Disney Channel’s Zombies franchise has proven an immense hit, captivating viewers with its combination of musical comedy, romance and zombies.
Since the release of Zombies 3, fans have noticed one key character missing. Why?
Kylee Russell played Eliza in both of the previous Zombie films, yet couldn’t work alongside her longtime co-stars during filming of “Zombies 3.” Her pregnancy prevented this.
Kylee Russell Was Pregnant
Since the debut of Zombies movies on Disney Channel in 2018, fans have become fans of each character in this franchise. Addison and Zed may be its main protagonists; however, tech-savvy Eliza has quickly become an audience favorite after appearing as Zed’s best friend in both movies.
Zombies 3, the children of Seabrook High School discover an alien spaceship landing in their town while preparing for a football game, yet something seems amiss among students, possibly due to an unknown mission undertaken by aliens.
Kylee Russell plays an instrumental role in Zombies 3 storyline even if she’s not present at Seabrook; she helps the children of Seabrook deal with issues brought on by alien invasion.
While many cast members from Zombies 2 have returned, as well as welcoming some newcomers – nonbinary character Hu for instance was easily accepted into their ranks because of how warmly welcomed she was treated by them all.
She’s a strong proponent of diversity and wants to see everyone accepted for who they truly are on the inside. Disney franchise has provided an effective platform to teach children not to judge people by their outer appearance alone.
Zombies 3 brings back many familiar characters from previous films to give audiences something fresh to experience in Seabrook. All types of people live there together – zombies, regular humans and werewolves alike can work together against an alien invasion and protect the community together.
Their work has demonstrated to children that even though you may not fit in with other kids, you can still have fun and form bonds with them. Furthermore, these programs have taught children not to fear what lies beyond.
Kylee Russell was expecting during production, thus decreasing their screen time considerably from what it would have been in Zombies 2.
She Was Interning at Z-Corp
Zombies 3 follows in the tradition of its predecessors by bringing back some familiar characters such as Addison (Meg Donnelly) and Zed (Milo Manheim), although other popular faces can also be seen throughout.
Kylee Russell’s Eliza is a fan favorite after appearing as Zed’s best friend in both of the first and second Zombies movies; however, in the recently released third instalment of this franchise she plays an increasingly smaller role.
As soon as the movie starts, we find out that Eliza isn’t at Seabrook High School because she is interning at Z-Corp – the company responsible for manufacturing Z-Bands that send electromagnetic pulses through zombies to prevent them from falling into flesh-eating modes.
Eliza must use video calls to communicate with her friends. At first she uses an iPad but eventually builds a robot which allows her to move around campus freely with them.
Eliza finds this technical solution less than satisfactory as Wyatt (Daniel Toretto) struggles to confess his affections for Eliza over video chat, leading to their relationship becoming tenuous at best and sometimes breaking apart altogether.
Eliza still gets to show her technological computing skills by helping to enhance the composition of Z-Bands and help improve them further. Her efforts were recognized by one of the premier companies in her region.
Eliza’s ability as both a singer and dancer, as well as being an excellent technical individual makes her the ideal candidate to help with improving the composition of Z-Bands which help prevent zombies from going back into flesh-eating mode by sending electromagnetic pulses through them.
Z-Bands are sensitive to hacking and heat/flame exposure, rendering them ineffective. Eliza has the skillset necessary to rectify this, which led to her selection as an intern at Z-Corp.
As such, she had to travel from her home in the West to the company’s headquarters on the East Coast for work. Although she could still communicate with her friends through video chats from there, using only her tablet as means of interaction.
She Moved Away
Zombies 3 was notable for several notable features, but Eliza stood out. Although she may not have been the tallest actress — only 25 at the time of production — she did an admirable job capturing Eliza’s tech-savvy character.
In the film, she showcased her impressive coding abilities by being given the task of designing and implementing one of the most sophisticated security measures imaginable – Z-Band technology is essentially an interlinked set of bracelets that can be activated via smart phones or other devices.
As can be imagined, Z-Bands are an extremely important product in Seabrook. Thanks to Eliza’s help and her company’s manufacturing facilities, Seabrook was able to produce numerous highly effective bracelets that were resistant to heat and fire damage.
However, what truly made the Z-Band award-winner was its reality. Being able to use real-world technology and implement such an ingenious security system in film was truly groundbreaking, and its creators should be applauded.
The Storyline
Fans are left scratching their heads about why Kylee Russell’s character Eliza doesn’t appear at Seabrook High in Zombies 3 as soon as in previous films, yet her significance doesn’t emerge until late in the third installment.
One reason was due to her pregnancy at the time of filming; as such, she couldn’t attend Seabrook for filming of this movie. However, thanks to postpartum photography she was still able to film scenes after giving birth.
Another factor was her interning at Z-Corp, the company responsible for making the Z-Band that prevents zombies from eating brains. Being on the other side of the country meant she needed to interact with her group through video calls instead.
Lucky for her, Meg Donnelly could provide some assistance.
Once she arrived at Z-Corp, she needed to quickly put together the technology required to communicate with her friends. At first she used a tablet but later constructed her own robot to allow for easier movement around campus with them.
While this film’s premise may seem similar to other Disney films, it adds its own special touches with aliens being such an integral part of its plotline and providing some amusing moments along the way.
These new zombies are also more human in appearance than traditional portrayals. Additionally, this gives cast members an opportunity to showcase their dancing skills – and they certainly do an outstanding job with it!
The movie features fun songs and dance moves while teaching children about diversity – an ideal fit for Disney, which promotes teaching children respect for and acceptance of others.
Zombies 3’s plot may not be perfect, but it still delivers lots of entertainment throughout its run time. There are some tense scenes and parts can be difficult to follow at times; overall it remains a solid entry in this franchise and must-watch viewing for Disney fans as an excellent way to close out this franchise.