i just sat through all 13 episodes. what wasted potential. i love the apes movies, and it IS good for a Saturday morning cartoon show. it seems to have been written for a more adult audience, and actually came on after the live-action show was cancelled. on a positive note, it runs as one continuous storyline, rather than each episode being self-contained. it's the adventures of 3 astronauts (bill, jeff and judy) who crash land on future earth, apparently after the events of "beneath the planet of the apes". "brent" is even mentioned when they come across nova, who is still wearing brent's dogtags. but the future is different now. the apes suddenly have a complete technological civilization, including a huge built-up city, automobiles and radio & TV stations (i loved the scene with the ape farmer driving his hay truck through the country listening to "i'm going humanoid over you" on the radio).judy is nabbed and held by the psychic human "underdwellers", while jeff and bill try to rescue her and help the primitive humanoids living aboveground escape from the gorilla armies. but, it just drags so painfully in places, and the animation is just dreadful. in most scenes, all that moves is the mouth of the character speaking. there are also only 4 or 5 people doing all of the voices, which gets tiresome fast. hearing henry corden (the 2nd voice of fred flintstone) doing all of the gorilla voices is kind of funny, however.
16 Reviews
A wasted opportunity
rgcustomer28 November 2012
Warning: Spoilers
The good:
This is definitely not a typical kids' cartoon. It has a plot, and generally sticks with it from episode to episode. Like Star Trek: Enterprise, you could watch any few episodes individually OK, but you need to watch the series in order (see Wikipedia for order) to get the most out of it.
The bad:
Return to the Planet of the Apes isn't really an appropriate title for this series. Only the viewer is returning (assuming they saw the films or live action series).
It doesn't fit well within the Planet of the Apes timeline, unless you allow for multiple timelines branching off from the 20th century. Earth was supposed to be destroyed, or at least rendered uninhabitable, by Taylor in the 2nd film. (I haven't seen the other series, so maybe they explain there how it is inhabited later, but this animated series gives no explanation).
The series seems to be a remake or reboot of the first two films, plus some unfortunate additions, most notably in the forms of a giant living ape god Kigor, and a ridiculous "monster bird", which is where this series jumps the shark. If it was ever up for renewal, this concept probably sunk it.
The animation is stunningly bad. Often, objects will change color for no apparent reason. Other times objects will move that should not move (and further will move exactly the same way as other objects on the screen). One scene in particular in "Screaming Wings" has Bill operating a crane connected to a train, and it looks like it was drawn by a toddler. And I challenge anyone not to burst out laughing when the humans start to run, like QWOP. And while the jazz/experimental score is sort of interesting at first, it's often out of step with the visuals, and it grates on you as a you go along. You begin to grit your teeth every time the descending bell noise happens.
This series is only for the most desperate of Planet of the Apes fans, perhaps the incarcerated or institutionalized. That's a shame, because it could have been good.
This is definitely not a typical kids' cartoon. It has a plot, and generally sticks with it from episode to episode. Like Star Trek: Enterprise, you could watch any few episodes individually OK, but you need to watch the series in order (see Wikipedia for order) to get the most out of it.
The bad:
Return to the Planet of the Apes isn't really an appropriate title for this series. Only the viewer is returning (assuming they saw the films or live action series).
It doesn't fit well within the Planet of the Apes timeline, unless you allow for multiple timelines branching off from the 20th century. Earth was supposed to be destroyed, or at least rendered uninhabitable, by Taylor in the 2nd film. (I haven't seen the other series, so maybe they explain there how it is inhabited later, but this animated series gives no explanation).
The series seems to be a remake or reboot of the first two films, plus some unfortunate additions, most notably in the forms of a giant living ape god Kigor, and a ridiculous "monster bird", which is where this series jumps the shark. If it was ever up for renewal, this concept probably sunk it.
The animation is stunningly bad. Often, objects will change color for no apparent reason. Other times objects will move that should not move (and further will move exactly the same way as other objects on the screen). One scene in particular in "Screaming Wings" has Bill operating a crane connected to a train, and it looks like it was drawn by a toddler. And I challenge anyone not to burst out laughing when the humans start to run, like QWOP. And while the jazz/experimental score is sort of interesting at first, it's often out of step with the visuals, and it grates on you as a you go along. You begin to grit your teeth every time the descending bell noise happens.
This series is only for the most desperate of Planet of the Apes fans, perhaps the incarcerated or institutionalized. That's a shame, because it could have been good.
A Fine Sequel
grendelkhan29 December 2002
This was a great cartoon series (for its time) and a fine sequel to the original series. As in the original novel by Pierre Boulle, the apes have a technologically advanced society, with tv, radio, and self-propelled vehicles. The episodes were generally exciting and well written. Unlike most cartoon series, the characters evolved as the series progressed. There were continuity links to previous episodes. The art direction was outstanding; a given as it was handled by Doug Wildey, creator of Jonny Quest.
If there is a fault with the series, aside from some of the dialogue, it was the voice acting. It often came across as flat and emotionless. But, the plots often made up for this flaw. It was certainly the equal of the live tv series; better in some ways, as it wasn't constrained by construction budgets. They could realize an advanced world, without having to build the sets.
This is definitely worth seeing if you are a fan of the Ape series. Now, if only it would be released, officially, on DVD.
If there is a fault with the series, aside from some of the dialogue, it was the voice acting. It often came across as flat and emotionless. But, the plots often made up for this flaw. It was certainly the equal of the live tv series; better in some ways, as it wasn't constrained by construction budgets. They could realize an advanced world, without having to build the sets.
This is definitely worth seeing if you are a fan of the Ape series. Now, if only it would be released, officially, on DVD.
Planet of the animated apes
ShadeGrenade17 September 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Whenever a cult U.S. science fiction series gets cancelled, fans bombard the studios with letters demanding its reinstatement. The animated spin-off was a way of giving them what they wanted without actually having to go so far as to commission a new season. 'Star Trek' was the first to go down this route.
