See the “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” Cast Side-by-Side with Their Ape Characters

Owen Teague, Peter Macon and Kevin Durand are among the motion-capture actors bringing apes to the big screen

In Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, humans live in the shadow of apes.

As such, the cast of the 20th Century Studios movie (in theaters Friday, May 10) is made up of mostly actors whose performances are captured with motion-capture technology. Set 300 years after the trilogy of Andy Serkis-led Planet of the Apes films, director Wes Ball’s new installment similarly takes advantage of special effects company Wētā FX's ability to transfer human actors’ real expressions and movements onto lifelike primate creations.

With the exception of The Witcher star Freya Allan — who plays a feral human dubbed “Nova” by chimpanzee Noa (Owen Teague) and orangutan Raka (Peter Macon) — and William H. Macy — who plays Trevathan, advisor to ruling bonobo Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand) — the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes cast donned motion-capture suits and face cameras after six weeks of “ape school” training.

Related: Apes on Horseback Invade N.Y.C. in Wild Marketing Campaign for New Sequel - See the Photos

Teague, 25, calls himself “naturally inclined to be a little bit of an ape anyway, so it came naturally,” he tells PEOPLE. Once he and his onscreen family of chimps wrapped production, he jokes, “We needed human school afterwards.”

Check out the movie’s various ape characters side-by-side with the humans bringing them to the big screen.

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Owen Teague as Noa

Teague tells PEOPLE the distinct challenge of leading a movie as a primate was more in keeping with his artistic mission "to be other people," not less. "I don't want people to see me on screen, I want them to see the character," he says. "This is the most effective way of doing that because when people talk about Noa or go and see his story, they're not thinking about me. And so it's purely an experience of the character's journey, which I love."

Noa is a young hunter whose prosperous clan raises and trains eagles. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes begins at his family's village in a lush valley — that upon closer inspection retains the remnants of human civilization, since overgrown.

Known for his work in the newest It movies and as Julia Louis-Dreyfus' son in last year's You Hurt My Feelings, Teague also stars in Griffin in Summer, which premieres at this year's Tribeca Film Festival.

Related: Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Why She Identified with Her 'Devastated' Character in 'You Hurt My Feelings' (Exclusive)

Lydia Peckham as Soona

Playing Soona, a fellow chimpanzee and friend since childhood to Noa, Lydia Peckham is known for her scene-stealing performance on Cowboy Bebop, as well as Mr. Corman and the film Only Cloud Knows. Soona is a capable hunter, eager to complete her village's ritual of bonding with a newly hatched eagle.

Travis Jeffery as Anaya

Providing comedic relief throughout the movie is Noa and Soona's close friend Anaya, played by rising star Travis Jeffery. The actor's credits include Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Heartbreak High and Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken.

Sara Wiseman as Dar

Noa's mother Dar, played by New Zealand's A Place to Call Home star Sara Wiseman, is an important member of the clan's community. Spoilers follow: Dar is among the village's apes attacked and captured by Proximus Caesar's henchmen (hench-apes), and Noa must follow in an attempt to save and bring them home.

Neil Sandilands as Koro

Koro, a leader in the chimpanzee clan's community, is in charge of caring for and training its eagles. His relationship with Noa, his son, can be a tense one. South African actor Neil Sandilands brings the wizened primate to life, following roles in Hap and Leonard, The 100 and superhero series The Flash, on which he played the villainous The Thinker.

Related: How to Watch All of the Planet of the Apes Movies in Order

Peter Macon as Raka

Joining Noa on his quest to recover his family is Raka the orangutan. Brought to expressive life by Peter Macon a.k.a. Lieutenant Commander Bortus on Seth MacFarlane's The Orville, the shaggy companion has much to teach Noa about the balance of power between apes and humans thanks to the almost-forgotten legacy of Caesar (the ape played by Serkis in previous films).

Kevin Durand as Proximus Caesar

The aforementioned Proximus Caesar, introduced late in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, is the character trying to establish its kingdom. The menacing bonobo has accrued power by twisting the words of his namesake of several generations past, kidnapping ape clans for a sinister mission: to claim humans' ancient technologies for himself.

Kevin Durand, the human behind this villainous would-be emperor, is a Canadian star best known for his appearances in The Strain, Lost, Resident Evil: Retribution and opposite Hugh Jackman in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is in theaters now.

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