Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires continues the Disney movie franchise’s tradition of being chock-full of original musical numbers. It is the fourth installment in the Zombies franchise, which kicked off in 2018 with the original movie, which followed the blossoming forbidden love between teenage zombie Zed (Milo Manheim) and cheerleader Addison (Meg Donnelly).
2025’s Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires acts as a legacy sequel, following Zed and Addison – now a long-established couple whose love has helped change the town of Seabrook and heal the rift between zombies and humans – finding themselves in the middle of a conflict between vampires and daywalkers at a supernatural summer camp.
While it remains to be seen if the newly introduced characters will ultimately take up the torch of the franchise, new analogues to Zed and Addison are introduced in the form of peppy daywalker Nova (Freya Skye) and cool vampire Victor (Malachi Barton), who fall in love in spite of the longstanding fear and distrust that exists between their communities.
This story is told through a cavalcade of production numbers, solos, duets, and even multiple reprises of songs from previous installments in the franchise. However, some of the 11 musical numbers are better than others.
11
“Dream Come True” (Intro)
A Pre-prise That’s Too Short To Make An Impression
While this pre-prise is only meant to offer a taste of an upcoming song from the Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM), it is too brief of a taste. The extremely short duration of the intro to “Dream Come True” cuts off so quickly that it feels perfunctory rather than being a proper introduction to the burgeoning love between Victor and Nova.
10
“Show The World”
A Generic Disney Channel Closing Number
“Show the World,” which is performed at the end of Zombies 4, features talented dancers performing solid choreography, but it blends in with the other middle-of-the-pack offerings. Plus, the song is weaker, sounding like something that would play over the closing credits of an animated movie.
The choreographer for Dawn of the Vampires was Dondraico Johnson, who also worked on Zombies 3.
In addition to being musically generic, “Together as One” is thematically generic. DCOMs have long been chasing the glory of High School Musical‘s “We’re All in This Together,” a closing number that features the entire cast singing about having resolved their differences.
However, no copycat number has lived up to that song’s iconic status, including High School Musical 2‘s own “All For One” and the Zombies franchise’s two previous attempts, which were Zombies 2‘s “One for All” and Zombies 3‘s “Nothing But Love.”
9
“My Own Way”
A Solo That Doesn’t Really Stand Out
While Freya Skye is a talented performer with a crystal clear voice, Nova’s big solo number “My Own Way” doesn’t have the energy to be worth spending so much time away from the rest of the Zombies 4 cast. Additionally, the way that the song layers Skye with her own vocals is somewhat jarring for a solo number.
Additionally, just like “Show the World,” Nova’s solo song is too keen to evoke the history of the DCOM, as it doesn’t differentiate itself enough from the song “Gotta Go My Own Way” from High School Musical 2.
8
“Possible”
A Solidly Performed But Underwritten Number
“Possible” has some wonderful harmonic elements that are evocative of Green Day’s 2009 album 21st Century Breakdown, but the lyrics are pretty weak, overusing the underwhelming phrase “impossible is possible.” It also doesn’t have much in the way of choreography, as it’s mostly used to underscore a montage.
7
“Someday” (Reprise)
An Emotional Interpretation Of A Recurring Song
“Someday,” which is the love song performed by Zed and Addison in the original Zombies, has so far been reprised in all four installments in the franchise. What began as the characters expressing their earnest hope for a future where they can love one another openly has since been reinterpreted, mostly as a reflection on how far they’ve come.
While most versions of “Someday” are performed by Milo Manheim and Meg Donnelly alone, the majority of the cast of Zombies 3 performed that movie’s reprise.
Zombies 4‘s “Someday” reprise comes during a moment where Addison is lamenting that she may be about to lose Zed. While Meg Donnelly imbues the number with a great deal of emotion, it doesn’t really fit the scene lyrically, making the song choice feel somewhat random.
6
“Legends In The Making”
A Lively Opening Number
While Zombies 4‘s opening number “Legends in the Making” is lively and an excellent way to open the movie with a burst of energy, the well-performed group choreography doesn’t necessarily stand out against the other numbers in the movie.
However, its final moment, where the returning cast loads themselves up in a car for their summer road trip, is an excellent grace note that evokes classic movie musical moments like Sandy and Danny driving off into the sky in the ending of 1978’s Grease.
5
“Don’t Mess With Us”
A Classic Dance Battle
Along with “The Place to Be,” “Don’t Mess with Us” is one of the songs that was selected as a single to be released ahead of the movie’s debut as part of its promotional campaign. This was a solid choice, because the number illustrates the core conflict of the movie with a fun dance battle.
Additionally, the use of S-shaped sticks that can form hoops adds a creative element to the number and underscores the themes of how two seemingly disparate halves can create unity.
The slow-motion effect [applied to the background dancers] looks strange and ends up being distracting.
However, the thing that puts this song slightly below its fellow lead single is the moment where Nova and Victor meet for the first time, with the other dancers performing in slow motion behind them.
While it is evocative of a similar scene in 2005’s Pride and Prejudice, it doesn’t work as well at isolating the main couple from the rest of the action because the slow-motion effect looks strange and ends up being distracting.
4
“The Place To Be”
One Of The Signature Songs From Zombies 4
It makes sense why “The Place to Be” was chosen as a single from among the other songs on the movie’s soundtrack, because the group number is the one that introduces both the setting of the movie and its core conflict. However, it’s also got a lively and engaging sound, thanks to its motifs of whistles and claps.
In addition to boasting fun choreography where the vampires and the daywalkers mirror each other, foreshadowing the theme that their communities work better together, “The Place to Be” also offers a fun, dynamic moment where the vampires perform in the surf on the beach. The splashing water adds a new dimension to their movements, elevating the entire number.
3
“Dream Come True”
Victor & Nova’s Love Ballad
Victor and Nova’s love ballad “Dream Come True,” when it finally arrives, is not one of the best songs on the soundtrack. The lyrics lean much too hard on the word “yeah,” for one thing, making it feel too much like teenybopper dance music for a ballad. However, while the song itself isn’t particularly impressive, the staging of the number is excellent.
The soaring choreography [mirrors] how their love uplifts them both…
It would already be memorable for the chemistry that Freya Skye and Malachi Barton have as dancers, but it reaches new heights when the characters use Victor’s vampire powers to take to the air, with the soaring choreography mirroring how their love uplifts them both.
2
“Kerosene”
Zed’s Standout Track
One of the most exciting new songs in the original movie musical is “Kerosene,” which is an earwormy rap-rock number that evokes Tinie Tempah’s “Written in the Stars.” The choreography is somewhat underwhelming, though, focusing on pragmatic plot elements (it takes place while Zed is psyching himself up to potentially sacrifice himself to save his community) rather than aesthetic choreography.
Nevertheless, Manheim’s wholehearted commitment to the emotion of his performance makes it one of Zed’s best numbers in the entire franchise. In that way, it is similar to Zac Efron’s performance of “Bet On It” from High School Musical 2, which opts for pure emotional expression rather than flashy choreography.
