History YMMV / AnnaAndTheApocalypse

* FriendlyFandoms: ''Film/AnnaAndTheApocalypse'' and ''Film/Spirited2022'' are a pair of fairly different Christmas musicals that nonetheless share some of the same fans for both having catchy soundtracks, unique and quirky set-ups, {{Bittersweet Ending}}s and atmospheres, and being greatly under-appreciated in the eyes of their admirers.

* SpiritualSuccessor: A horror-comedy filled with MadeOfPlasticine zombies getting killed in BloodyHilarious ways with ridiculous novelty weapons, [[spoiler:Headmaster Savage losing his mind and turning into a textbook psychopath]]... this is pretty much ''VideoGame/DeadRising: TheMusical''. It even shares [[VideoGame/DeadRising4 the fourth game]]'s [[AnAssKickingChristmas Christmas setting]]!

* SpiritualAdaptation: A horror-comedy filled with MadeOfPlasticine zombies getting killed in BloodyHilarious ways with ridiculous novelty weapons, [[spoiler:Headmaster Savage losing his mind and turning into a textbook psychopath]]... this is pretty much ''VideoGame/DeadRising: TheMusical''. It even shares [[VideoGame/DeadRising4 the fourth game]]'s [[AnAssKickingChristmas Christmas setting]]!
* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''Film/ShaunOfTheDead''. But a musical!

Plenty of fans adore the first two acts of the movie but take it pretty hard when the third act [[spoiler:starts going into DwindlingParty territory]] and don't acknowledge those scenes.

* HilariousInHindsight[=/=]HarsherInHindsight: When John and Chris are debating what celebrities may have been turned into zombies, John insists that Creator/RobertDowneyJr will be fine, affirming it by saying "Iron Man Lives", when [[spoiler:Tony Stark would die in the final battle of ''Film/AvengersEndgame'']].

* EndingAversion: Plenty of fans adore the first two acts of the movie but take it pretty hard when the third act [[spoiler:starts going into DwindlingParty territory.]]

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Nick]]. He's a bullying thug, he [[spoiler: betrays Anna's trust after they have sex]], 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 [[spoiler: survival and a MaybeEverAfter 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.

* HilariousInHindsight[=/=]HarsherInHindsight: When Nick and Chris are debating what celebrities may have been turned into zombies, Nick insists that Creator/RobertDowneyJr will be fine, affirming it by saying "Iron Man Lives", when [[spoiler:Tony Stark would die in the final battle of ''Film/AvengersEndgame'']].

* HilariousInHindsight[=/=]HarsherInHindsight: When Nick and Chris are debating what celebrities may have been turned into zombies, Nick insists that Creator/RobertDowneyJunior will be fine, affirming it by saying "Iron Man Lives", when [[spoiler:Tony Stark would die in the final battle of ''Film/AvengersEndgame'']].

* CompleteMonster: Arthur [[NamesToRunAwayFrom Savage]] is, initially, just the strict headmaster of Little Haven's high school, and a consummate ControlFreak who lets a glimpse of his true nature show when, during the ZombieApocalypse, he callously "prioritizes" over an old woman with a heart condition. When Savage's desperate attempts to maintain authority over the survivors fails, Savage decides to allow the zombies in to slaughter all the survivors out of spite, gleefully locking his own students inside while promising to deliver whatever's left of Anna to her father whom Savage looks down upon, even attempting to murder both Anna and her father when [[UngratefulBastard they save his life]] from the ravenous zombies. Savage gleefully hopscotches over the line to demonstrate himself [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters worse than any of the mindless zombies]] ravaging Little Haven, attesting during "Give Them a Show" that he "might as well have some fun" with the collapse of society.

* EndingAversion: Plenty of fans adore the first two acts of the movie but take it pretty hard when the third act [[spoiler:starts going into DwindlingParty territory.]]* EnsembleDarkhorse:

* EnsembleDarkhorse:

* HesJustHiding: In a sense, there aren't that many zombie movies out there that leave the audience [[spoiler: hoping for a cure as this one, given the final status of John, Tony, Lisa and Chris, zombified rather than put down]].

