Planet of the Apes (1968 film) was well received by critics and audiences, launching a film franchise, including four sequels, as well as a short-lived television show, animated series, comic books, and various merchandising. In particular, Roddy McDowall had a long-running relationship with the "Apes" series, appearing in four of the original five films (absent, apart from a brief voiceover, from the second film of the series, "Beneath the Planet of the Apes", in which he was replaced by David Watson in the role of Cornelius), and also in the television series. The original series was followed by Tim Burton's remake "Planet of the Apes" in
Planet of the Apes to adapt "Planet of the Apes" for an animated series. The network contracted DePatie-Freleng Enterprises to produce a half-hour Saturday-morning cartoon titled "Return to the Planet of the Apes". Doug Wildey, co-creator of "Jonny Quest", took on most creative control as associate producer, storyboard director, and supervising director. Wildey had only watched the original film and "Beneath", and thus based his interpretation on them. As such, the show relied less on the themes and plot developments from "Escape", "Conquest", and "Battle" and instead returned to the Vietnam War and Cold War themes prominent in the first two films. The plot