'Return To The Planet Of The Apes' debuted one year after the short-lived live-action version with Roddy McDowall, Ron Harper and James Naughton. It was from DePatie/Freleng Enterprises, also responsible for 'The Pink Panther' cartoons. It chose not to continue Virdon, Burke and Galen's quest for a way to escape General Urko's gorilla army, but brought in new heroes - astronauts Bill Hudson and Jeff Allen, both of whom look as though they have fallen out of the pages of a Jack Kirby comic. There is also a female - Judy Franklin - who gets captured early on by 'under dwellers' ( similar to those seen in 'Beneath The Planet Of The Apes' ) who rename her 'Ooosa' and treat her like a god. Only one series character made it into the cartoon - Urko ( voiced by Henry Corden ). No 'Galen', but 'Cornelius' is back, as is his wife 'Zira'.
The first episode - 'Flames Of Doom' - follows the beginning of the first film fairly closely ( for some reason Dr.Hasslein is renamed Stanton ). Our heroes fall through a time warp into the year 3979 A.D. and find a world dominated by apes, and where humans are slaves. Fearing that the humans will instigate a rebellion against the old order, Dr.Zaius commands General Urko to recapture them at all costs. The show expanded the concept considerably. 'Ape City' in the movies/T.V. show consisted of makeshift huts and dwellings, whereas this one is reminiscent of Ancient Rome with its statues, ionic columns and coliseums. The apes have modern technology such as cars, planes and television ( in one episode, there is a reference to a new movie called 'The Ape Father'! ). Before they got about on horseback, now they drive tanks and motorbikes. In some ways this is closer to Pierre Boulle's original conception than previous versions. Grotesque monsters such as a sea serpent and an ape skull appearing out of nowhere in the night sky were added to the mix.
Like the live action show, the films' social commentary was eschewed in favour of straightforward action adventure. The quality of the animation is alas so basic that at times one is reminded of 'Cheapo Cartoon Man' from L.W.T.'s 'End Of Part One'. Whenever someone runs, you can see the same background flying past every few seconds. As for the voice artistes, it is a pity that neither Roddy McDowall nor Mark Lenard were brought back. Their replacements are simply awful. Austin Stoker's 'Jeff' sounds like Leslie Nielsen, 'Cornelius' appears to be voiced by Stan Laurel, and Claudette Nevins' 'Nova' modelled on Marilyn Monroe.
Watching this again recently I was slightly surprised at how disturbing some of it was. The opening titles start with a slow pan across desert towards what seems to be humans staked out to be eaten by vultures. Then there's a close-up of a gorilla leering into the camera to the accompaniment of lightning flashes.
13 episodes were made. I.T.V. showed it shortly after its U.S. debut but it did not make the same impact here as its predecessor. Many people thought it a cynical attempt to get more milk out of the cash cow. For all its faults, I do like the show, and it is vastly superior to Tim Burton's 'reimagining' ( isn't that an annoying word, by the way? ).
'Return To The Planet Of The Apes' debuted one year after the short-lived live-action version with Roddy McDowall, Ron Harper and James Naughton. It was from DePatie/Freleng Enterprises, also responsible for 'The Pink Panther' cartoons. It chose not to continue Virdon, Burke and Galen's quest for a way to escape General Urko's gorilla army, but brought in new heroes - astronauts Bill Hudson and Jeff Allen, both of whom look as though they have fallen out of the pages of a Jack Kirby comic. There is also a female - Judy Franklin - who gets captured early on by 'under dwellers' ( similar to those seen in 'Beneath The Planet Of The Apes' ) who rename her 'Ooosa' and treat her like a god. Only one series character made it into the cartoon - Urko ( voiced by Henry Corden ). No 'Galen', but 'Cornelius' is back, as is his wife 'Zira'.
The first episode - 'Flames Of Doom' - follows the beginning of the first film fairly closely ( for some reason Dr.Hasslein is renamed Stanton ). Our heroes fall through a time warp into the year 3979 A.D. and find a world dominated by apes, and where humans are slaves. Fearing that the humans will instigate a rebellion against the old order, Dr.Zaius commands General Urko to recapture them at all costs. The show expanded the concept considerably. 'Ape City' in the movies/T.V. show consisted of makeshift huts and dwellings, whereas this one is reminiscent of Ancient Rome with its statues, ionic columns and coliseums. The apes have modern technology such as cars, planes and television ( in one episode, there is a reference to a new movie called 'The Ape Father'! ). Before they got about on horseback, now they drive tanks and motorbikes. In some ways this is closer to Pierre Boulle's original conception than previous versions. Grotesque monsters such as a sea serpent and an ape skull appearing out of nowhere in the night sky were added to the mix.
Like the live action show, the films' social commentary was eschewed in favour of straightforward action adventure. The quality of the animation is alas so basic that at times one is reminded of 'Cheapo Cartoon Man' from L.W.T.'s 'End Of Part One'. Whenever someone runs, you can see the same background flying past every few seconds. As for the voice artistes, it is a pity that neither Roddy McDowall nor Mark Lenard were brought back. Their replacements are simply awful. Austin Stoker's 'Jeff' sounds like Leslie Nielsen, 'Cornelius' appears to be voiced by Stan Laurel, and Claudette Nevins' 'Nova' modelled on Marilyn Monroe.
Watching this again recently I was slightly surprised at how disturbing some of it was. The opening titles start with a slow pan across desert towards what seems to be humans staked out to be eaten by vultures. Then there's a close-up of a gorilla leering into the camera to the accompaniment of lightning flashes.
13 episodes were made. I.T.V. showed it shortly after its U.S. debut but it did not make the same impact here as its predecessor. Many people thought it a cynical attempt to get more milk out of the cash cow. For all its faults, I do like the show, and it is vastly superior to Tim Burton's 'reimagining' ( isn't that an annoying word, by the way? ).
A semi-loser
mhorg20182 November 2022
Let's talk about the good. Very little. A few interesting ideas, but this takes place in an alternate reality Planet of the Apes. The producers went the cheap route, giving the apes vehicles and human artillery. The color palate was limited, as were characters expressions. I'll add in having them land in a mercury looking space capsule was really cheap. Wouldn't it have been as cheap to draw the Taylor ship from the movies? This really doesn't fit in with the existing timeline at all. As I said, since IMDB won't give a zero rating, but insists on 600 characters, this wasn't a good show in any sense, but, in some ways it was better than the live action show. It lifts a few ideas from the movies, "Bright eyes", being one, and friendly chimps being another, but again, some of the ideas are straight out of the 1950's. Barely worth a watch.
