The characters of the 2018 film Anna and the Apocalypse.
As with many character pages, some spoilers will be unmarked. You Have Been Warned.
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General
- Meaningful Name: Most of the characters have names related to Christmas or winter in general:
- Anna's last name is Shepherd, as in the shepherds that witnessed the birth of Jesus.
- John's last name is Pine, as in pine (Christmas) trees.
- Steph's last name is North, as in the North Pole, Santa's home.
- Switch around Nick's first and last names and you get Saint Nick, aka Santa Claus.
- Chris' last name is Wise, as in the three wise men that gave Jesus gifts.
- Lisa's last name is Snow, which is fairly self-explanatory.
- Arthur's (the headmaster) last name is meaningful as well, but in a different context, his surname is Savage, fitting as after being humiliated he becomes a case of Madden Into Misanthropy.
Anna Shepherd
Anna Shepherd, portrayed by Ella Hunt
- All the musical numbers she's in:
- "Break Away
" - "Hollywood Ending"
- "Some Things Will Never Change" (cut from the film)
- "Turning My Life Around"
- "Human Voice"
- "Give Them a Show"
- "I Will Believe"
- "Break Away
- Airplane Arms: In "Turning My Life Around".
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: Zig-zagged. He betrayed her trust when they slept together and he bullies her friends and she makes it clear that she's not pleased with him about any of it, but she just can't get over him. Even moreso in the book, where we can read her thoughts dwelling on him.
- Badass Normal: Anna's quite capable of handling herself against zombies.
- Counter-Attack: Anna's response to a sexist comment made by Nick:Nick: Come on lads, can't let the ladies go off without some real men!
Anna: If you see anyone who can get it up, let me know. - Easily Forgiven: Despite John revealing her plans to go traveling to her father, Anna doesn't get angry at him for very long. And although Steph wasn't very nice to Anna at the parking lot, she doesn't hold it against Steph and they become friends later in the story.
- The Eleven O'Clock Number: "Give Them a Show", as Anna resolves to take on the a zombie horde to save her dad even if it means she won't survive.
- Implausible Deniability: Anna doesn't accept that zombies are real, even after she decapitates the zombie snowman that chased her and John. The novel explains that Anna always tried to rationalize tough situations, such as when her mom was ill, Anna was convinced that the doctors were going to cure her. Anna slowly accepts that zombies are real while she and John investigate Lisa's house.
- Impossibly Cool Weapon: Her sharpened candy cane is pretty awesome.
- "I Want" Song: "Break Away", as Anna's parts in this song has her singing about her desire to get out of town, feeling imprisoned, this also counting as a Wanderlust Song.
- Missing Mom: Anna's not over the death of her mother, and a big motivation for her plan to travel is because her mother used to be a traveler.
- Oblivious to Love: Subverted, Anna may appear to not notice John's interest in her, but she subtly lets him know that she only views him as her best friend as they make their way to the Christmas tree emporium. The novel goes a bit deeper, revealing that she hated hurting his feelings. However, John takes her rejection well, and they remain on good terms.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Anna tells Nick that she's angry at him for ghosting her, but when Nick blames her attitude on "her little fuck buddy" having died (John), Anna explodes at him.
- Roaring Rampage of Rescue: Anna takes on a horde of zombies alone to rescue a captive Tony from Savage.
- This Means War!: When John dies, Anna cuts loose against any zombie standing in her way, even the ones that are already down. Both Steph and Nick are visibly shocked by this.
- Thwarted Coup de Grâce: Just as Savage is about to kill Tony, Anna cuts down the rope holding the hanging star prop, knocking him right into the zombie horde.
- Using You All Along: Anna is upset that Nick only hooked up with her just for sex, and then ghosted her, especially since they had opened up to each other around that time.
- Was Too Hard on Him: In a deleted scene (but present in the novel), Anna admits to Steph that she was awful to her dad, feeling terrible for how she treated him early on in the story.
- Zombie Apocalypse Hero: Anna sings and fights her way through a zombie attack on her hometown with the help of several classmates. Her weapon of choice is the sharp end of a giant candy cane lawn ornament.
John Pine
John Pine, potrayed by Malcolm Cumming
- All the musical numbers he's in:
- Action Survivor: Not as adept at fighting zombies as Anna or Steph but he does ok during the bowling alley fight.
- Adaptational Ugliness: Is quite handsome in the movie (just look at the picture!), but the novel makes him a rather pitiful physical specimen, at least from Anna's POV, which is given as at least part of the reason that she can't get over Nick, but can't think of John as anything but a friend.
