[5] The network contracted DePatie–Freleng Enterprises to produce a half-hour Saturday-morning cartoon titled Return to the Planet of the Apes.

[6] The plot concerns three American astronauts, Bill Hudson (Tom Williams), Jeff Allen (Austin Stoker, who played MacDonald in Battle), and Judy Franklin (Claudette Nevins), who inadvertently journey to Earth's far future.

Through the show, the astronauts become increasingly involved in the planet's affairs and in defending the humans against an ape invasion.

The cast featured characters based on those from the previous films and TV series, including Nova (Nevins again), General Urko (Henry Cordin), Zira (Philippa Harris), Cornelius (Edwin Mills), and Dr. Zaius (Richard Blackburn).

Music for the series was provided by Dean Elliott, recorded in England and conducted by Eric Rogers.

Over the course of the thirteen episodes the astronauts attempted to keep one step ahead of the apes while at the same time trying to make some sense of what had happened.

Krador and the Underdwellers in the animated series are loosely based on the mutants in Beneath the Planet of the Apes.

Doctor Zaius, in recognising the threat of a military overthrow from General Urko, assures that he is relieved of command.

However, the version of Judy with Bill and Jeff turns out to be an illusion, a projection, and she vanishes just before the men crawl up to the surface.

Reviewers felt that the constant reuse of backgrounds and lack of movement made the action on screen dull and slow.

Despite these criticisms, the series was noted for highly detailed backgrounds, illustrations, character designs and camera effects, due in part to veteran cartoonist Doug Wildey.

While animation was poor due to budget and time constraints, still artwork, which featured prominently in the program, was extremely detailed, with extensive shading, looking more like a comic book than a television cartoon.

Unlike many animated adaptations, Return to the Planet of the Apes managed to effectively capture the tone of the live action features, complete with the sense of alienation, wonderment and loss.

[9] The Return to the Planet of the Apes series was released as a part of the Ultimate DVD Collection in early 2006 by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

[citation needed] Three novelizations based on the series were published by Ballantine Books in 1976 under the pseudonym William Arrow: Visions from Nowhere, Escape from Terror Lagoon and Man, the Hunted Animal.