An Unexpected Treat
Ratty_Randnums4 August 2013
Warning: Spoilers
First off, yes, the animation is extremely limited in this series. Expect a lot of repeated shots and minimal movement. It's almost more like an "enhanced comic book" at times rather than a full fledged cartoon. This comes with the territory of television animation from the 1970s. However the art itself is usually not bad to look at, and on a few occasions shows flashes of beauty and brilliance. Where the show really shines however is the writing, which is surprisingly ambitious and mature for the time.
In re-imagining the PotA franchise to be more like the original novel with relatively technologically advanced Apes. RttPotA definitely falls outside of the timeline of the original film pentalogy and the live action TV series. But also utilizes fan-favorite characters like Cornelius and Zira to create a world both familiar and fresh.
Be that as it may the show is far from perfect, sometimes the limited animation gets tiresome and the actor who played Bill is so wooden I could almost swear I heard him confusedly deliver a line then turn the page in his script once or twice.
But overall this is an excellent effort and as someone who was not yet born when it aired and had not seen it until the DVD release I was very pleasantly surprised by how much of the genuine PotA feel they were able to capture for the Saturday Morning Audience. Just be sure to watch the series in the originally intended chronological order (the default on the DVDs) rather than the jumbled-up original air-dates, and GO APE!
In re-imagining the PotA franchise to be more like the original novel with relatively technologically advanced Apes. RttPotA definitely falls outside of the timeline of the original film pentalogy and the live action TV series. But also utilizes fan-favorite characters like Cornelius and Zira to create a world both familiar and fresh.
Be that as it may the show is far from perfect, sometimes the limited animation gets tiresome and the actor who played Bill is so wooden I could almost swear I heard him confusedly deliver a line then turn the page in his script once or twice.
But overall this is an excellent effort and as someone who was not yet born when it aired and had not seen it until the DVD release I was very pleasantly surprised by how much of the genuine PotA feel they were able to capture for the Saturday Morning Audience. Just be sure to watch the series in the originally intended chronological order (the default on the DVDs) rather than the jumbled-up original air-dates, and GO APE!
My Cartoon Prediction that came true plus other data.
Stebaer410 May 2015
Yes I predicted that there'd be a Planet of the apes cartoon the year before it came true.
Agreeably it's a mess but also still goes out of bounds of the website of Monkeying with the time-line.
Just like for the "Planet of the apes."TV-Series."Dolls they made a mistake because of the movie of "Beneath the Planet of the apes."and made Ursus the one with the helmet while on the TV-Show it was Urko who wore the helmet and so then just to satisfy the customers they switched the 2 dolls of which they'd made the mistake with.It also was an easy thing to do because this takes place in the 31st century while The Cartoon like the 1st and 2nd Planet of the apes Movie took place in the 40th century but in the cartoon it's Urko with helmet like in the TV-Series and as mentioned it's a blend of characters from The Series of Movies and The TV-Series that followed.
In this all over again like in the 1st movie called Planet of The Apes It's news when Cornelius and Zira do hear Bill Hudson Speak then he introduced himself by name and they let him go but know that the guard overheard them and so upon letting him out of the cage they then posed it like he got the keys,knocked them out,locked them in the cage,and escaped.
On Nova's Dogtag it indicates another Brent born in 2076.As it was told that like in the novel by Pierre Boule The Apes had cars and advanced science & like in the original film to be released of which also had Charlton Heston as Taylor and Edward G. Robinson as Dr.Zaius but he passed away before they could complete it and so they then did it over and I know this from the Special on Bravo called "Behind The Planet of the Apes."It also includes mention of Planet of The Apes:The Forbidden Zone."of which was not only released by Malibu Graphics but was made possible by me after I wrote to them about their 4 issue Mini-series of Planet of The Apes:Blood of the apes and the misquote of the ape on the cover saying "Ape must never kill ape unless it's his job." so in making this and the other time Paradoxes make sense in the above mentioned title that I made possible with the little or not known peace time from "Battle" the fifth installment of the movies. Malibu Graphics had later got consumed by Marvel Comics and of which was the first Comics Group to adapt "Planet of the apes." Malibu had also acknowledged this cartoon in their introduction to "Ape Nation" in Ape Nation #1 of which blends/blended Planet of the Apes and Alien Nation and was doable because they're both 20th century Fox Productions.While at DC in the mid 80's a Star Trek/V crossover wasn't possible because they were by separate studios and in this order both Paramount and Warner Brothers.
But back to the cartoon Bill got coined by Zira as "Blue Eyes" while Taylor got coined by Zira as "Bright eyes."in the 1st Movie.
A Land quake consumed Judy but upon going underground Bill and Jeff found her and she got to leave with them she got coined USA and mistaken for USA and sounding like oosa by Crador,yes it sounds kind of like Crater. who was the head of the Underdwellers because of the headstand found that looked like her and said USA on it.
A once thought extinct volcano turned out not to be and so lava came up and with the help of The 3 astronauts they made the lava take a detour not to do anticipated damage.Lava has its associations with craters. This cartoon has a near happy ending in the last episode but without giving too much away while at The End of "Battle."there really is a happy ending.
When a boat full of Dynamite in the water got turned around by the Astronaughts and went toward Urko and the Gorillas then upon not knowing how to give the right answer but"I am,Run for it!"after being told by another ape "Your The General do something."Before this Bill also appeared in the Mirror to tell Cornielius and Zira of this warning and to tell Dr.Zauis too.Dr.Zauis even says"Cornelius I Hope you didn't get me out of bed just for some wild goose chase."Of which upon finding out that he didn't then finds he has to suspend Urko of his Authority for 3 months.The following week just when Cornelius and Zira thought there was no risk to sneak up and visit the 3 Astronauts but it turns out that Urko put another Superior Ape Soldier in his place.
