Space Chimps

Ham III, grandson of the first chimpanzee in space, is a cannonball at his circus, which his grandfather's friend, Houston, criticizes. Meanwhile, an unmanned NASA space probe called the Infinity is dragged into an intergalactic wormhole and crash lands on an Earth-like planet on the other side of the galaxy. Zartog, an evil-minded inhabitant, accidentally discovers how to take manual control of the onboard machinery and uses it to enslave the population. Faced with the loss of the probe and probable loss of their budget, the scientists have to find a way to regain contact with the probe to help retrieve the wayward craft. Technical genius chimp, Comet, gets the scientists to pick them as astronauts to explore the planet and get the probe back, with the help of the fearless Lt. Luna, and their bombastic commander, Titan. The Senator likes the idea, but wants something extra special to grab the attention of the media, and picks Ham. Ham is uninterested in the mission, but he is launched into space despite his best efforts to escape the scientist's training facility.

The three chimps enter the wormhole, where Titan and Luna pass out from the pressure, leaving Ham with the task of getting the ship out and landing it. This is done, and Ham and Luna explore the planet, during which their ship, along with Titan, is taken by a group of aliens sent by Zartog. Ham and Luna begin their journey to Zartog's palace, and on the way they meet one of the inhabitants, Kilowatt. Kilowatt offers to lead them to the palace, but soon after they encounter a flesh eating monster in a cave. The monster blocks the exit, but Kilowatt distracts it, sacrificing herself so Ham and Luna can escape. The two chimps finally reach the palace, where they discover that Titan has been teaching Zartog some of the probe's features. They rescue him and are able to board their ship, but just as they are about to leave, Ham glances outside and sees Zartog torturing the inhabitants. He then tells Titan and Luna that they indirectly sent the probe there, and that they owe it to Kilowatt to help save the planet. The three of them exit the ship, which blasts off set to autopilot, but before they can think of a plan, Zartog attacks them with the probe. Just as they are about to get destroyed, Titan tricks Zartog into triggering an ejection mechanism in the probe, which in turn leads to his defeat. The chimps then discover that Kilowatt has survived, and they are able to make contact with Comet and Houston back on Earth through a walkie talkie. Houston reminds them that if they can redesign the probe, then they can use it to get back to Earth. They manage to do this with help from the planet's inhabitants and they use an erupting volcano to get the thrust they need to escape the planet's gravity.

They go into space, and just as they are about to re enter the wormhole, Titan hands the controls over to Ham, since Ham is the only one who can withstand the pressure, and thus, the only one who can pilot the ship home; Titan and Luna once again pass out. Ham is unsure if he is up to the task until he has a mental conversation with his grandfather, who tells him to believe in himself and to just do things his way. Ham manages to maneuver the ship back to Earth and land it with Luna's help, and the Senator, under pressure from the press, decides to dramatically increase the space program's funding. The film ends with a celebration being held for the chimps' return.

• Andy Samberg as Ham III, Ham I's grandson and a circus chimp.
• Cheryl Hines as Luna, Titan's lieutenant; fearless and intelligent.
• Jeff Daniels as Zartog, a real estate developing alien. This is also Jeff's first voice over movie role.
• Patrick Warburton as Titan, the flamboyant commander of the expedition. He has a great love of chimp puns.
• Kristin Chenoweth as Kilowalawhizasahooza (Kilowatt), a tiny alien who befriends Ham and Luna; her head lights up when she is scared, hence her name.
• Kenan Thompson as Ringmaster, the owner of the circus where Ham III works.
• Zack Shada as Comet, a technical genius chimp.
• Carlos Alazraqui as Houston, friend of Ham's grandfather and Ham's caretaker.
• Omid Abtahi as Dr. Jagu
• Patrick Breen as Dr. Bob
• Jane Lynch as Dr. Poole
• Kath Soucie as Dr. Smothers
• Stanley Tucci as The Senator
• Wally Wingert as Splork, Infinity Probe, and Pappy Ham
• Tom Kenny as Newsreel
• Jason Harris as Guard

Space Chimps was originally set to be released on May 2, 2008, but on December 19, 2007, the movie's release date was changed to July 18, 2008. This was mainly because of the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike.[4] The premiere was held on July 13, 2008, in Los Angeles, California.[5]

A video game based on the film was released in July 2008, published by Brash Entertainment and developed by Redtribe, Wicked Witch Software and WayForward Technologies.

The sequel was released in May 2010 to cinemas in the United Kingdom, and premiered direct to video in October 2010 in the United States. It was universally panned by critics, and grossed just over $4 million during its theatrical run.

• Space Chimps 2: Zartog Strikes Back
• Space Chimps (video game)

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