Kazoo Films Acquires Clive Barker-Inspired ‘Night of the Zoopocalypse’ For The UK And Strikes Partnership With Viva Pictures

EXCLUSIVE: Having worked together on The Amazing Maurice, distributor Viva Pictures and its newly-minted counterpart Kazoo Films will join forces for animated movie acquisitions. They will jointly acquire family-skewed films with LA-based Viva Pictures handling distribution in the U.S. and UK-based Kazoo taking rights on its home turf.

First up is Night of the Zoopocalypse. The animated film was inspired by a concept from iconic horror scribe Clive Barker. It follows events after a meteor containing a space virus crashes into a zoo, turning the animals into zombies. Two animals, a young wolf and old mountain lion, lead a group of survivors against their monstrous counterparts (check out the teaser below).

More from Deadline

• Viva Pictures Acquires Animated Feature 'Hitpig!' Starring Jason Sudeikis For November Release

• David Harbour Among Voice Cast Attached For Animation 'Night Of The Zoopocalypse'; Anton & Charades Launch For AFM

• Mediawan Rights Boards Yihwen Chen's Doc 'Queer As Punk' Ahead Of Berlinale Premiere

Night of the Zoopocalypse was directed by Rodrigo Perez-Castro and Ricardo Curtis and is produced by Copperheart Entertainment. Viva Pictures is releasing the film on March 7 in the U.S. Kazoo is prepping a Halloween release in the UK.

Anton and Charades have already sold the family horror-comedy into a raft of territories, including to Elevation Pictures In Canada and Apollo Films in France.

The wider Viva-Kazoo deal will see the pair acquire films and then collaborate on marketing and promo efforts to maximize reach in their respective territories.

They are already connected by The Amazing Maurice, which is produced by Kazoo’s parent company Cantilever Media. Viva released the movie in the U.S. Based on a Terry Pratchett novel, it was at Sundance in 2023 and counted Emilia Clarke, Himesh Patel and Hugh Laurie among a starry voice cast.

The two companies will be working together again on The Amazing Maurice 2, with Viva Pictures handling sales for the upcoming film in the US.

The Viva-Kazoo strategic partnership was first hashed out at the Kidscreen Summit in 2024 and the formal announcement comes a year later, with the kids confab underway in San Diego.

Andrew Baker CEO of Kazoo Films said: “Together we can identify films which will work on both sides of the Atlantic and we can pool resources to ensure the best possible marketing and promotion in both territories. We already have a hugely successful relationship with Viva for the incredible work they did on Maurice and we are looking forward to working together on upcoming films.”

“By combining Kazoo’s deep market expertise with our established success in the U.S., we can strategically acquire and champion animated films that resonate with broad family audiences,” said Victor Elizalde, CEO of Viva Pictures.

He added: “We’ve already seen the impact of our collaboration on The Amazing Maurice, and this partnership allows us to build on that momentum, delivering more high-quality, engaging stories worldwide.”

Best of Deadline

• ‘Paradise’ Episode Release Guide: When Are New Episodes Streaming On Hulu?

• 2025 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Oscars, Spirits, Grammys, Tonys, Guilds & More

• Everything We Know About Christopher Nolan’s Next Film – ‘The Odyssey’: Release Date, Cast And More

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.