Animals have always been a source of entertainment for us humans, and few more so than the monkey. Is it fascination with our evolutionary heritage that makes monkeys such a frequent source of interest, or are they just irresistibly adorable? It’s likely some combination of the two, but their intelligence not only makes them curious companions; they’re camera-friendly ones.

The latest documentary effort from Disneynature, Monkey Kingdom, opened in theaters last weekend and gave us an intimate view of primates in their natural habitat. The film subsequently inspired yours truly to consider the history of monkeys in the movies, and it turns out it’s quite vast. From the goofy to the loving to the scary, monkeys have been a part of cinema for most of its existence, and subsequently there are plenty of memorable “monkey movie stars” to consider.

Without further ado, I present the definitive, absolute, final, official list of the Top 10 Movie Monkeys:

10. Dunston - Dunston Checks In

Monkey + hotel = box office gold. Or so thought the makers of the little-seen 1996 comedy Dunston Checks In, in which a young boy (Eric Lloyd) befriends an orangutan at a hotel. Dunston, however, is no ordinary orangutan—he’s a jewel thief. The prospect of a jewel-heisting orangutan is in and of itself worth consideration for our super official list, but Dunston gets a full, human-like character arc in Dunston Checks In, as he finds himself dismayed by the thievery business and wanting out if only his abusive owner (played by Rupert Everett) would set him free. Enter Lloyd’s young character to the rescue, and wacky hotel-centric antics ensue. On the list it goes.

9. Rafiki – The Lion King

In Disney’s animated classic The Lion King, the monkey gets to take on the role of the wise, somewhat eccentric oracle-like character in the form of the (probably insane) mandrill Rafiki. He plays a vital part in the story, sending Simba on his way to claim his destiny as the titular Lion King, but he does so in a hilariously boisterous manner, making for one of the more memorable supporting turns in a movie full of memorable supporting turns. “Asante sana squash banana!”

8. Flying Monkeys – The Wizard of Oz

Sure, some movies have monkeys that can talk. But what about monkeys that can fly? That’s enough to rocket the terrifying Flying Monkeys from the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz to a prime spot on this (again, completely official) list. In all seriousness, the makeup and costuming effects that brought these characters to life is absolutely tremendous and holds up extremely well 70+ years later. Subsequent iterations and twists on the story have tried to spruce up the characters using cutting edge technology, but despite these attempts, the best version of a flying monkey remains the one brought to life in 1939.

7. Tribe Leader – 2001: A Space Odyssey

While a more evolutionarily advanced form of primate than the others on this list, the tribe of early hominids that take center stage in the opening minutes of Stanley Kubrick’s astounding 2001: A Space Odyssey are nevertheless some of the most memorable primates ever seen onscreen. Kubrick opens his sci-fi epic in a wholly unexpected manner with the Dawn of Man, a scene that—in the context of our list—draws the fine line between adorable lower primates and dangerous/power hungry humans. It’s only fitting that this symbolic first act of war/murder by the tribe leader (aka our ancestor) makes the cut.

6. Abu – Aladdin

And here we switch gears from the cerebral back to the adorable. Disney’s 1992 animated film Aladdin features quite possibly the cutest “monkey-in-hat” combo ever put to screen with Abu, the companion to the titular street rat. It’s Apu’s stubbornness that makes him more than just a humorous Disney sidekick, and his rapport with Genie is downright magical.

5. Amy – Congo

The 1995 action film Congo, directed by Frank Marshall, had to make this list in some capacity due to its abundance of unforgettable ape characters and general underrated-ness, and indeed the “talking” gorilla Amy (who uses a device that translates her sign language to spoken words) lands here in the Top 5. Between her fondness for painting and penchant for referring to herself in the third person, what’s not to love? “Amy good gorilla.”

4. Cornelius – Planet of the Apes Franchise

While Charlton Heston’s character may be the obvious protagonist of Planet of the Apes, the franchise really belongs to Roddy McDowall’s chimpanzee Dr. Cornelius. A curious primate who challenges traditional notions of religion and evolution, Cornelius is an honorable and admirable foil to the status quo of the Apes world, and really begins to take over the franchise in the subsequent installments.

3. Caesar – Dawn/Rise of the Planet of the Apes

It was difficult to wash the taste of Tim Burton’s remake out of our mouths, but the surprisingly solid Rise of the Planet of the Apes did the trick thanks in large part to Andy Serkis’ tremendous motion-capture performance as Caesar. While previous ape portrayals either relied on humans in masks or the limited training abilities of real primates, the advent of computer generated technology brought a level of intimacy to an onscreen primate portrayal that we’d never seen before. The result was even better in the follow-up, with Toby Kebbell’s Koba earning “honorable mention” consideration on this here list.

2. King Kong – King Kong (1933)

Of course King Kong made the list. Not only is this film a groundbreaking piece of work with regards to cinema and stop-motion animation, but it’s also quite poignant. People are still talking about King Kong for a reason. The racial panic subtext is not lost on audiences, with the titular ape literally being removed from his jungle home and brought to America in chains, where he’s put on stage as a piece of amusement, only to break out and wreak havoc on the streets of New York. Smart, thrilling, and surprisingly touching, King Kong is a tried and true classic. Though an honorable mention goes to Andy Serkis’ portrayal of the beast in Peter Jackson’s bloated 2005 remake.

1. Zira – Planet of the Apes Franchise

If Cornelius is the protagonist of the Planet of the Apes series, its heart (and possibly true hero) is Zira. Outspoken, intelligent, and curious, Kim Hunter’s character embodied the feminist movement of the 1960s and 70s, culminating in a fantastic turn in Escape from the Planet of the Apes wherein Cornelius and Zira are faced with living in the human world. Her compassion in the first film is what allows her to see that there’s more to “Bright Eyes” than meets the eye, and she’s the Voice of Reason throughout her tenure in the franchise as not only the most morally steadfast character of the bunch, but also the smartest.