Return to the Planet of the Apes - The Complete Animated Series (1975)

Three astronauts are stranded on a planet where intelligent apes wage war against their less technologically advanced human neighbors.
Genre: Television
Rating: NR
Release Date: 3-OCT-2006
Media Type: DVD Product Description

great memories

i loved it! brought back sat. morning for me. i think it was better than the prime time show September 19, 2008

For Completists Only

I bought this two years ago, and so far have only watched three episodes. Despite the potential for some good stories, the show doesn't really hold my interest. The abysmal quality of mid-70s TV animation doesn't help, as everything is very stiff and static, and certain shots are repeated again and again.

The cost of animation was skyrocketing in the 1970s, and with a limited budget there was not much the producers could do. When computers began to take over in the late 80s, animation could once again delight and amaze, but this only emphasizes the stodgy quality of 70s cartoons.

The live action series was much more interesting and enjoyable. As a POTA enthusiast, I suppose I should give the cartoon another try, but it's just not compelling viewing. I'd recommend this only for hard-core fans of the films.
August 15, 2008

better than I remembered

Yes, the animation is horrible. Not a lot of movement, a lot of repetition, a lot of looooonnnnnnng establishing shots. BUT...the artwork is wonderful. Think of it as watching a comic book or graphic novel. Suddenly it gets a lot better.
The voicework is terrible. Except for Urko.
The stories aren't too bad at all, not a lot of dumbing down for the kiddies. Some of the decisions our heroes make are rather stupid, but overall the stories are fairly well done.
Do not expect much carryover from the movies, except for some characters' names. This series is closer to the Pierre Boulle novel in terms of the ape technology, and does not follow the film 'canon'.
I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting this series that I last saw as a child. I just wish it had an ending. August 8, 2008

Planet of the Apes cartoon

This is a great relic of the early 1970's, it gets panned for it's basic animation style, very much like the early animated Star Trek cartoon of similar time period. For the Planet of the Apes completist you must have this as it is a " Apes" and cartoon collectors gem, for the curious it is a great example of early 1970's cartoon sci-fi, and for the high octane ADHD X-Box generation who expect to view everything like film never existed and all must be HD Blue-Ray to be watchable then the eclectic value here might escape them. June 19, 2008

Good way to monkey around.

This was one of my favorites when I was a kid. In retrospect there are a couple of things that kind of detract from the show. The way the apes referred to the people as humanoids instead of humans like in the movies was one. The only other complaint is that the animation was a little slow. However, the art, especially the backgrounds, were fantastic. The stories were very good as well. I think that the music was underrated as well. It was very effective in establishing an eerie mood to the show. I wish that this show would have at least made it to a second season. I would have liked to see where the writers were going. Its a shame that cartoons weren't as well regarded as they are today. I would have also like to have seen special features with this DVD. April 15, 2008

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