By Shannon McGrew
In NIGHT OF THE ZOOPOCALYPSE, after a meteor unleashes a virus that turns zoo animals into zombies, a mountain lion (David Harbour) and wolf (Gabbi Kosmidis) lead a team of surviving animals to stop the virus and rescue their zoo.
For the release of NIGHT OF THE ZOOPOCALYPSE, Creepy Kingdom's Shannon McGrew spoke with actors Gabbi Kosmidis and Scott Thompson, who voice Gracie the Fox and Ash the Ostrich, respectively. During their chat, they discussed everything from their approach to voice work and character development to the film's unique animation style.
Thank you both for taking the time to chat with me today. To start things off, what drew you both to the project?
Gabbi Kosmidis: I was lucky enough to get a little audition. Then, I was lucky enough to book the gig, and when I got to read the script, I was super excited because I am a big fan of horror and grew up loving genre films. Getting to make one that my nieces could watch, or any child was exciting for me.
Scott Thompson: I like animation. I don't have any little children in my life but I wanted to expand my audience. Plus, my character is ludicrous [Laughs].
Every actor has a process for voice work and a way of approaching it. What approach did you both use for Gracie and Ash?
Scott Thompson: [Ash's] voice was close to my own, I just made him a little more hysterical, so basically me [Laughs]. I was told to sound like myself so I guess I sound like an ostrich.
Gabbi Kosmidis: When I had auditioned originally, I added a slight twang, but it wasn't near what [Gracie] had in the end. Since the rest of her family has a strong Appalachian twang, I was asked to bring something [similar] forward. Then talking with the directors, we came up with her little twangy accent.
Were you both able to see concept art of your characters, and how did that inform your performance?
Gabbi Kosmidis: Knowing what [Gracie's] mouth or legs look like would inform how she would move or how I would make a sound, cause she does a lot of running. She's endlessly running. I do think the animators definitely used what we brought forward to animate the characters on top of that.
Scott Thompson: My character looks goofy. I'm a bit of an ostrich, I can be hysterical and I don't mean that in the funny way [Laughs]. The biggest thing you get from a director is [to be] louder, bigger, faster - kids need more.
Were you both able to be in the room together while performing, or was it a more insulated process?
Scott Thompson: No, but we had some good readers!
Gabbi Kosmidis: We had the amazing Scott Farley. He read every other character in that script. He also voices some of the animals in the film and the antelope at one point. He was so helpful to have around and to play off of because it's so much better than being insular in a little booth pretending you're talking to people.
What's the most surprising or challenging part of doing voice work?
Scott Thompson: Years ago, I did a television show, a cartoon called "RoboRoach," which is a kids' show. I did it with Ted Dykstra, and we were actually in the booth together. We were really lucky. That's what I miss.
Gabbi Kosmidis: I'm on "Unicorn Academy," and we recorded together as an ensemble, which is unheard of.
What do you think makes this film stand out in animated horror films?
Scott Thompson: It looks different than any other animation film I've seen. It has a totally different look. It's very original. I wouldn't say it's adult, but it's psychedelic.
Gabbi Kosmidis: It's definitely psychedelic. It's very colorful and bubbly, which helps to juxtapose it.
NIGHT OF THE ZOOPOCALYPSE is now in theaters.