Trivia / Anna and the Apocalypse

• Acclaimed Flop: The film received positive reviews (78% "Certified Fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes) but was not financially successful.
• Creator Allusion: John and Chris' conversation about which celebrities survived the apocalypse name-drops Ryan Gosling, whose Vines about not eating his cereal were created by the late filmmaker Ryan McHenry, whose short film Zombie Musical is the basis for Anna. Whether this was intentional or not is unknown.
• Cut Song:
  • Depending on which version was released, some songs aren't present. "Which Side Are You On?" was deleted in the US and UK versions, only the Festival Cut included this song, in which some countries like Australia aired it. Also, "Hollywood Ending (Reprise)" is only in the US cut.
  • Another song, "Something's Will Never Change" reveals some backstory of Anna and Tony's life before Anna's mother Elizabeth (named in the novelization) died, this song was cut for pacing reasons and is included as an extra in the Blu-ray release.
  • Also in the Blu-ray extras, "What a Time to Be Alive" was originally going to be an opening Crowd Song where a drunken Santa was stumbling around town while introducing several characters. There is some footage, however the scene was never completed due to bad weather. This was replaced with the animated sequence seen either in the beginning of the film (Festival Cut) or end credits (theatrical cuts). Watch the incomplete scene here with commentary by director John McPhail.
• The Danza: Christopher Leveaux plays Chris Wise.
• Deleted Scene: There is a cut scene where Anna and Steph talk about their parents in the bathroom.
• Directed by Cast Member: Well, choreographed by cast member, anyway. Sarah Swire, who plays Steph, also choreographed the dancing in the musical numbers.
• He Also Did: The film's co-writer/director of the short film it's based on, Ryan McHenry (who sadly passed away in 2015, and whom the film itself is dedicated to), is probably best known for his "Ryan Gosling Won't Eat His Cereal" Vines.
• In Memoriam: Dedicated to Ryan McHenry, who created the short film Anna is based on.
• Re-Cut: Three versions exist, the US Cut (93 minutes), the UK Cut (98 minutes) and the Festival Cut (108 minutes). Beware of spoilers:

US Cut

• Runtime:
  • The US Cut is 93 minutes (1 hour 33 minutes).

• Opening:
  • The US cut has the Orion logo (the USA distributors), and has the non-Orion logos accompanied by the song "Christmas Means Nothing Without You".

• Break Away:
  • The song begins as Anna looks at her ticket, Chris is introduced when showing his teacher his film reel.
  • For some reason, the teacher's voice is dubbed over, and has a different accent.
  • A verse sung by Anna has been cut out, along with the chorus singing "Break Away" twice after:
  Anna: Oh, I feel it in my skin
  The walls are closin' in
  I'm tired of living in
  These burned-out buildings
  Gotta shake the rust
  Before I turn to dust
  If I still had some faith, I'd pray
  
• Hollywood Ending:
  • Before the song begins, Nick waves at her and then during the song he puts his fingers in a V and puts it on his mouth and sticks his tongue out.

• Turning My Life Around:
  • Before the song begins, Anna wakes up with quick drums accompanying her while she gets up. She takes candy from her advent calendar, grabs her phone, and then song begins.

• Which Side Are You On?:
  • This song has been cut out from the movie, the first scene in the school ends before Tony and Savage's argument.

• Soldier At War:
  • After the song ends, Nick and his friends follow Anna's group right after, and gets no response after his "real men" comment.

• John's death:
  • Anna's rampage is shorten, ending with Anna swinging her candy cane at the screen, cutting to the group's arrival at the school.

• Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now:
  • The song is (sadly) heavily edited, cutting out many parts of the song, and swapping some parts.

  • These parts has been cut out from the opening:
  Savage: Oh how do I adore
  Having the floor
  To tell you what's on my mind?
  I've become the man
  I've always planned
  Precisely at the right time
  
  • Savage's long "free" has been shorten and goes right into the refrain.

  • This was cut out from one of the verses:
  Savage: You never do the work just muck and chuck
  And pass the buck
  Down the queue!
  You're a wasted generation,
  Compensation,
  Has been long overdue
  
  • This refrain is now repeated twice, however in the second time, Savage doesn't sing, "oh no".
  Savage: Nothing's gonna stop me now!
  Nothing's gonna stop me now,
  It took me time to blossom, I know
  But I'm all fired up and I'm ready to go!
  Nothing's gonna stop me now,
  Nothing's gonna stop me now,
  I knew that I would make it somehow
  Nothing's stopping me now
  Oh no!
  