This cartoon has a Dr.Zaius like in the 1st 2 movies while the Dr. Zaius in The TV Series is set in the 31st century.This cartoon like The 1st 2 movies is set in the 40th Century but still doesn't agree. Jeff was voiced by Austin Stoker and as said was the only Movie Ape Alumnist to return for this cartoon as you'll see in a follow-up.
Anyone who doesn't find this review helpful obviously doesn't know their Pota Movie and TV-Series Data.and therefore should brush up on it and see what I'm talking about.
Truly,Stephen "Steve" G. Baer a.k.a. "Ste" of Framingham,Ma.USA
Agreeably it's a mess but also still goes out of bounds of the website of Monkeying with the time-line.
Just like for the "Planet of the apes."TV-Series."Dolls they made a mistake because of the movie of "Beneath the Planet of the apes."and made Ursus the one with the helmet while on the TV-Show it was Urko who wore the helmet and so then just to satisfy the customers they switched the 2 dolls of which they'd made the mistake with.It also was an easy thing to do because this takes place in the 31st century while The Cartoon like the 1st and 2nd Planet of the apes Movie took place in the 40th century but in the cartoon it's Urko with helmet like in the TV-Series and as mentioned it's a blend of characters from The Series of Movies and The TV-Series that followed.
In this all over again like in the 1st movie called Planet of The Apes It's news when Cornelius and Zira do hear Bill Hudson Speak then he introduced himself by name and they let him go but know that the guard overheard them and so upon letting him out of the cage they then posed it like he got the keys,knocked them out,locked them in the cage,and escaped.
On Nova's Dogtag it indicates another Brent born in 2076.As it was told that like in the novel by Pierre Boule The Apes had cars and advanced science & like in the original film to be released of which also had Charlton Heston as Taylor and Edward G. Robinson as Dr.Zaius but he passed away before they could complete it and so they then did it over and I know this from the Special on Bravo called "Behind The Planet of the Apes."It also includes mention of Planet of The Apes:The Forbidden Zone."of which was not only released by Malibu Graphics but was made possible by me after I wrote to them about their 4 issue Mini-series of Planet of The Apes:Blood of the apes and the misquote of the ape on the cover saying "Ape must never kill ape unless it's his job." so in making this and the other time Paradoxes make sense in the above mentioned title that I made possible with the little or not known peace time from "Battle" the fifth installment of the movies. Malibu Graphics had later got consumed by Marvel Comics and of which was the first Comics Group to adapt "Planet of the apes." Malibu had also acknowledged this cartoon in their introduction to "Ape Nation" in Ape Nation #1 of which blends/blended Planet of the Apes and Alien Nation and was doable because they're both 20th century Fox Productions.While at DC in the mid 80's a Star Trek/V crossover wasn't possible because they were by separate studios and in this order both Paramount and Warner Brothers.
But back to the cartoon Bill got coined by Zira as "Blue Eyes" while Taylor got coined by Zira as "Bright eyes."in the 1st Movie.
A Land quake consumed Judy but upon going underground Bill and Jeff found her and she got to leave with them she got coined USA and mistaken for USA and sounding like oosa by Crador,yes it sounds kind of like Crater. who was the head of the Underdwellers because of the headstand found that looked like her and said USA on it.
A once thought extinct volcano turned out not to be and so lava came up and with the help of The 3 astronauts they made the lava take a detour not to do anticipated damage.Lava has its associations with craters. This cartoon has a near happy ending in the last episode but without giving too much away while at The End of "Battle."there really is a happy ending.
When a boat full of Dynamite in the water got turned around by the Astronaughts and went toward Urko and the Gorillas then upon not knowing how to give the right answer but"I am,Run for it!"after being told by another ape "Your The General do something."Before this Bill also appeared in the Mirror to tell Cornielius and Zira of this warning and to tell Dr.Zauis too.Dr.Zauis even says"Cornelius I Hope you didn't get me out of bed just for some wild goose chase."Of which upon finding out that he didn't then finds he has to suspend Urko of his Authority for 3 months.The following week just when Cornelius and Zira thought there was no risk to sneak up and visit the 3 Astronauts but it turns out that Urko put another Superior Ape Soldier in his place.
This cartoon has a Dr.Zaius like in the 1st 2 movies while the Dr. Zaius in The TV Series is set in the 31st century.This cartoon like The 1st 2 movies is set in the 40th Century but still doesn't agree. Jeff was voiced by Austin Stoker and as said was the only Movie Ape Alumnist to return for this cartoon as you'll see in a follow-up.
Anyone who doesn't find this review helpful obviously doesn't know their Pota Movie and TV-Series Data.and therefore should brush up on it and see what I'm talking about.
Truly,Stephen "Steve" G. Baer a.k.a. "Ste" of Framingham,Ma.USA
Return to the Planet of the Apes:The Animated Series
rcj536528 January 2009
In 1973,Mad magazine spoofed a seemingly endless movie series in a sequence titled "The Milking of The Planet of the Apes." Little did the people at Mad magazine know or little did they know that they haven't seen the last of the efforts to milk the success of this sci-fi story line involving a futuristic Earth run by simians and other hairy primates which first surfaced as a novel by Pierre Boulle and a 1968 movie titled "The Planet of the Apes",which was followed by four more sequels that were released theatrically in 1970,1971,1972,and 1973. Following high ratings for the TV showings of the sequels(there were five "Apes" movies that were released in theatres between 1968 through 1973),CBS-TV made a live-action hour long television series that was short-lived,also titled "Planet of the Apes" that CBS put onto its prime-time schedule on Friday nights,where it produced 16 episodes and ran from September 13,1974 until December 27,1974. After the cancellation of the series,the producers and the head of operations at 20th Century-Fox figured that was not the end of the simian saga. Also to point out Fox re-released all five "Apes" back in theatres during the summer of 1974.
In September of 1975,NBC made it into a Saturday morning cartoon entry that produced 13 episodes and was produced for DePatie-Freleng Productions in association with 20th Century-Fox Television. The series ran from September 6,1975 until September 4, 1976. However,NBC reaired all 13 episodes during part of the 1976-1977 season. The animated series based on Pierre Boulle's novel and the movies of the same title,was the replacement for the animated version of "Star Trek" which was cancelled in 1975 after two seasons.
