Planet of the Apes (2001 movie) facts for kids

Planet of the Apes is an American science fiction movie that came out in 2001. It was directed by Tim Burton. This movie is based on a novel called La planète des singes by Pierre Boulle. It's also a new version of an older movie from 1968. The main actor in the movie is Mark Wahlberg, and other stars include Tim Roth, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Paul Giamatti. The movie was released by 20th Century Fox.

Story of the Movie

The movie begins in the year 2029. A space pilot named Leo Davidson works on a space station. He trains apes to fly small space pods. One day, a strange electromagnetic storm appears. One of the apes, named Pericles, flies into the storm in his pod. Leo decides to follow him to rescue him.

Leo's pod gets caught in the storm and travels through time. He crashes on a strange planet where smart apes rule over humans. The apes can talk, ride horses, and use weapons. They treat humans like slaves.

Leo is captured by the apes. He meets a kind ape named Ari, who believes humans and apes should live together peacefully. He also meets a human woman named Daena and her group. Leo tries to escape and find his way back home. He learns that the apes' leader, General Thade, is very cruel and hates humans.

Leo discovers an ancient spaceship that looks like the one he came in. He realizes that the apes on this planet are descendants of astronauts who crashed there long ago. The apes evolved to be smart, while the humans became primitive.

In a big battle, Leo fights against General Thade and his ape army. He uses his knowledge from Earth to help the humans. Eventually, Leo manages to get back into his space pod and fly away, hoping to return to his own time.

However, when Leo lands back on Earth, he finds something shocking. The famous Abraham Lincoln Memorial has been replaced by a statue of General Thade! This means that somehow, the apes from the planet he visited have also come to Earth and taken over. The movie ends with Leo realizing he is stuck in a future where apes rule his home planet too.

Main Characters

Human Characters

• Leo Davidson: He is the main character, a space pilot from Earth who gets stranded on the ape planet.
• Daena: A human woman on the ape planet who helps Leo.
• Krull: A loyal human servant to the ape Senator Nado.

Ape Characters

• General Thade: The main villain, a powerful and cruel chimpanzee general who hates humans.
• Ari: A kind chimpanzee who believes humans and apes can live together. She helps Leo.
• Attar: A gorilla general who is loyal to General Thade.
• Limbo: An orangutan who trades humans as slaves.

Making the Movie

The movie was directed by Tim Burton, who is known for his unique and imaginative films. The actors who played the apes had to wear special makeup and costumes to look like their characters. This took many hours each day! The movie tried to show a world where apes had taken over, and it explored ideas about how different groups of people treat each other.

Reception and Impact

When Planet of the Apes was released, it made a lot of money at the box office. However, critics had mixed feelings about it. Some liked the visuals and the acting, especially Tim Roth as General Thade and Helena Bonham Carter as Ari. Others found the story confusing, especially the ending. Despite the mixed reviews, the movie is still remembered as a big science fiction film from the early 2000s.

Images for kids

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  A small robot icon.