Captain Planet and the Planeteers (1990–1996)

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

Creator:

Ted Turner

Stars:

David Coburn, LeVar Burton, Joey Dedio

2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
David Coburn	...	Captain Planet (113 episodes, 1990-1996)
LeVar Burton	...	Kwame (113 episodes, 1990-1996)
Joey Dedio	...	Wheeler (113 episodes, 1990-1996)
Janice Kawaye	...	Gi (113 episodes, 1990-1996)
Scott Menville	...	Ma-Ti (113 episodes, 1990-1996)
Kath Soucie	...	Linka (113 episodes, 1990-1996)
Whoopi Goldberg	...	Gaia (60 episodes, 1990-1992)
Frank Welker	...	Suchi (54 episodes, 1990-1996)

Storyline

Seeing the Earth in its profound environmental peril, Gaia, goddess of the Earth, summons five kids from around the world to become the Planeteers, an opposing force to fight back and educate others in the need to be environmentally responsible. To accomplish that task, each kid is given a magic ring that each has a power of earth, wind, water, fire and heart. When the threat they face is too big for them to face, they can combine and amplify their powers to create Captain Planet, who has the power to stop catastrophic environmental disasters himself, while the Planeteers contribute with the things anyone can and should do to help.

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Plot Keywords:

earth | environmental | superhero | environmental disaster | water | 

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

TV-Y7

Details

Official Sites:

Turner

Country:

USA Philippines

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 September 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

The New Adventures of Captain Planet

Company Credits

Production Co:

Turner Broadcasting System (TBS), DiC Enterprises, Hanna-Barbera Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 30 min (112 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

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.

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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 magic rings to five special young people. From Africa, Kwame with the power of earth. From the North America, Wheeler with the power of fire. From the Soviet Union, Linka with the power of wind. From Asia, Gi with the power of water and from South America, Ma-Ti with the power of heart. With the five powers combined they summon earth's greatest ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

In the opening titles from the first (two?) series, Linka is said to be from the Soviet Union. In subsequent series, she is said to be from eastern Europe.

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Connections

Referenced in Atop the Fourth Wall: Captain Planet and the Planeteers #3 (2009)

User Reviews

My own experiences with: "Captain Planet and the Planeteers"

When I first started watching 'Captain Planet', I was pretty much the ideal target audience; 5 years old, a sympathetic female with innocent cares for the environment, and that 'virgin' mindset that there was always going to be just good, bad and the unfortunate.

Now I'm older and somewhat more corrupted at age 18, I look back to those days and I can honestly say that though it may have been cheesy (the entire 'Go Planeteers!' and similar catchphrases) the cartoons like 'Captain Planet' that I was brought up on were so much more educational and fulfilling then the ones I see today. I know, its a broad generalisation, but the world of commercialism has taken over children's programs, and while I still enjoy cartoons, I can only feel free from the 'buy this' and 'you must have this' craze when I watch ABC TV (no commercials).

This cartoon impacted on my life a lot when I was younger. It made me really care about the environment; not just the cute ponies and flowers, but for every environmental issue that came up on the TV or in the newspaper. I wanted to take on the world.

But back then, there really wasn't a lot of support. There were organisations that supported things like 'Clean up Australia Day', but there was little community or family support for my ideals and as I grew older, I became disillusioned that I could ever make a difference on my own.

And when I reached High School, we were taught about the environment and biology, and I didn't care anymore about the dying world around me. I think we need to have 'important' cartoons like 'Captain Planet' back, because when I was impressionable and making up my own identity during my teenage years, it wasn't there for me and remains only a memory of when I was a little girl.

In any case, its a pity that people today can't try to make something 'worthwhile' to show the kids, to gently expose them to what the world really *is*. If its for the money, why can't they advertise and sell to kids the idea that environmentalism is 'cool' and needed? I mean, its better that telling kids to buy dolls with plastic clothes, in my opinion.