I wonder if the retirement rumor might have been a misinterpretation of Baker having said he'd like to take some time off a few years back. I think he had planned to do this right after coming off NUTTY PROFESSOR II and HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS. When Tim Burton's PLANET OF THE APES came up hot on the heels of those, Richard Zanuck convinced Baker that, given the passions that started his career, he could not pass up the chance to develop the make-ups for the project. (Regardless of how you feel about the final film, Baker's work on APES was incredible.)