This animated retelling was set in the year 3810,nearly 1,000 years after the date given in earlier renditions. There were two new passengers in this adventure-youngsters Jeff and Judy,who crash-landed with Bill in an area where Dr.Zaius was the scientific leader of the planet,as he was in the original series and the theatrical features. And as in the movies,General Urko was the military commander and what made this good,is that the simians were technologically advanced. The other characters were Cornelius and Zira(from the theatrical version),and Nova,young chimp buddies and rough counterparts to Jeff and Judy(who went missing during the first half of this animated series). The animation was superb,since it was done by Doug Wildey,the creator of Jonny Quest. The musical score for this piece was done by jazz musician and conductor Dean Elliott. This was a series that have a lot of potential,but it was slow in the development stages. Worth seeing if you're a fan of classic Saturday Morning cartoons from the mid-1970's.
In September of 1975,NBC made it into a Saturday morning cartoon entry that produced 13 episodes and was produced for DePatie-Freleng Productions in association with 20th Century-Fox Television. The series ran from September 6,1975 until September 4, 1976. However,NBC reaired all 13 episodes during part of the 1976-1977 season. The animated series based on Pierre Boulle's novel and the movies of the same title,was the replacement for the animated version of "Star Trek" which was cancelled in 1975 after two seasons.
This animated retelling was set in the year 3810,nearly 1,000 years after the date given in earlier renditions. There were two new passengers in this adventure-youngsters Jeff and Judy,who crash-landed with Bill in an area where Dr.Zaius was the scientific leader of the planet,as he was in the original series and the theatrical features. And as in the movies,General Urko was the military commander and what made this good,is that the simians were technologically advanced. The other characters were Cornelius and Zira(from the theatrical version),and Nova,young chimp buddies and rough counterparts to Jeff and Judy(who went missing during the first half of this animated series). The animation was superb,since it was done by Doug Wildey,the creator of Jonny Quest. The musical score for this piece was done by jazz musician and conductor Dean Elliott. This was a series that have a lot of potential,but it was slow in the development stages. Worth seeing if you're a fan of classic Saturday Morning cartoons from the mid-1970's.
70s BABY !
Hackaday127 December 2019
I don't care about the subpar animation. I grew up in the 70s and I bought this DVD set and I have to tell you it is transported me magically back to 1975 when I was a 10 year old boy who love the planet of the apes movies, had planet of the apes toys and played planet of the apes outside. Anybody that complains about the animation or the storyline, they're missing the point. The most important thing this animated series does is take me back to my childhood during a kinder gentler hipper groovier time. 😁
I saw this back in the '70s
bard-323 September 2007
I saw this back in the '70s myself. The animation, as one reviewer said, sucks. That's because it was hand-drawn in the '70s and not computer generated. That didn't come about until seven years later with the Disney science fiction movie Tron. Jeff's last name is Allen, and not Carter. I think that's Bill's last name. I've never read the Pierre Boulle novel Monkey Planet, which was what the French title Planet of the Apes translates to in English. Three astronauts, Bill, Jeff, and Judy, are on a top secret mission when their spaceship is sent through a time vortex to the year 3979. The apes have a high degree of civilization. They have cars and trucks. They even have their own culture. In one episode, Urko finds an old World War II era P-40 and repairs it to use against the "humanoids." The language is simplistic and un-PC in 2007. The cartoon, like the movie Beneath the Planet of the Apes, is very much maligned. The Underdwellers are from Beneath the Planet of the Apes. Another reviewer said that it was a worthy sequel. I agree. It's a worthy sequel. I never saw it on video so I hope there's a DVD release soon. I'd buy it.
Haven't Seen It Since '75
richard.fuller131 July 2011
Warning: Spoilers
In 1975, a 9-yr-old (me) and an 11-yr-old (my bro) lost a lot of interest in this show, mainly because of the total lack of animation, literally bordering on the old Marvel comics cartoons that used artwork from the comic books.
Same deal here. I think bro stuck it out a bit longer than I did, but I lost complete and total interest in this show.
I remember the first episode and our three astronauts struggling across the hot desert, and I remember the Underdwellers tiled floors rippling up (only four tiles moved) from an active volcano.
Now in rewatching it, I can abide the animation and watch an old show done by Doug Wildey (who also did Jonny Quest and apparently did Godzilla, a fave of mine).
First thing about the show is the continuity. No show carried over plots and subplots as this one did, and they really don't manage this today.
The plots are actually quite good too. And I'm sure it was groundbreakingly different to have a woman who was a crack airplane pilot (to go up in a spaceship, she has to know more than coffee, tea or milk).
A minus is definitely old Jeff being a token. Yes, it was the era of the token, but surely someone could look at all the caucasians and just think of adding another one. An Asian? Tho the movie didn't explain it, the comic book adaptation from Marvel comics was the black astronaut there was put in the museum because the apes had never seen a black man before. Why not? It was an African-American who befriended Ceasar in movies #4 and #5.
Undeniably, voicework worked against the show. Judy, Cornelius and Zira's voices are awful, utterly insulting with their attempts to be pacifists, especially Cornelius and Zira.
A truly bizarre moment was Judy disappearing to re-appear with the Under-dwellers (I suppose one could conclude the Under-dwellers caused the earthquake to retrieve her), and then she re-appeared about three episodes later for good.
The sub-plot about her becoming USA was very good.
And unquestionably, Henry Corden was an odd choice for Urko. While Urko did get some good rants (almost Richard Nixon paranoid, with 'why is everyone against me? It's a conspiracy!'), using Fred Flintstone's voice for Urko was the same as the voice of Dr. Zinn on Jonny Quest being used for the '68 animated Silver Surfer in the Fantastic Four cartoon.
The show obviously followed the movies too much, with emphasis on the under-dwellers and fake fires (those fires got a little crazy there for a while popping in and out like that. Who would believe they were real after awhile?) and really should have done what it clearly wanted to do and take the astronauts to Europe, South America and elsewhere, to explore the cultures there, ape or human.
But they couldn't' shift off of Nova and Zaius (two characters who quite honestly could have been removed from the cartoon).
