Captain Planet and the Planeteers

This article is about the TV Series. For the video game based on this TV Series, see Captain Planet (video game).

Captain Planet and the Planeteers
Captain Planet and the Planeteers title screen
Genre	Action/Adventure Science fantasy Edutainment
Format	Animated series
Created by	Ted Turner
Voices of	David Coburn LeVar Burton Joey Dedio Kath Soucie Janice Kawaye Scott Menville Whoopi Goldberg (1990–1993) Margot Kidder (1993–1996)
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	6
No. of episodes	113 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Barbara Pyle Nick Boxer
Running time	25 minutes
Production company(s)	DIC Entertainment[1] (1990–1993) Hanna-Barbera (1993–1996) Turner Program Services
Broadcast
Original channel	TBS
Original run	September 15, 1990 – May 11, 1996
Chronology
Followed by	The New Adventures of Captain Planet (1993–1996)
External links
Website

Captain Planet and the Planeteers is an American animated environmentalist television program, based on an idea by Ted Turner.^[2][3] The show was produced by Andy Heyward, Robby London, Barbara Pyle and Nicholas Boxer. The series was developed and co-produced by Turner Program Services along with the partnership of DiC Entertainment and ran episodes from September 15, 1990 until December 5, 1992. A sequel series, The New Adventures of Captain Planet, ran for three seasons and was produced by Turner Broadcasting and then-corporate sibling Hanna-Barbera Productions. Both programs continue today in syndication.^[4] The program is a form of edutainment and advocates environmentalism.^[2][3]

In February 2009, Mother Nature Network began airing episodes and unreleased footage of Captain Planet and the Planeteers on its website.^[5][6]

Plot

Gaia, the spirit of the Earth, is awakened from a long sleep by human activity threatening ecosystems, taking place across the globe. Realizing that the damage is extensive, Gaia sends five magic rings, each with the power to control an element of nature and one controlling an extra element, heart, to five chosen youths across the globe: Kwame from Africa, Wheeler from North America, Linka from the Soviet Union (changed to Eastern Europe after the Soviet Union's collapse), Gi from Asia and Ma-Ti from South America.

These five are dubbed the Planeteers and given the task of defending the Earth in the case of the greatest of disasters and making effort to keep others from happening. Gaia uses her "Planet Vision" to discover where the most devastating destruction is occurring and sends the Planeteers to help solve the problem. The Planeteers use transportation (usually a flying machine called a Geo-Cruiser) based on solar power to avoid causing pollution themselves.

In situations that the Planeteers cannot resolve alone, they can combine their powers to summon Captain Planet, a magical entity who possesses all of their powers magnified, symbolizing the premise that the combined efforts of a team are stronger than its individual parts. Captain Planet only appears in his Captain Planet garb. These are not clothes but elements of the Earth that are integral to his composition. He is able to rearrange his molecular structure to transform himself into the various powers and elements of nature. Captain Planet's outfit does not represent a specific culture.^{[citation needed]} He has a grass-green proto-mullet, sky-blue skin, earthy brown eyes, a fire-red chest, gloves, and boots, and a sun-yellow globe insignia.

In a manner similar to the mid '50s–1986 incarnation of Superman, Planet has seemingly godlike superhuman powers, and seems to gain more proportionate to whatever the situation requires. Nevertheless, he is weakened by pollutants which sap his strength, from smog to nuclear radiation, in much the same manner that Superman is weakened by Kryptonite. Captain Planet's personality is also similar to that of the Silver Age version of Superman; Always remaining friendly and upbeat in the darkest of situations. Like the Silver Age Superman, he also dislikes killing even the cruelest bad guys and a strict sense of justice (such as when Captain Planet allowed himself to be jailed for a crime he did not commit).

The Planeteers cannot use their individual powers while Captain Planet has been summoned.^[7] Despite his vulnerability to pollution, Captain Planet is a formidable and valiant hero. Once his work is done, Captain Planet returns to the Earth, restoring the Planeteers' powers. When he does this, Captain Planet reminds viewers of the message of the series with his catchphrase, "The power is yours!"

Characters

Captain Planet

Captain Planet
Publication information
First appearance	Captain Planet and the Planeteers "A Hero for Earth-Greed Is The Word"
Voiced by	David Coburn
In-story information
Team affiliations	The Planeteers
Abilities	Weather and climate manipulation Ability to generate and control earth, fire, wind and water Near invincibility Telepathy Flight Super strength Super speed

Captain Planet is the title character of the series. In the beginning of the series, Gaia assembles a modern-day team of "Planeteers" assembled from several nations. When the modern-day Planeteers combine their powers to summon the elemental warrior, this incarnation takes on the appearance of a superhero, who takes on the superhero-like name of "Captain Planet." Captain Planet displays a wry sense of humor and often uses puns while taunting the show's cast of villains.

The Planeteers summon him when the need arises and when the crisis is too much for them to handle. When summoned, Captain Planet declares "By your powers combined, I am Captain Planet!". After the crisis is dealt with, Captain Planet disappears, and restores the powers to the Planeteer's rings. His parting phrase is, "The power is yours", implying a duty and the ability of everyone to continue protecting the environment when he is gone.

