Disney+ star Dondraico Johnson reveals grueling preparation needed for new Zombies film

Disney+ star Dondraico Johnson reveals grueling preparation needed for new Zombies filmEXCLUSIVE: Choreographer Dondraico Johnson worked behind the scenes on the new Disney+ film Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires and he’s spoken about what it involvedEntertainmentScarlett O’Toole Assistant Showbiz Editor08:00 ET, 20 Sep 2025Making Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires involved a lot of hard work(Image: Disney)Disney+ viewers have been raving about the latest installment in the Zombie movie franchise, with choreographer Dondraico Johnson speaking out about his work on the film.‌Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires arrived on the streaming service in July and has already achieved a 72% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film follows Zed (Milo Manheim) and Addison (Meg Donnelly) as they take a road trip after their first year of college. The trip, however, soon turns spooky as they come into contact with two new groups of monsters.Article continues belowDondraico worked as a choreographer on the film and spoke to The Mirror US about the hard work involved in bringing the characters to life through dance. His comments come after a trailer for the Jonas Brothers’ upcoming Disney+ film was released.Article continues belowREAD MORE: Miley Cyrus’ co-star reveals what she’s really like – ‘She is one of the last rock starsREAD MORE: Michael Jackson’s dancer details ‘out of body experience’ shortly before singer’s death”As a choreographer for a film you have to master the art of story telling through dance, Dondraico explained. “You bring the words to life from paper.Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires is available on Disney+(Image: Disney)”You get to know the characters to develop how they move, you help the director set the shot for movement. You create a world of movement for the film that helps tell the story.”‌When Dondraico was planning the choreography for Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires, he had to make sure the dancing would be appropriate for children and help share the story with them.He told us, “It’s so funny I feel like it’s meant for kids but it touches families of all ages. When I was creating choreography with my team I don’t go in saying ‘make this easy for kids.'”The movie features a lot of dancing(Image: Disney)‌Instead, Dondraico said he approaches his work “with the thought of what are kids dancing like today.” He continued, “I bring that to the forefront. Kids these days know how to dance better than half of the adults so they be ready to go in.”There are several supernatural groups in Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires and the choreographer tried to make each one unique. Explaining how he decided what dance to give each group, Dondraico told us, “I read the story and I brought a real sense of humanity to the supernatural.”In the world of Zombies we have a few supernatural entities and with this new story, we expand to introduce the Daywalkers and the Vampires. Each one has a unique power, so I approached it as if one was from like Chicago/ New York and the other was from like Atlanta / St. Louis. Just to develop their own style.”Article continues belowClick here to follow the Mirror US on Google News to stay up to date with all the latest news, sport and entertainment stories.Sign up to our FREE Entertainment newsletter and get the top showbiz stories to your inboxENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER: Sign up here to get the latest celeb gossip, plus all the biggest film and TV news from the Mirror US straight to your inbox with our FREE newsletter.ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER: Sign up here to get the latest celeb gossip, plus all the biggest film and TV news from the Mirror US straight to your inbox with our FREE newsletter.‌Disney+