The pluses were in Urko not knowing about Jeff and Judy and Cornelius and Zira not knowing about Judy as well, and likewise not knowing who took the WWII airplane. There was definite continuity working in the show here, even to the point of the 13th episode bringing back the flying monster to tangle with the King Kong in the mountains, pretty much bringing several plots together.
With the new upcoming movie, check out the cartoon.
Same deal here. I think bro stuck it out a bit longer than I did, but I lost complete and total interest in this show.
I remember the first episode and our three astronauts struggling across the hot desert, and I remember the Underdwellers tiled floors rippling up (only four tiles moved) from an active volcano.
Now in rewatching it, I can abide the animation and watch an old show done by Doug Wildey (who also did Jonny Quest and apparently did Godzilla, a fave of mine).
First thing about the show is the continuity. No show carried over plots and subplots as this one did, and they really don't manage this today.
The plots are actually quite good too. And I'm sure it was groundbreakingly different to have a woman who was a crack airplane pilot (to go up in a spaceship, she has to know more than coffee, tea or milk).
A minus is definitely old Jeff being a token. Yes, it was the era of the token, but surely someone could look at all the caucasians and just think of adding another one. An Asian? Tho the movie didn't explain it, the comic book adaptation from Marvel comics was the black astronaut there was put in the museum because the apes had never seen a black man before. Why not? It was an African-American who befriended Ceasar in movies #4 and #5.
Undeniably, voicework worked against the show. Judy, Cornelius and Zira's voices are awful, utterly insulting with their attempts to be pacifists, especially Cornelius and Zira.
A truly bizarre moment was Judy disappearing to re-appear with the Under-dwellers (I suppose one could conclude the Under-dwellers caused the earthquake to retrieve her), and then she re-appeared about three episodes later for good.
The sub-plot about her becoming USA was very good.
And unquestionably, Henry Corden was an odd choice for Urko. While Urko did get some good rants (almost Richard Nixon paranoid, with 'why is everyone against me? It's a conspiracy!'), using Fred Flintstone's voice for Urko was the same as the voice of Dr. Zinn on Jonny Quest being used for the '68 animated Silver Surfer in the Fantastic Four cartoon.
The show obviously followed the movies too much, with emphasis on the under-dwellers and fake fires (those fires got a little crazy there for a while popping in and out like that. Who would believe they were real after awhile?) and really should have done what it clearly wanted to do and take the astronauts to Europe, South America and elsewhere, to explore the cultures there, ape or human.
But they couldn't' shift off of Nova and Zaius (two characters who quite honestly could have been removed from the cartoon).
The pluses were in Urko not knowing about Jeff and Judy and Cornelius and Zira not knowing about Judy as well, and likewise not knowing who took the WWII airplane. There was definite continuity working in the show here, even to the point of the 13th episode bringing back the flying monster to tangle with the King Kong in the mountains, pretty much bringing several plots together.
With the new upcoming movie, check out the cartoon.
Stylized Minimalized Animation
TheFearmakers2 May 2024
Warning: Spoilers
With RETURN TO THE PLANET OF THE APES, they finally faithfully covered the titular planet created by source novel author Pierre Boulle, whose evolved apes had everything modern-day humans enjoy (that couldn't be afforded on the big screen): from airplanes to full-fledged military weapons/transports to cities that don't look out of the stone age...
The animation is of the cost-cutting low-budget Hanna-Barbara-style 1970's, but is also coolly stylized and visually intriguing, including establishing still-shots of the sun or lightning or various character expressions, seeming more like frequently moving matte-paintings than an animated cartoon catered to Saturday morning children...
Which RETURN hardly is, actually, with a lot of either frantic violence or threats of such... and the first episode has three astronauts... one woman and two men, a black (voiced by BATTLE actor Austin Stoker) and a white... in a more realistic space-cruiser being an actual NASA capsule, eventually making a sudden dead-drop RETURN to this initially barren planet, as happened during the first thirty-minutes of the Charlton Heston classic with his own two astronaut cohorts...
One of the twists here is that... learned in a giant Roman-like courtroom full of apes ranging from the usual military gorillas to scientific chimps to intellectual orangutans, humans (other than the three about to land from space) have acquired the new ability of speaking, which the villainous General Urko, voiced by the second Fred Flintstone Harry Corden, wants stopped...
Providing plenty of tension and race-against-time action/adventure in the pilot-episode FLAMES OF DOOM, referring to the enigmatic Forbidden Zone where the best scenes occur during the rudimentary stranded search...
Eventually leading to an old Robinson Caruso type survivor alongside that sexy cave-girl Nova... and he's former astronaut Brent, who was played by Heston-wannabe James Franciscus in the horrendous second feature BENEATH, which this cartoon -- while never taken seriously by diehard APES franchise fans -- is far superior and with adapted novelizations (written by William Arrow) providing the best page-turning prose since Pierre Boulle's original.
The animation is of the cost-cutting low-budget Hanna-Barbara-style 1970's, but is also coolly stylized and visually intriguing, including establishing still-shots of the sun or lightning or various character expressions, seeming more like frequently moving matte-paintings than an animated cartoon catered to Saturday morning children...
Which RETURN hardly is, actually, with a lot of either frantic violence or threats of such... and the first episode has three astronauts... one woman and two men, a black (voiced by BATTLE actor Austin Stoker) and a white... in a more realistic space-cruiser being an actual NASA capsule, eventually making a sudden dead-drop RETURN to this initially barren planet, as happened during the first thirty-minutes of the Charlton Heston classic with his own two astronaut cohorts...
One of the twists here is that... learned in a giant Roman-like courtroom full of apes ranging from the usual military gorillas to scientific chimps to intellectual orangutans, humans (other than the three about to land from space) have acquired the new ability of speaking, which the villainous General Urko, voiced by the second Fred Flintstone Harry Corden, wants stopped...
Providing plenty of tension and race-against-time action/adventure in the pilot-episode FLAMES OF DOOM, referring to the enigmatic Forbidden Zone where the best scenes occur during the rudimentary stranded search...
