Watch: Three Short Film Prequels Explain What Happened Between ‘Dawn of the Planet Of The Apes’ & ‘Rise’

If you’ll recall, at the end of "Rise of the Planet of the Apes” all hell broke loose. After a fierce battle on the Golden Gate bridge, the apes went "home" to the tops of the Redwoods outside San Francisco, But one of the characters was infected by one of the experimental drug and the ending showed a graphic tracing the spread of the humanity-killing virus to Europe and then around the globe via international airline flight routes. Got all that? That set up the sequel “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” directed by Matt Reeves, which takes place 10 years later (and is getting beaming reviews thus far).

What happens in the ensuing years between films? Well, 20th Century Fox has collaborated with Motherboard (VICE‘s science and tech channel) to create "Island of Apes," a short film to explain it all. And they’ve also released three short films and a trailer before the full film hits tomorrow.

The first short is called, "SPREAD OF SIMIAN FLU: BEFORE THE DAWN OF THE APES (YEAR 1)," directed by Isaiah Seret.
Synopsis: Amidst a widespread viral outbreak known as the ‘Simian Flu’, a mother is quarantined after testing positive for the virus, leaving her husband and daughter to fend for themselves.

The second is titled “STRUGGLING TO SURVIVE: BEFORE THE DAWN OF THE APES (YEAR 5),” directed by Daniel Thron.
Synopsis: Five years after the Simian Flu all but wiped out humanity, an orphaned teenage girl survives by bartering things she has stolen from dead people’s homes.

 And lastly, “STORY OF THE GUN: BEFORE THE DAWN OF THE APES (YEAR 10),” directed by “thirty two.”
Synopsis: Follow the journey of a shotgun through the hands of several ill-fated owners as the ‘Simian Flu’ ravages the world around them.

Much of this explains why James Franco and Freida Pinto aren’t back for the sequel. “I mean, they’re the ones that died," and "were ground zero of the virus," producer Dylan Clark told IGN earlier this year. Pretty smart and clever viral marketing. Not all audiences are going to watch it or even care, but for the die-hards this will whet the appetite to be sure.

Here’s the synopsis for “Island of Apes” that’s coming soon.

The documentary heads to an isolated area inhabited solely by former lab-tested chimpanzees who have survived both disease and two civil wars, and today instill fear in their neighboring communities.We head to the beaches of the island to capture the chimps in their unique habitat, and discover that human interaction is far from second nature.For the first time in history, we sit down with Betsy Brotman, one-half of the testing facility’s founding couple, to learn of her shockingly dark and heroic past, and why her views on animal testing have dramatically changed.

 Watch all the shorts and trailers below. [Via Rope Of Silicon]