"Captain Planet and the Planeteers" (1990) TV series 1990-1996

Creator:

Ted Turner

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6

Release Date:

10 September 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family

Plot:

A quintet of teenagers work together to encourage environmentally responsible behaviour and can summon a superhero to deal with ecological disasters.

Plot Keywords:

Earth | Environmental | Environmental Disaster | Ring | Water

Awards:

2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

David Coburn	...	Captain Planet / ... (62 episodes, 1990-1996)
LeVar Burton	...	Kwame / ... (62 episodes, 1990-1996)
Joey Dedio	...	Wheeler (62 episodes, 1990-1996)
Janice Kawaye	...	Gi (62 episodes, 1990-1996)
Scott Menville	...	Ma-Ti (62 episodes, 1990-1996)
Kath Soucie	...	Linka / ... (62 episodes, 1990-1996)
Whoopi Goldberg	...	Gaia (57 episodes, 1990-1994)
Frank Welker	...	Suchi / ... (30 episodes, 1990-1995)

Also Known As:

The New Adventures of Captain Planet (USA) (fourth season title)

Runtime:

30 min | USA:30 min (112 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:G | USA:TV-Y7

Company:

DiC Enterprises

Trivia:

The looks of Captain Planet are inspired by the DC Comics character (previously Charlton character) Captain Atom. Other aspects of the show (five teenagers with powers summoning a super-being of greater force, looks and personality bits of the teenagers) are inspired on the Marvel Comics "Psi-Force" series.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Opening Narrator: Our world is in peril. Gaia, the spirit of the Earth, can no longer stand the terrible destruction plaguing our planet. She gives five special rings to five special young people. From Africa, Kwame with the power of earth. From the North America, Wheeler with the power of fire...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Survivor: This Is the Man Test (#19.6)" (2009)

Convinced me to recycle...

"It was probably only made to teach kids to keep the environment clean." This was posted by a few other people... Duuuhhhh!

I remember watching this as a kid when it first came out. My brother and I enjoyed watching it every week. It may have been repetitive and a little cheesy, but it had a good message.

As far as the show implying that we can't really save the planet, only a superhero can, give me a break. I, at the age of 8, realized that Captain Planet and the Planeteers did not exist in real life and therefore, it really was up to us to help save the planet. I credit this show along with Raffi's Evergreen Everblue album and the movie Ferngully the Last Rainforest as the reason I recycle today.

A little plug for those who want to help the environment a little. Check out the Seventh Generation line of products and click everyday on the website - the rain forest site. :) I hope they decide to put this out on DVD soon!