Eventually leading to an old Robinson Caruso type survivor alongside that sexy cave-girl Nova... and he's former astronaut Brent, who was played by Heston-wannabe James Franciscus in the horrendous second feature BENEATH, which this cartoon -- while never taken seriously by diehard APES franchise fans -- is far superior and with adapted novelizations (written by William Arrow) providing the best page-turning prose since Pierre Boulle's original.
Saturday Morning Fever is on the rise,on N-B-C!!!!
raysond9 May 2002
I remember seeing this show as a kid in the mid-70's,and I remember it came on Saturday Mornings on NBC. The cartoon series by the way premiered in 1975 right after the success of the short-lived TV series and the movies of the same title. It may have been exciting to watch,but nowadays it is very cheesy and laughable and sometimes politically correct according to the standards of today. Neither the less,the show kept viewers on the edge of what to expect and it was fun to watch. The cartoon series focuses on three stranded astronauts who are chased across four corners of the earth by a planet of superior and intelligent apes. The show also had apes as advanced beings,including some who can fly planes,drive cars,and control tanks and were scienfically advanced.
One episode in particular had an ape in scuba gear,and one in particular knew how to used a laser gun! Incredible! Only in a cartoon! Great Show!
One episode in particular had an ape in scuba gear,and one in particular knew how to used a laser gun! Incredible! Only in a cartoon! Great Show!
Jeff! This is Earth!
Sparse19 July 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Year after year since the 1968 classic, Fox was determined to milk the franchise dry. So they did. Return to the Planet of the Apes is one of the laziest, most contrived productions I've ever seen, yet at the same time I was wildly entertained. I'm not gonna lie: this show had me in stitches.
To me, this show is the embodiment of the "so bad it's good" effect. Across the board, almost unequivocally, it's apparent that ZERO effort went into making this. Fox wanted money from kids, so they made a series of cheap advertisements. It's that simple.
As far as direction goes, they clearly tried to model the introduction off of Schaffner's direction from the 1968 film. However, revealing Ape City at the very beginning defeats the point of the long, drawn-out opening sequence, and effectively undermines any tension they would have had in its reveal. Further into the show, we are constantly bombarded with repetitive sequences of certain frames/animations, re-used in succession to create a kind of pseudo-tension, and above all to fill that runtime in the most cost-effective way possible. Besides that, you'll also get a good dose of still frames and bizarre zooms that get all snug-and-intimate with any given character's gawking, featureless face.
First thing you'll notice in regards to the writing is that continuity flies straight out the window into the blistering inferno that is the vague assembly of a plot--which is a bizarre amalgamation of non-sequiturs and fever dreams--most likely developed via the spinning thingy from a Twister ® game box. The episodes aired out of order, though even then the series is evidently trying to build off of the events of the first two films, bringing in Zira, Cornelius, Zaius, Nova, Brent, and even mentioning Taylor. They just seem to ignore that Nova died, and that the earth exploded, and how technologically advanced their society was, etc. . . . It's painful, really. Even when you watch the episodes in order (effectively establishing a bare-minimum level of continuity), the most bizarre nonsense comes into play, including: giant spiders, sea monsters, prehistoric dragon-birds, King Kong rip-offs, unicorn-bison (wait, really?), pimped-out airplanes, and the obligatory race of subterranean mutants. To think that this is somehow related to an allegorically-dense, sci-fi masterpiece is bound to disorient some from any sense of reality.
The conflicts within the show are comprised of petty squabbles and schemes of randomly determined significance. Unlike the 1974 series, there isn't enough competency to get by with its episodic nature as mere harmless fun, and it just feels contrived. The wealth of allegories formerly in the franchise are but a distant memory here, and any commentary that does attempt to surface is so devoid of intelligence or even bare-minimum subtlety. This series also mindlessly copies plot points from former entries, such as the "astronauts crash-landing on an upside-down world" trope for the fifth time, and where it doesn't copy, it supplements the plot with a mixture of generic and outlandish conflicts. Imagine something as generic as going out to get fuel, contrasted with fighting a dragon with a hot-air balloon.
The characters are also pretty weak. None of them have much personality with exceptions for characters who appeared in the movies or TV shows, and even then it's misconceived or inconsistent. In former entries for example, Zira is intelligent and headstrong, but in here she's anywhere in between that and worrisome and compliant. Cornelius went from quirky, curious, and reserved to sometimes commanding and authoritative. The astronauts aren't even two-dimensional in character, and the one human female character we do get is gone about as soon as we see her, and then shows up for the second half. The dialogue is even weaker than the characters, with multiple moments in which lines aren't so much as grammatically correct. For example, I'll quote Bill, and maybe you'll notice a basic grammatical error that's unlikely to be made by an educated astronaut: "The truth is, none of us is safe, Zira".
The voice acting is always somewhere between flat, awkward, and outright bad. The line delivery is so misconceived that it often had me erupting in laughter.
Listen. . . . I know animation is hard--even bad animation is tedious, but the animation in Return to the Planet of the Apes is astronomically lazy. I think the animators realized that they weren't getting paid for effort either way though, so they went easy on themselves. Throughout the show you'll find re-used animations and frames, and lead characters with either no character model, or character models directly plagiarized from other character models, and even the animation techniques themselves are inconsistent. I'll go ahead and quote a brief conversation about it.
Sister: "They paid their animators." (Sarcastically). Me: "Did they?" (Unsarcastically).
I do like the background illustrations and colors. There's some nice artsy-styled frames every so often, and some borderline-breathtaking backdrops. Those were nice to look at. But that's about all this show has going for it--that and its music, which is somehow the best part. Composed by Dean Elliott, the score is a generally well- produced knock-off of Jerry Goldsmith's original 1968 Planet of the Apes score, complete with no small amount of 70's cheese. It actually has some catchy moments, and utilizes leitmotifs and themes, which makes it leaps and bounds above the quality of the show overall. Even if badly spotted, there wasn't an opportunity for good spotting anyway. The opening theme is pretty decent too, so I'll take it!
This series isn't offensive enough to get a 1, and though its objective quality is more geared towards a 2 I'm gonna go ahead and bump it up for entertainment value. In my book, that alone puts it at a higher regard than 2001's Planet of the Apes. So I don't know about you, but I had a blast!