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter:
** While the direction of his character was popularly received in general, the film could have survived without making Savage into a villain, while retaining both the comedic atmosphere from earlier in the film (and avoiding the darker parts of the BittersweetEnding) and a lot of the emotion form the climax without even changing the songs: ''Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now'' could have been a BadassBoast or a LetsGetDangerous moment from Mr. Savage while fighting zombies, and his half of ''Give Them a Show'' could have been a DespairEventHorizon instead of a VillainSong.
** The two penguin students could have also provided some humor if they'd been among the survivors inside the school for a while, possibly even [[spoiler: without removing the creepy scene of them in their costumes eating a body]]. which could have happened after Anna and the others arrived.

* OneSceneWonder: Quite a few uncredited characters from ''Hollywood Ending'' (which is very much a CrowdSong) and ''Turning My Life around'' (such as the two girls who spend a while trying to alert Anna while beating atzombeis with there backpacks).
* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: For the first half of the movie, Nick seems like a boring one-dimensional, meat-headed ex-boyfriend archetype with no Charisma. Then the "Soldier at War" number comes along....

* AcceptableTargets: The local soldiers turning into a RedShirtArmy might be an example of this, given the number of ArmiesAreEvil or MilitariesAreUseless scenarios in prominent zombie fiction.

** Nick's next fling he ended up telling people their secrets of? [[Franchise/TheWitcher Yennerfer of Vengerberg.]]

** Lisa and John are both frequently praised for their emotion-filled performances, humorous moments, good singing voices and ActionSurvivor statuses, even though Lisa is separated form the others for most of the movie and John is [[spoiler: the first to die]].

* AcceptableTargets: the local soldiers turning into a RedShirtArmy might be an example of this, given the number of ArmiesAreEvil or MilitariesAreUseless scenarios in prominent zombie fiction.
* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Has Nick always been a jerk to John, or did it only start recently due to his incorrect belief that John has a FriendsWithBenefits relationship with his ex-girlfriend.

* CrossingTheLineTwice: Anna decapitating a zombie? Horrifying. John's high-pitched scream in response? Hilarious.

* IdiotBall: Arguably, most of the character deaths are caused by Anna, Steph and Nick's actions and choices examples include [[spoiler:Nick's idea to go through the Christmas Tree Emporium results in not only his friends dying but also John, Lisa and Chris die due to Steph not being cautious enough, Tony dies due to a combination of him and Anna not realising she had a longer reaching weapon in her hands to stop Savage, also she should have knocked him out when reaching the stage in the first place.]]

* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: For the first half of the movie, Nick seems like a boring one-dimensional, meat headed ex-boyfriend archetype with no Charisma. Then the "Soldier at War" number comes along....

** While the direction of his character was popularly received in general, the film could have survived without making Savage into a villain. while retaining both the comedic atmosphere from earlier in the film (and avoiding the darker parts of the BittersweetEnding) and a lot of the emotion form the climax without even changing the songs: ''Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now'' could have been a BadassBoast or a LetsGetDangerous moment from Mr. Savage while fighting zombies, and his half of ''Give Them a Show'' could have been a DespairEventHorizon instead of a VillainSong.

** Lisa and John are arguably the most frequently praised members of the main casts, for their emotion-filled performances, good singing voices and ActionSurvivor statuses, even though Lisa is separated form the others for most of the movie and John is [[spoiler: the first to die]].

* HesJustHiding: In a sense, there aren't that many zombie movies out there that leave the audience [[spoiler: hoping for a cure as this one, given the final, zombified status of John, Tony, Lisa and Chris]].

* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: For the first half of the movie, Nick seems like a boring one-dimensional, meat headeded ex-boyfrined archetype with no Charima. Then the "Soldier at War" number comes along....

* SignatureSong: "Hollywood Ending" is arguably the most popular song on the soundtrack.