- All Love Is Unrequited: He has a crush on Anna, but she only sees him as a friend.
- Dogged Nice Guy: John's not like most guys at that age. He's nice, friendly and a little dorky but he doesn't try to be someone he's not.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Knowing he's already been bitten, he shoves Anna through a crowd of zombies, making sure they pay more attention to him than her.
- Musicalis Interruptus: During "Turning My Life Around, John falls over while singing.
- The Rival: John views Nick as a rival for Anna's affection, and he dislikes him a lot.
- Sacrificial Lion: He's the first major character to die.
- Shoo Out the Clowns: He provides a lot of humor, and the movie takes a turn for the serious when he's killed.
- Sidekick: He always stands by Anna, often (not always) supportive of her choices, but may be due to his massive crush on her.
- Wrong Genre Savvy: Being the Dogged Nice Guy won't get you the girl of your dreams, and in a horror situation gets you killed.
Steph North
Steph North, portrayed by Sarah Swire
- All the musical numbers she's in:
- Anger Born of Worry: After saving Chris from a zombie, she calls him out on putting himself in danger over his phone.
- Badass Driver: Steph saves Anna and Nick by mowing down zombies with her car (only in the novel, in the film, she drives past the zombies).
- Butch Lesbian: She mentions she's got a girlfriend, has boyish short hair, and masculine attire.
- The Cynic: Unlike the rest of the group, Steph has little faith in being rescued, and if anyone left at the school has survived. She's mostly right.
- Deadpan Snarker: She's the most sarcastic of the group.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: While she isn't mean, Steph maintained a cold demeanor towards her classmates, but became friends with Chris when they filmed the homeless shelter (this was in the novel) and became close friends as the story progresses.
- Foreign Exchange Student: The film makes little mention of this, but the novel reveals that Steph is a transfer student from Canada.
- Preserve Your Gays: She's one of only three major characters to survive the film, and the only confirmed queer character.
- Unwitting Instigatorof Doom: Steph failed attempt at stealth leads to Chris and Lisa's deaths.
Arthur Savage
Arthur Savage, portrayed by Paul Kaye
- All the musical numbers he's in:
- Abusive Parents: Savage implies that his parents raised him the exact same way he's always acted throughout the story, but didn't see it as a bad thing.
- Accidental Murder: After he kills Julie, he claims it to be an accident, but quickly changes his mind and uses it to scare the other survivors to listen to him.
- Adaptational Villainy: As horrible as he is on screen, he's worse in print. We hear his internal thoughts, which include his lack of remorse for killing Julie, along with taunting Anna about John when he learns he didn't survive, and much more.
- Foil: To Tony.
- Foreshadowing: Early on, a student breaks a wire holding a giant star prop which nearly kills Savage. Anna then breaks the wire to knock him into the zombie horde in order to save her dad.
- Villain Song: "Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now".
- "Which Side Are You On?" is partly a Villainous Advice Song as Savage tries to convince the locked in survivors that it's best if they try to protect themselves instead of helping others.
- "Give Them a Show" also counts, a Hero vs. Villain Duet between him and Anna, as he sings about his joy about the end of society.
- Early on in the novelization, Savage begins to sing to himself as he watches the students leave the school, he's soon interrupted by Tony.
- Savage's part in "Hollywood Ending", however is more of a Villainous Lament.
Nick Saint
Nick Saint, portrayed by Ben Wiggins
- All the musical numbers he's in:
- The Bully: Nick has shades of this, such as teasing John in the locker room, throwing cupcakes at asthmatic classmates and taunting Steph. The novelization mentions that, likely for standing up for Anna, John has been beaten up by Nick.
- "I Am Great!" Song: "Soldier at War", he sings about how he's the best at taking on zombies.
- I Got You Covered: Nick distracts a horde of zombies so Anna can continue to look for her dad. He's able to survive.
- Karma Houdini: He's a bullying thug, he ghosts Anna and tells everyone after they have sex (and more importantly, after they'd opened up to each other emotionally, or so she thought), and he boasts - in song, no less! - that he's tough and mean enough to survive in the post-apocalyptic world while the protagonists are cowardly weaklings who need his protection. In most zombie movies, this would all be a set-up for a particularly horrible and deeply satisfying death. But no, the movie rewards him with survival and a Maybe Ever After with Anna. Apparently the message here is that you're better off with a bullying thug than trustworthy friends when the situation gets truly dire.