Score: 3/10
To me, this show is the embodiment of the "so bad it's good" effect. Across the board, almost unequivocally, it's apparent that ZERO effort went into making this. Fox wanted money from kids, so they made a series of cheap advertisements. It's that simple.
As far as direction goes, they clearly tried to model the introduction off of Schaffner's direction from the 1968 film. However, revealing Ape City at the very beginning defeats the point of the long, drawn-out opening sequence, and effectively undermines any tension they would have had in its reveal. Further into the show, we are constantly bombarded with repetitive sequences of certain frames/animations, re-used in succession to create a kind of pseudo-tension, and above all to fill that runtime in the most cost-effective way possible. Besides that, you'll also get a good dose of still frames and bizarre zooms that get all snug-and-intimate with any given character's gawking, featureless face.
First thing you'll notice in regards to the writing is that continuity flies straight out the window into the blistering inferno that is the vague assembly of a plot--which is a bizarre amalgamation of non-sequiturs and fever dreams--most likely developed via the spinning thingy from a Twister ® game box. The episodes aired out of order, though even then the series is evidently trying to build off of the events of the first two films, bringing in Zira, Cornelius, Zaius, Nova, Brent, and even mentioning Taylor. They just seem to ignore that Nova died, and that the earth exploded, and how technologically advanced their society was, etc. . . . It's painful, really. Even when you watch the episodes in order (effectively establishing a bare-minimum level of continuity), the most bizarre nonsense comes into play, including: giant spiders, sea monsters, prehistoric dragon-birds, King Kong rip-offs, unicorn-bison (wait, really?), pimped-out airplanes, and the obligatory race of subterranean mutants. To think that this is somehow related to an allegorically-dense, sci-fi masterpiece is bound to disorient some from any sense of reality.
The conflicts within the show are comprised of petty squabbles and schemes of randomly determined significance. Unlike the 1974 series, there isn't enough competency to get by with its episodic nature as mere harmless fun, and it just feels contrived. The wealth of allegories formerly in the franchise are but a distant memory here, and any commentary that does attempt to surface is so devoid of intelligence or even bare-minimum subtlety. This series also mindlessly copies plot points from former entries, such as the "astronauts crash-landing on an upside-down world" trope for the fifth time, and where it doesn't copy, it supplements the plot with a mixture of generic and outlandish conflicts. Imagine something as generic as going out to get fuel, contrasted with fighting a dragon with a hot-air balloon.
The characters are also pretty weak. None of them have much personality with exceptions for characters who appeared in the movies or TV shows, and even then it's misconceived or inconsistent. In former entries for example, Zira is intelligent and headstrong, but in here she's anywhere in between that and worrisome and compliant. Cornelius went from quirky, curious, and reserved to sometimes commanding and authoritative. The astronauts aren't even two-dimensional in character, and the one human female character we do get is gone about as soon as we see her, and then shows up for the second half. The dialogue is even weaker than the characters, with multiple moments in which lines aren't so much as grammatically correct. For example, I'll quote Bill, and maybe you'll notice a basic grammatical error that's unlikely to be made by an educated astronaut: "The truth is, none of us is safe, Zira".
The voice acting is always somewhere between flat, awkward, and outright bad. The line delivery is so misconceived that it often had me erupting in laughter.
Listen. . . . I know animation is hard--even bad animation is tedious, but the animation in Return to the Planet of the Apes is astronomically lazy. I think the animators realized that they weren't getting paid for effort either way though, so they went easy on themselves. Throughout the show you'll find re-used animations and frames, and lead characters with either no character model, or character models directly plagiarized from other character models, and even the animation techniques themselves are inconsistent. I'll go ahead and quote a brief conversation about it.
Sister: "They paid their animators." (Sarcastically). Me: "Did they?" (Unsarcastically).
I do like the background illustrations and colors. There's some nice artsy-styled frames every so often, and some borderline-breathtaking backdrops. Those were nice to look at. But that's about all this show has going for it--that and its music, which is somehow the best part. Composed by Dean Elliott, the score is a generally well- produced knock-off of Jerry Goldsmith's original 1968 Planet of the Apes score, complete with no small amount of 70's cheese. It actually has some catchy moments, and utilizes leitmotifs and themes, which makes it leaps and bounds above the quality of the show overall. Even if badly spotted, there wasn't an opportunity for good spotting anyway. The opening theme is pretty decent too, so I'll take it!
This series isn't offensive enough to get a 1, and though its objective quality is more geared towards a 2 I'm gonna go ahead and bump it up for entertainment value. In my book, that alone puts it at a higher regard than 2001's Planet of the Apes. So I don't know about you, but I had a blast!
Score: 3/10
Old fashioned 70's Sci-Fi Cartoon Series
kangaroo-videos15 April 2000
I remember seeing this as a kid, and I finally got myself a copy of the complete series on video. The cartoons series is a laugh to watch now, especially since some of the language used may not be politically correct according to year 2000 standards. Nether the less, the series was fun to watch. The whole cartoon tv-series focuses on a "cat and mouse chase", whereby three stranded astronauts are chased across the four corners of the earth by superior intelligent apes.
One Episode Wonder
StuOz2 May 2021
Planet of the Apes turned into a cartoon series.
Instead of watching all 13 episodes I would just watch the opening episode and leave it at that. I am no expert on animation, but I personally thought the show looked and sounded (good music cues) rather professional.
In the second episode we get more involved in the new premise of this cartoon world (the apes are driving cars, etc) and I found myself out of my comfort zone.
But perhaps the bigger problem is that the show is flogging a dead horse. By 1975 we had seen both a Apes film series and live action TV series - we had seen enough!
Instead of watching all 13 episodes I would just watch the opening episode and leave it at that. I am no expert on animation, but I personally thought the show looked and sounded (good music cues) rather professional.
In the second episode we get more involved in the new premise of this cartoon world (the apes are driving cars, etc) and I found myself out of my comfort zone.
But perhaps the bigger problem is that the show is flogging a dead horse. By 1975 we had seen both a Apes film series and live action TV series - we had seen enough!
See also
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