreation. The Warner Bros. Home Entertainment film will be released digitally on September 21, 2021, and on Blu-Ray Combo Pack & DVD on October 5, 2021.
Check out the video player above or the embed below to get a taste of what’s in store for this new take on Night of the Living Dead that features never-before-seen, exclusive animated scenes not found in the original live-action film.
Night of the Animated Dead tells the story of siblings Babara and Johnny who are visiting their father’s grave in a remote cemetery in Pennsylvania when they are unexpectedly attacked by zombies. Barbara flees and finds herself in an abandoned farmhouse alongside motorist Ben and four local survivors hiding in the cellar. They must work together and fight to stay alive against the oncoming horde of zombies while also confronting their own fears and prejudices.
This animated film featured the voice talent of Transformers’ Josh Duhamel as Harry Cooper, The West Wing’s Dule Hill as Ben, Ginger Snaps’ Katharine Isabelle as Barbara, A Million Little Things’ James Roday Rodriguez as Tom, The Mandalorian’s Katee Sackhoff as Judy, MadTV’s Will Sasso as Sheriff McClelland, Westworld’s Jimmi Simpson as Johnny, and Last Man Standing’s Nancy Travis as Helen Cooper.
Presented by The Long Game in association with Hemisphere Entertainment, Night of the Animated Dead is directed by To Your Last Death’s Jason Axinn and is executive produced by Richard Potter, Thomas DeFeo, and Jamie Elliott.
The film’s producers include Ralph E. Portillo, p.g.a., Robert Feldman, p.g.a., and Kevin Kasha. Animation services were provided by Demente Animation Studio.
The Blu-Ray and DVD special features include the Making of the Animated Dead, which features director Jason Axinn and producer Michael Luisi sharing a bit of behind-the-scenes info and how they handled the “careful process of honoring the iconic classic with their vision for an animated remake, including screen breakdowns and booth recordings with the cast.”
George A. Romero, who died in 2017 at the age of 77, was responsible for originating the now-universal depiction of zombies as shambling, flesh-eating hordes. Alongside Night of the Living Dead – which we ranked fourth on our list of the Top 25 Monster Movies – Romero also directed Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Land of the Dead, Diary of the Dead, Survival of the Dead, and many more.
For more, check out Night of the Animated Dead’s box art and the news about how Romero’s widow Suzanne is developing Twilight of the Dead, a new movie based on a project the late director was working on before his death.