Top 20 Planet of the Apes Easter Eggs

Top 20 Planet of the Apes Easter Eggs

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 20 Planet of the Apes easter eggs. For this list we’ll be looking at subtle (and not so subtle) references in the rebooted series to the original franchise. And be warned you’re about to enter the forbidden zone of spoiler territory.

#20: Fort Wayne, Indiana
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” (2024)
Through “Kingdom,” the human Mae was after a mysterious technology, revealed in the denouement to be a key that will allow the human survivors to access a satellite network. Able to communicate with the wider world, transmissions begin to come in with other far flung human settlements, just as the ape, Noa, looks to the stars through a telescope. In fact both events harken back to the stellar beginnings of the 1968 film. The main character of that film, astronaut Geroge Taylor, was revealed to be originally from the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana. When the first transmission is received, it's from, where else, Fort Wayne.

#19: Steven Jacobs
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (2011)
Not every easter egg is a reference to something on screen, as a few were call outs to the people behind the scenes that made those classics possible. One of the most key people for those classics was producer Arthur P. Jacobs, who produced all five films in the original series. Known as the “Father of the Planet of the Apes” Jacobs would tragically pass away suddenly of a heart attack just two weeks after the release of the final film. However, his legacy would live on in “Rise” as the antagonist Steven Jacobs in a callback to the producer.

#18: The Forbidden Valley
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” (2024)
A pretty good rule of thumb in any movie is that if someone says that a particular area is forbidden, the characters will find their way there, and it has something interesting in it. Such was the case in the Forbidden Zone in 1968’s “Planet of the Apes” which hid the secret that humans had once been the dominant species on the planet. So when in “Kingdom” a valley where none of the Eagle Tribe are allowed to visit is brought up and explicitly referred to as “forbidden” we know what we are in store for. When our hero, Noa, ventures into the forbidden valley he, too, finds humanities ruins crumbling by the sea.

#17: The Fire Hose
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (2011)
During his stay at the San Bruno Primate Shelter, Caesar suffers a number of indignities, both from the other apes, but primarily from his caretaker, Dodge. One of the first, and most brutal, involves Caesar being sprayed with a fire hose while in his cage. This is one of a number of ways where Caesar suffers a similar fate to the original film’s protagonist, George Taylor. The scene where Taylor is sprayed down itself references real life events. Coming out towards the end of the ‘60s, many of the brutalities shown towards Taylor are reminiscent of those endured by civil rights protestors.

#16: The Ape Scarecrows
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” (2024)
About halfway through “Kingdom,” the trio of Noa, Mae, and Raka come to a bridge across a raging river in their quest to find Noa’s clan. Just as they are about to cross the dangerous waterway, Raka looks back and notices a number of foreboding large Xs, seemingly serving as a warning to any who would cross. Those giant Xs constructed of wood and straw recall similar ones that the trio of astronauts stumbled across in the initial “Apes” film, which they dub scarecrows. Both times the scarecrows portend danger, as not long after both groups are attacked and captured.

#15: Cornelia
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (2011)
Being raised by humans, Caesar doesn't meet others of his kind until he is placed into the ape sanctuary in the second act of “Rise”. He immediately meets plenty of apes, including a fellow chimp, Cornelia. Fans of the franchise’s ears perked up at that name as it bore a striking resemblance to Cornelius, an important ape in the original films, who was elevated to main character in his third appearance, “Escape from the Planet of the Apes”. This was a clear indication that Cornelia would play an important role, and indeed she did, serving as Caesar’s love interest and eventual mother to his children, including, of course, one named Cornelius.

#14: Maurice
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (2011)
First appearing in “Rise” as an early ally for Caesar, the orangutan, Maurice, was a constant fixture of the films, staying by his side until Caesar's eventual death at the conclusion of “War for the Planet of the Apes”. In that time he became a fan favorite, due in large part to his kind nature and his tendency to bond with and protect young humans. There is of course another orangutan from the original franchise that isn’t quite as benevolent. Dr. Zaius was, in large part, so memorable because of the performance of Maurice Evans. As a tribute to Evans, his name was lent to the ape in the newer films.

#13: “Ape Shall Not Kill Ape”
“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” (2014)
Those who have not watched the “Apes” films from the 1970s in some time could be forgiven if they missed this one. The refrain, “Ape shall not kill ape” is one that is central to the conflict of “Dawn”, in which Caesar’s follower turned usurper, Koba, uses the law created by Caesar against him. However the saying traces all the way back to “Beneath the Planet of the Apes”, but became a major plot point in “Battle for the Planet of the Apes” when the evil Aldo breaks the taboo. That film ends with the question of whether one murder justifies another. Similarly the conclusion of “Dawn” sees Caesar break his own law, dropping Koba to his death.

#12: Charlton Heston
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (2011)
Just prior to a pivotal scene in “Rise”, the good natured, but skittish, Rodney is seen watching an old movie on TV in the ape sanctuary. The film on screen is only shown for a few seconds, but the actor, and his booming iconic voice are unmistakable. The very same Charleton Heston who played Taylor in the very first “Apes” film, and helped launch the franchise gets a sneaky cameo via an old film. While he was well known for his sci-fi flicks, Heston was equally iconic for appearing in historical epics, in this case as the sculptor Michalangelo in “The Agony and the Ecstasy.”

#11: The Human Hunt
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” (2024)
One of the most memorable scenes in “Planet of the Apes” is when a group of silent humans are hunted down by a group of militaristic apes on horseback. While not being a direct recreation of that scene, “Kingdom” has a very similar one after Noa and company encounter a group of feral humans near a zebra herd. Soon, apes on horseback attempt to capture the humans with nets but this time around there is a twist. While the original saw George Taylor captured and temporarily losing his voice, “Kingdom” has Mae revealing her ability to speak in order to call for help and escape.

