Ape Time!

 

 (imdb)

TIME OF THE APES-1987-Scientist Catherine (Reiko Tukunaga) and 2 children Johnny (Masaaki Kaji) and Caroline (Hiroko Saito) are transported to a future where apes rule the world. "I don't want to be killed by a monkey!", screams one kid.They are chased by some militaristic apes but with the help of a little monkey kid Pepe (Kasue Takita) they escape into the mysterious Green Mountain. Later they meet Godo (Tetsuya Usiho), a surviving human. It turns out the ape leader is really a nice guy and they were only treated badly by a militaristic uprising. 

This was actually a 26 episode Japanese TV (1974-75) series edited into one film by Sandy Frank. Despite the sub-par make-up, bad dubbing and low budget the ending is rather poignant (not unusual actually for a movie from Japan). Oddly, it was the last work by the two credited directors Kiyosumi Fukasawa and Atsushi Okunaka.

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