  • The song ends with what's originally the bridge part of the song, and cutting out some other dialogue. The heavy metal instrumental is swapped for instrumental's real ending.
  Savage (spoken): I've been calling you all zombies for years!
  Now fuck off!
  
• Give Them A Show:
  • Before the song begins, it opens to the crowd of zombies swarming the stage, and Anna being caught by Savage.
  • Savage's solo verse and as Anna is nearly eaten by a zombie has been cut out, along with the verse after Anna saves herself.
  Savage: It’s been said the world's a stage
  And everyone must play their part
  If that's true, I'll act
  With all my heart
  

  Anna & Savage: I'll take my cue to go
  Stand 'neath the spotlight's glow
  And give them one hell of a show
  
  • At the end of the song, Anna only sings "one hell of a show" twice, Savage's long note is shorten at the same time.

• I Will Believe:
  • Tony's verse is cut out, along with his fate is left ambiguous.
  Tony: There was a time, nothing could hold us back
  Our days were bright, before this earth turned black
  But now my faith, feels like a distant ghost
  I lost the things, I used to need the most
  Where is the light that used to shine?
  Where is the life that once was mine?
  But while there's hope, while I still breathe
  I will believe
  
• Ending:
  • Anna and Nick are rescued by Steph, and drive out of town with Hollywood Ending Reprise played in the background. The movie ends with a jump scare from a zombified Santa.

UK Cut

• Runtime:
  • The UK Cut is 97 minutes (1 hour 37 minutes).

• Opening:
  • The UK cut has the logo of Vertigo (the UK distributors).

• Break Away:
  • In the UK cut, before the song starts, we get a longer scene of Anna at her locker, looking at a picture of her mom and her map, then Chris tries to get Anna to look at his show reel, but the bell rings and he leaves.

• Hollywood Ending:
  • In the US cut, before the song, he waves at her and then during the song he puts his fingers in a V and puts it on his mouth and sticks his tongue out, referencing cunnilingus. In the UK cut, the placement of these two moments are switched.

• Turning My Life Around:
  • Before the song begins, Anna wakes up with little Edgar Wright-like style editing with no music, she takes the candy, walks down the hall (which shows us that Tony never came home), and dries her hair (unaware of the zombie shadows walking past her window), while looking at her family photo. She then grabs her phone, and then the song begins.

• Which Side Are You On?:
  • This song has been cut out from the movie, the first scene in the school ends before Tony and Savage's argument.

• Soldier At War:
  • After the song ends, Anna's response to Nick's comment is different:
  Nick: Come on lads, can't let the ladies go off without some real men!
  Anna: If you see any, let me know.

• John's death:
  • This plays out the same like in the US Cut, Anna's rampage is shorten, ending with Anna swinging her candy cane at the screen, cutting to the group's arrival at the school.

• Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now:
  • The song plays out the same in the US Cut, with a few differences:
    • A few clips of Anna and her friends holding off the zombies are different.
    • The instrumental sounds closer to the official soundtrack release than in the US and Festival Cuts, as they sound a tiny bit more upbeat.

  • These parts has been cut out from the opening:
  Savage: Oh how do I adore
  Having the floor
  To tell you what's on my mind?
  I've become the man
  I've always planned
  Precisely at the right time
  
  • Savage's long "free" has been shorten and goes right into the refrain.

  • This was cut out from one of the verses:
  Savage: You never do the work just muck and chuck
  And pass the buck
  Down the queue!
  You're a wasted generation,
  Compensation,
  Has been long overdue
  
  • This refrain is now repeated twice, however in the second time, Savage doesn't sing, "oh no".
  Savage: Nothing's gonna stop me now!
  Nothing's gonna stop me now,
  It took me time to blossom, I know
  But I'm all fired up and I'm ready to go!
  Nothing's gonna stop me now,
  Nothing's gonna stop me now,
  I knew that I would make it somehow
  Nothing's stopping me now
  Oh no!
  
  • Savage repeats "Nothing's gonna stop me now" 2 more times near the end of the song.

  • The song ends with what's originally the bridge part of the song, and cutting out some other dialogue. The heavy metal instrumental is swapped for instrumental's real ending.
  Savage (spoken): I've been calling you all zombies for years!
  Now fuck off!
  
