Edouard lives in a huge tree in the middle of the prehistoric savanna with his fellow apes. The first son of the king of the simians, he is also the most puny and not really what is expected of the future leader of the tribe. Pushed by a sorceress, his father decides to get rid of him so as not to disturb the established order. But thanks to the help of a friend, Edouard is spared and raised at the fringes of the tribe that is incapable of accepting him. Until he launches his species on an adventure that is beyond anything they can imagine, thanks to his great intelligence…

Picture gallery

Even 3D and motion capturing can’t save this heavy, awful debut by French actor Jamel Debouzze, whose animated film is targeted towards children. The story – somewhere between Planet of the Apes and Ice Age – produces a lot of hot air and is mainly animated by the language tics and jabbering of this well-known actor, who also lends his body, voice and angst to the main character. There is therefore nothing exciting in this naïve, idiotic fable, in which Jamel recycles his own character instead of galvanizing its clichés – an uncoordinated love story, overblown metaphors on difference and the French banlieue, a conventional soundtrack that underscores the intense lack of 'imagination. There are two characters who pay homage to Louis de Funès who make the movie a little bit interesting, but the rest is terrible and not funny at all.