In August 2012, Variety reported that Paramount Animation (which like Nickelodeon is owned by Viacom) was in the process of starting development of several animated movies with budgets of around USD 100 million. According to Variety, the intellectual property for these films, which is to be supplied by Nickelodeon among others, includes Monkey Quest.

Araucaria araucana (commonly called the monkey puzzle tree, monkey tail tree, Chilean pine, or pehuén) is an evergreen tree growing to 40 metres (130 ft) tall with a 2 metres (7 ft) trunk diameter. The tree is native to central and southern Chile and western Argentina. Araucaria araucana is the hardiest species in the conifer genus Araucaria. Because of the great age of this species it is sometimes described as a living fossil. Its conservation status was enhanced to Endangered by the IUCN in 2013 due to its declining abundance.

Night monkeys (basically active only at night) make a notably wide variety of vocal sounds, with up to eight categories of distinct calls (gruff grunts, resonant grunts, screams, low trills, moans, gulps, sneeze grunts and hoots), and a frequency range of 190-1,950 Hz. Unusual among the New World monkeys, they are monochromats, that is, they have no color vision, presumably because it is of no advantage given their nocturnal habits. They have a better spatial resolution at low light levels than other primates which contributes to their ability to capture insects and move at night.