• Give Them A Show:
  • The song plays out the same in the US Cut, however:
    • At the end of the song, Anna sings "one hell of a show" 3 times, Savage's long note is sung in it's entirety.

• I Will Believe:
  • Tony's verse is restored.
  Tony: There was a time, nothing could hold us back
  Our days were bright, before this earth turned black
  But now my faith, feels like a distant ghost
  I lost the things, I used to need the most
  Where is the light that used to shine?
  Where is the life that once was mine?
  But while there's hope, while I still breathe
  I will believe
  
• Ending:
  • Same as the US Cut, but without the Hollywood Ending reprise.

Festival Cut

• Runtime:
  • The Festival Cut is 108 minutes (1 hour 48 minutes).

• Opening:
  • The movie opens with an animated sequence with the orchestral version of "What A Time To Be Alive".

• Break Away:
  • The song is played in it's entirety.
  • The teacher's voice isn't dubbed.

• Turning My Life Around:
  • Before the song begins, Anna wakes up with little Edgar Wright-like style editing with no music, she takes the candy, walks down the hall (which shows us that Tony never came home), and dries her hair (unaware of the zombie shadows walking past her window), while looking at her family photo. She then grabs her phone, and then the song begins.

• Which Side Are You On?:
  • This song is only present in this cut, taking place during the first scene with the school survivors.
  • Before the song begins, Tony and Savage argue about opening the doors, leading to the song.
  • After it ends, a tense stare-off between Tony and Savage's group is interrupted by the military's arrival, who ask everyone to stay indoors, much to Savage's delight.

• Soldier At War:
  • After the song ends, Anna's response to Nick's comment is different:
  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.

• John's death:
  • Anna's rampage is extended, with Tony narrating "A Visit From St. Nicholas".

• Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now:
  • The song is played in it's entirety.
  • Before the song begins, Anna and Chris try to find their loved ones, only to find Julie (John's mother) dead, which Savage brags about killing her.
    • He also brings up that if a person is killed, they don't come back. This isn't in the US and UK Cuts which doesn't explain why Bea didn't turn after she died.

• Give Them A Show:
  • Before the song begins, the scene opens up with Anna knocking out a zombie, while Savage taunts Tony while he eats.
  • The song itself is played in it's entirety, restoring these lyrics:
  Savage: It’s been said the world's a stage
  And everyone must play their part
  If that's true, I'll act
  With all my heart
  

  Anna & Savage: I'll take my cue to go
  Stand 'neath the spotlight's glow
  And give them one hell of a show
  
• I Will Believe:
  • The song is played in it's entirety, with Tony's verse restored.
  Tony: There was a time, nothing could hold us back
  Our days were bright, before this earth turned black
  But now my faith, feels like a distant ghost
  I lost the things, I used to need the most
  Where is the light that used to shine?
  Where is the life that once was mine?
  But while there's hope, while I still breathe
  I will believe
  
• Ending:
  • The movie ends with Anna staring out the car window, just like how the movie begins with somber, yet hopeful music plays over the credits.
  • A mid-credits scene occurs with the car existing Little Haven, only to have a zombiffied Santa jump scare the audience.

Novelization

• The opening of the novel is very different from the movie:
  • Tony nearly runs over a man dressed as Santa, who collapses in front of the car. After an ambulance takes him away, Anna and John joke about "who killed Santa".

• It's revealed that John has had a crush on Anna for 1927 days (5 years, 3 months, 1 week, 3 days, 16 hours and 20 minutes).

• Steph's girlfriend, Veronica, is named here but not in the movie.

• Anna's motivation for traveling is explored here:
  • Elizabeth (Anna's mother) use to be a traveler, and would tell Anna stories about the places she's been.

• Anna's family history is explained:
  • Elizabeth and Tony first met in Australia, and fell in love. After learning they were having a baby, they settled down (WIP)

• Anna gets more furious with Savage insulting Tony than in the movie, with Lisa having to hold her back.

• Savage's distaste for the Shepherd family is explained:
  • Savage is jealous that Tony is well liked by the staff and students.
  • Savage thinks that Anna is rude, and undisciplined. Also, Anna isn't afraid of him, only thinking of him as a bully.

• A new (or part of an early draft?) scene with Savage is added, staring out the window from his office watching the students in disgust. Tony arrives and invites him over for Christmas dinner, but Savage refuses.

• In the movie, Anna bumps into a zombie after her conversation with Steph at the parking lot. Here, she bumps into a zombie on her way to work.

