Three short films set the stage for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

This is probably my favorite piece of marketing for DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES so far as 20th Century Fox collaborated with VICE's Motherboard to create three separate short films that showcase the events that went down in the ten years between RISE and DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES.

Also worth checking out is the Motherboard-produced documentary on Liberia's real-life "Monkey Island" that is home to apes that were former lab animals. "(They) have survived both disease and two civil wars, and today instill fear in their neighboring communities," Motherboard said of the film. "We head to the beaches of the island to capture the chimps in their unique habitat, and discover that human interaction is far from second nature." You can watch the documentary below as well.

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES opens in theaters on July 11th.

A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth's dominant species.

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES stars Andy Serkis, Keri Russell, Gary Oldman, Jason Clarke, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Judy Greer.

Spread of Simian Flu: Before the Dawn of the Apes (Year 1): Amidst a widespread viral outbreak known as the 'Simian Flu,' a mother is quarantined after testing positive for the virus, leaving her husband and daughter to fend for themselves.

Struggling to Survive: Before the Dawn of the Apes (Year 5): Five years after the Simian Flu all but wiped out humanity, an orphaned teenage girl survives by bartering things she has stolen from dead people's homes.

Story of the Gun: Before the Dawn of the Apes (Year 10): The journey of a shotgun through the hands of several ill-fated owners as the 'Simian Flu' ravages the world around them.

When Lab Tested Apes Take Over (Documentary): It all culminates in ISLAND OF THE APES, a documentary film about a series of six islands now solely populated by former lab-tested chimpanzees who survived disease and two civil wars. Now that's why they call it "Monkey Island".