- Third-Act Misunderstanding: Nick believes Anna's angry at him because she thought he made their hookup public knowledge after he ghosted her. This isn't the reason why, however.
- Took a Level in Badass: Like him or not, he lives up to his hype in "Soldier at War".
- Villain Song: Depending on how you view Nick, "Soldier at War" might count given he acts like a prick most of the time.
- Villainous Valor: He's a cad, a bullying thug, and just generally human garbage, but he really is as brave and tough as he claims to be.
Tony Shepherd
Tony Shepherd, portrayed by Mark Benton
- All the musical numbers he's in:
- "Some Things Will Never Change" (cut from the film)
- "Which Side Are You On?"
- "Human Voice"
- "I Will Believe"
- "Some Things Will Never Change
- Foil: To Mr. Savage.
- Parents in Distress: In the climax, Savage has Tony tied up in the auditorium surrounded by zombies, and it's up to Anna to rescue him.
- Parental Love Song: The deleted song "Some Things Will Never Change", where he ponders on whether he should allow Anna to travel on her own while reaffirming he'll always look out for her.
- Papa Wolf: After Anna frees him and Savage threatens to kill them, Tony beats him up and wins.
Lisa Snow
Lisa Snow, portrayed by Marli Siu
- All the musical numbers she's in:
- But Not Too White: The actress had a Chinese father and a Scottish mother.
- Ditzy Genius: Has a couple of silly-sounding lines early on (such as when Anna notes that a student has a prosthetic, Lisa adds that he also has one leg) but also wrote and choreographed a complex and impressive original song for Chris in the pageant and is an ok Action Survivor.
- Genki Girl: Lisa is a ball of pure positive energy, at least until the zombie apocalypse hits.
- Make-Out Kids: She and Chris spend a good chunk of "Hollywood Ending" making out on the table.
- Minor Character, Major Song: Despite not being a main character, Lisa performs "It's That Time of Year" during the Christmas concert.
- Nice Girl: Lisa is very friendly, and comforts Anna when she's upset early on in the story. And despite being locked in the school with limited supplies and being cramped for most of the film, Lisa spends her time taking care of Bea.
- No Man Left Behind: Took the older and slower Bea with her while fleeing the zombies once they invaded the school and somehow got both of them to a closet to take refuge in.
Chris Wise
Chris Wise, portrayed by Christoper Leveaux
- All the musical numbers he's in:
- Genre Savvy: Lisa assures Bea that Chris has seen every horror movie ever, so he'll know what to do. And when the zombies attack the bowling alley, Chris instructs John to destroy the brains.
- Make-Out Kids: He and Lisa spend a good chunk of "Hollywood Ending" making out on the table.
- Pun:"Well, guess nobody's gnome."
- Skewed Priorities: Chris nearly dies in the tree emporium when he drops his phone and goes back for it. When Steph calls him out on it, he says he did it because he's scared he'll never see Lisa and Bea again and hopes to maintain their memories through photos and videos.
Minor Characters
- All the musical numbers they're in:
Bea
- Raised by Grandparents: Bea has raised Chris for his whole life.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Despite not having many lines and screentime, she's is one of Chris's whole reasons for joining Anna in her journey to the school.
Julie Pine
- Almighty Mom: Savage attempts to keep everyone inside after the locked survivors have decided to leave, resulting in Julie snapping at Mr. Savage. She calls him out for always being an asshole and slaps him across the face after he insults John. This ends poorly for her.
- Ascended Extra: In the novel, she has a larger role, establishing her and Tony as good friends, often backing him up when he comes into conflict with Savage.
Elizabeth Shepherd
- Deceased Parents Are the Best: Anna and Tony have nothing but love for Elizabeth, and speak fondly of her.
Veronica
- Ascended Extra: Sort of. In the novel, Veronica is named and mentioned a lot more than the film did, but her fate is ambiguous.
- Long-Distance Relationship: She and Steph have one, although things between them don't seem to be going well since she denied Steph's invitation to come to Little Haven during the Christmas break.
Graham, Jake and Tibbsy
- Blood Knight: Not to Nicks extent, but they still have it.
- Dumb Muscle: They're helpful when it comes to battling zombies, but they tend to goof off and attract unwanted attention.
- Hidden Depths: One of them almost gets up to join in ‘’Hollywood Ending’’ but Nick stops him.
- Improbable Weapon User: Lets see; a video game controller (used like a bolas), a pair of watermelons and a bunch of knives attached to a fence gauntlet to resembled ‘’Wolverine claws.
