War for the Planet of the Apes confirms Donkey Kong nod

There are plenty of famous monkeys and apes out there, but an argument could certainly be made for Donkey Kong being the most well-known. Everyone knows about Nintendo’s big guy, including a big name tied to the Planet of the Apes franchise.

In War for the Planet of the Apes, a specific group of apes are referred to as “donkeys”. These apes were enslaved by the military force led by Woody Harrelson’s character in the film, and they also end up siding with humans. The apes even have the word “donkey” painted on them, which is meant to reference the slave work they’re used for.

Turns out there’s even more to the “donkey” reference than we first thought. War for the Planet of the Apes directors Matt Reeves was asked whether using the term “donkey” was also a sly reference to Donkey Kong, to which he responded with, “indeed.” Looks like Reeves has some excellent taste in video games!