#10: The Statue of Liberty
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (2011)
Even those who have never seen a “Planet of the Apes” film are aware of its iconic ending featuring a distraught Charleton Heston crumpling in the sand next to a ruined Statue of Liberty. For the rebooted series the iconography of the famous lady in New York was worked into the film in a rather clever way. Those expecting to see the actual statue might be surprised, however. Throughout the film we see Caesar grow in intellect, solving puzzles and constructing complex items, one of which is of course a model of Lady Liberty herself.

#9: Alpha-Omega
“War for the Planet of the Apes” (2017)
There is no shortage of fringe cults of human survivors seeking the destruction of the apes in the post apocalypse setting of the original and rebooted “Apes” series. In “Beneath the Planet of the Apes”, a group of mutated humans worship an old nuclear bomb that has the Greek letters alpha and omega emblazoned on it. In “War for the Planet of the Apes”, a paramilitary group led by Woody Harrelson’s, the Colonel, carries the name Alpha-Omega which calls back to the nuclear device, which incidentally does go off, destroying Earth at the conclusion of the “Beneath”.

#8: Dodge Landon
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (2011)
The very hateable character Dodge Landon played by Tom Felton in “Rise” is a reference to not one, but two characters in the original film. When George Taylor crash landed onto the planet he would eventually discover to be his own, he wasn’t alone. Surviving the crash were two other astronauts who made their way across the bizarre landscape through the first act of the movie. Their names, predictably, are Dodge and Landon. Of course the pair of them aren’t long for this world as Landon is lobotomized and Dodge is killed before ultimately being stuffed and made into a museum piece. Of course, Felton’s character doesn't fare much better.

#7: Nova
“War for the Planet of the Apes” (2017), ”Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” (2024)
The young girl Nova’s name in “War” is both an easter egg and a hint at humanity’s future. When Caesar, Maurice, and their party encounter the young girl they discover that she suffers from a loss of speech caused by a mutation from the Simian Flu. This of course beckons back to the fate that had inflicted most of the human population in the classic “Apes” films, including the woman George Taylor dubs Nova. In “War” Nova would go on to live with the apes and by the time of “Kingdom,” all human females are called Nova by the apes, although the meaning has long since been lost.

#6: Bright Eyes
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (2011)
The newer “Apes” films differentiated themselves from their predecessors by having a man-made virus as the cause of the rise of apes and the downfall of humans. The first recipient of the virus that would go on to change the world was Caesar’s mother. A curious side effect was that her eyes became a bright shade of green, earning her the name Bright Eyes. Humans giving the chimp that name is actually a sly inversion of the original film where apes would give a human the moniker. Dr. Zira would give George Taylor the name Bright Eyes for his bright blue eyes.

#5: Michael Giacchino’s Score
“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” (2014), “War for the Planet of the Apes” (2017)
When taking over directing duties for the second and third “Apes” films, director Matt Reeves brought accomplished composer Michael Giacchino on board to score the film. Giacchino brought his distinct style to the project. At the same time, however, he married his new themes with elements famous from Jerry Goldsmith's Academy Award winning score from the original “Planet of the Apes”. Impressively, none of this feels out of place and Giacchino’s score marries the old and new with two scores that have gone down as new classics.

#4: “Take Your Stinking Paws Off Me You Damn Dirty Ape!”
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (2011)
Charlton Heston had a number of lines in the original film that have been seared into film history, and a few of them found their way into “Rise”. Heston’s declaration of, “It’s a madhouse!” is repurposed in a scene where Dodge Landon shouts it among a chorus of howling apes. Even more famous however is Heston’s line, while captured in a net by apes, “Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!” Landon also echoes that line when Caesar rises up, defying him in a pivotal moment for the film.

#3: The Doll
“War for the Planet of the Apes” (2017)
A pivotal moment in “Planet of the Apes” comes when George Taylor discovers a talking human baby doll, leading him to surmise that humans once talked and were the dominant species on the planet. A similar moment takes place in “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” when Noa, Soona, and Anaya come across a similar doll, even repurposing the same audio from the original film for it. “War” also uses a doll easter egg, however this one has no voice, as it doesn't tell humanity’s past, but foreshadows its future. Belonging to a girl who cannot speak, the doll carries the mutated virus to the Colonel who becomes infected the moment he touches it.

#2: Lost in Space
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (2011)
The first few “Apes” films prominently featured space travel, with the ship Liberty 1, nicknamed the Icarus, and its sister ship Liberty 2, being important plot points in the first three films. With the reboot set in the present rather than the distant future, the need for the ships as a narrative device disappeared. However, those with a keen eye notice that the Icarus was still there in the background. While no character directly comments on it, the Icarus is shown taking off in the film on TV, but is later confirmed by a newspaper to be lost in space, just as Taylors ship was. Only time will tell if that ship one day will return to the franchise.

#1: Caesar
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (2011)
One of the most iconic characters of the 2010’s, Caesar has become so prolific it can be easy to forget that his name is a reference to a different character in the original films. Also a revolutionary that led his intelligent apes, the Caesar that appeared in the fourth and fifth “Apes” films was played by the same actor who played his father Cornelius, Roddy McDowall. The link in name and function of the characters helped link the old and the new. However their differences also established that this series would stand on its own, with Andy Serkis making the new Caesar a unique and memorable addition to the modern film canon.

What are your favorite “Planet of the Apes” easter eggs? Let us know in the comments!