• A new (or part of an early draft?) scene with Steph and Chris at the homeless shelter:
  • Throughout this scene, there's many sick people, building up to the zombies.

• A new (or part of an early draft?) scene with Anna and John exploring their town, after killing the zombie snow man.
  • They come across Savage's house, which is noted for the lack of Christmas decorations.

• Anna and John go to Lisa's house, where her family's history is explored:
  • Lisa's having trouble adjusting to having a stepfather and stepbrother.
  • Jason, Lisa's stepbrother, is a competitive roller-disco dancer.
  • Lisa's parents and baby are visiting relatives, leaving only Jason and Lisa in Little Haven.

• Anna looks at photos of happier times, but soon a zombified Jason attacks them, and they escape.

• At the bowling alley, Anna learns from Chris that Tony and Lisa are safe at the school.

• In the movie, the first scene with the school survivors isn't too long, and ends with the song "Which Side Are You On?". In the novel, the scene is split up in different chapters:
  • The first part takes place in chapter 10, which has Savage take command, along with Lisa's conversation with Bea. Also, John's mother, Julie, has a larger role in the novel. She argues with Savage, wanting to leave and find John. Tony steps in before it escalates. He sides with Savage, and assures Julie that their kids will be fine. This also takes place after Anna and John encounter the zombie snowman.
  • The second part takes place in chapter 13, Tony has lost his patience, along with the rest of the survivors turning on each other, either wanting to stay or leave. It ends with the military's arrival.

• Anna and Steph talk about their families in the bathroom. This was filmed for the movie but deleted from all versions. It's still present in the special features.

• The movie subtly reveals that Anna knew John liked her. Here, it's confirmed she already knew.

• Savage makes one last attempt to take control of the survivors, but fails. Things escalate when he and Julie's argument becomes physical, and he kills her. Now that he's snapped, Savage opens the doors and lets the zombies in.
  • This happens off-screen in the movie, with Savage telling Anna and her friends what he did.

• We see how the other characters react to John's death:
  • Chris was in disbelief, and vomits. During Anna's rampage, he does his best to stay by her side and protect her. He thinks about Lisa and Bea for motivation.
  • Steph doesn't want John's death to be in vain and wonders if they survived for a reason.
  • Nick stops thinking about himself and empathizes for those lost their loved ones. He also begins to respect John (sort of).

• After they escape from the Christmas tree emporium, the group agrees to get drinks (except Chris, who wants a banana split).

• Steph and Nick quickly catch on that Savage isn't telling the truth about their parents, because their families are dead/out of the country.

• Savage taunts Anna about John's death after learning his fate.

• Savage spends time on the stage throwing captive students into the zombies as a twisted judge/jury, while Anna is forced to watch as she sneaks around the gym.

• Anna learns Chris and Lisa's fate through Nick.

• Anna and Nick's final stand is different from the movie:
  • The zombies are much closer to them, and are forced to fight them.
  • Nick gets injured from a fall zombie, taking him out of the fight.
  • When the zombies get too close, Anna accepts her fate and drops her weapon.
  • Steph mows down many zombies, while in the movie she drives a safe distance to rescue them.

• Unlike the movie's ending, Anna answers Steph's question about where they should go:
  Anna: I don't know, but we'll figure it out together.
  

Fun Facts from #Anna Tweet Along (SPOILERS!) (WIP)

• Will temporarily post links until I can format them later.

• Julie (John's mother) was going to have a larger role (which made it in the novel), and it would've been revealed that Tony bullied Savage when they were younger. https://twitter.com/alanhmcdonald/status/1243305391590723584?s=20

• Anna and John searching Lisa's house was cut from the movie, however it made it in the novel. https://twitter.com/alanhmcdonald/status/1243304917265272835?s=20

• Everyone who auditioned for Nick had them recite the "sexy child" line https://twitter.com/alanhmcdonald/status/1243299504952086529?s=20

• "Human Voice" was not written for the movie, however, producer Naysun Alae-Carew showed screenwriter Alan McDonald the song and loved it- and went on to rewrite the bowling alley scene to incorporate it. https://twitter.com/alanhmcdonald/status/1243307484728700929?s=20

• Before "Hollywood Ending" begins, Lisa tells a story but the song overlaps it. Here's what she said in the script:
  Lisa: Hey! Did you guys hear what happened in science?
  https://twitter.com/alanhmcdonald/status/1243308503109959681