Return to the Planet of the Apes (1975) w/ Gabe Crate

The TV/Movie Rewind Podcast, with Matt & Todd, returns this week with a returning guest, Gabe Crate, for our return to the Planet of the Apes franchise with: Return to the Planet of the Apes (1975).

This is the 6th and final installment of the series that began in 1968 and branched into at least three different timelines from its Charlton Heston beginnings, now arriving at its final, animated end.

What Return lacks in animation frames, it more than makes up for in stunning art detail headed by Director Doug Wildey, settling on a more modern look at life on Earth in the 3000s. The Apes have established modern cities complete with movies, TV, radio, airplanes, the works of William Apespeare, and even a bit of kaiju action.

Return to the Planet of the Apes (1975) features the voices of:

• Bill Hudson — voiced by Tom Williams and Richard Blackburn

• Dr. Zaius — voiced by Richard Blackburn

• Jeff Allen — voiced by Austin Stoker

• Judy Franklin — voiced by Claudette Nevins

• General Urko — voiced by Henry Corden (…wait, is that Fred Flintstone?)

• Cornelius — voiced by Edwin Mills and Henry Corden

• Zira — voiced by Philippa Harris

Despite its short run (13 episodes), the series is a fascinating artifact: a high‑fantasy, high‑concept reinterpretation of Apes lore that feels like a Saturday‑morning cartoon filtered through the aesthetics of pulp sci‑fi paperback covers. It’s weird, ambitious, and absolutely worth revisiting as the final animated echo of the original Apes saga. And as peculiar as the advanced Ape society might seem to fans of the film and TV installments, these elements more closely reflect aspects of the novel (and the original Rod Serling treatment) that were hindered by film‑budget constraints.

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