As remarkable as the motion-capture performances were in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Matt Reeves' Dawn of the Planet of the Apes attempts to push the artform even further.  Helping out in that regard is Weta's visual effects department, which takes an evolutionary leap forward in their technology from the last film to the current version.  Luckily, a new behind-the-scenes featurette focuses on this new VFX technology and shows off just how it was employed on set.

Hit the jump to check out the new Dawn of the Planet of the Apes featurette.  The film opens in 3D on July 11th, and stars Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Keri Russell, Gary Oldman, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Toby Kebbel, Kirk Acevedo, Enrique Murciano, and Judy Greer.

Watch the VFX featurette for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes below (via IGN):

Here’s the official synopsis for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes:

A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth’s dominant species.

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