Captain Planet's abilities are never clearly defined within the show, allowing him to always have a way of defeating his enemy and solving the problem before him. He can shape-shift and alter his structure to take on the properties of any element or material as well as transmuting other objects in a similar fashion. In various episodes he flies, has great strength, and displays telepathic/empathic abilities.

Captain Planet is weakened when he is in contact with pollutants, radiation, smog, etc. Like Gaia, he is bound to the physical realm of Earth. Although he is capable of flying into space, his powers and form begin to fade when he travels away from the planet. However, in one episode he is unable to "return to the Earth" completely because two of the Planeteers (and their rings) have been taken into space, leaving him unable to access his abilities associated with the other three elements.

Gaia

Gaia (voiced by Whoopi Goldberg in 1990–1993, Margot Kidder in 1993–1995) is the spirit of the Earth. She is a modern rendition of the primordial Greek earth goddess, possessing an amalgamation of physical characteristics from all human races.

Awaking from a century-long slumber, and shocked with the increase in pollution of Earth that has sustained in such a short (by her standards) time, she summons the Planeteers to defend Earth and gives them their elemental rings.

Gaia lives on an island with large crystals in the middle of an ocean, although its exact location is never revealed. She is omnipresent; she can appear in any time or place she wishes, and can communicate telepathically with anyone at any point in time. She is bound to Earth, and her health and well being are connected with the condition of the planet.

Planeteers

The Planeteers. Clockwise from left top: Gi, Kwame, Linka, Ma-Ti, and Wheeler.

The Planeteers are summoned by Gaia to defend the world from pollution, criminals, and natural disasters. The five teenagers, each originating from a different region of the world and who together represent several major ethnic groups, are each given a ring which allows them to temporarily control one of the four classical elements – Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water – as well as a fifth element, Heart, which represents love and communication and enables telepathy and empathy, as well as potential mind control. This combination has been compared to the Wiccan pentacle.^[8]

In order to summon Captain Planet, the Planeteers must activate their powers in a specific order, preceded by the phrase, "Let our powers combine"; after his appearance, the Planeteers would cheer, "Go Planet!" It can be noted that during the DiC series, the sequence of special effects preceding Captain Planet's appearance differed each and every time.^{[citation needed]} In the Hanna-Barbera series, there were some creative ideas for Captain Planet's appearance when being summoned;^{[citation needed]} but most of the time, it consisted of flashes of lightning, along with sounds of thunder. Animation in the DiC series was inconsistent, showing some episodes as darker or brighter in color than others, and characters looking different from one episode to the next, and in some cases one segment (or even shot) to the next.

The Planeteers' rings are, like Captain Planet himself, susceptible to weakening when in the presence of toxic waste and pollution to the point that they can no longer use their powers or summon Captain Planet.

The five Planeteers are:

• Kwame (voiced by LeVar Burton): From Africa, Kwame possesses the power of Earth. He has a soft spot for plant life. Growing up in a tribe in his homeland, he is at one with the land and its purpose, and does what he can to preserve it. The de facto leader of the group, he is the voice of reason that keeps the Planeteers in check when the group begins to lose faith in a given situation.
• Wheeler (voiced by Joey Dedio): From North America (specifically Brooklyn, NY), Wheeler controls the power of Fire. Wheeler is shown to be the least knowledgeable about earth preservation trends though this improves as the show goes on (in a way representing the oblivious aspect people have of the harm that they can cause to nature). He is the street-smart comic relief for the group who, while having his heart in the right place, tends to get himself into tight spots when acting impulsively; fittingly, he is sometimes a "hothead". Throughout the series, he openly flirts with and tries to get closer to Linka, almost always having his advances shot down.
• Linka (voiced by Kath Soucie): From the Soviet Union (now Russia) (Eastern Europe), Linka has the power of Wind. Linka closely studies bird life and, due to this, is extremely emotional when pollution harms them. Wheeler often tries to flirt with her, and despite more often than not shooting down these advances, is shown every now and again in her own way she too possesses feelings for him. She is a master of strategy and logic, as well as a computer expert.
• Gi (voiced by Janice Kawaye): Hailing from Thailand ^[9] (Asia), Gi controls the power of Water. Gi is a self-proclaimed marine biologist. Her compassion for sea life contributes to the overall effort of the Planeteers' protection of animals, becoming extremely emotional when pollution affects them, especially dolphins. She also often works on the mechanical and forensic aspects for the team. Gi can also be seen wearing a gold medallion around her neck.
• Ma-Ti (voiced by Scott Menville): From the Amazon rainforests Brazil and raised by a Kayapo Indian shaman, Ma-Ti uses the power of Heart to instill caring, passion, and sympathy into the people of the world to care for the planet. He can also use this power to communicate with animals telepathically. Ma-Ti also has a pet monkey named Suchi (voiced by Frank Welker).

Eco-Villains

The evil Eco-Villains united in Summit to Save Earth, Part 1. Clockwise from left: Dr. Blight, Verminous Skumm, Duke Nukem, Hoggish Greedly, Zarm, Looten Plunder, and Sly Sludge.

A small group of villains, referred to as the Eco-Villains, make appearances repeatedly in the TV series to cause danger to Earth by committing pollution, deforestation, and poaching. They enjoy the destruction they cause to Earth (and the harm they bring upon anyone) by any means to obtain wealth, land, or power. Due to conflict among them from their varying self-serving interests and backgrounds, they tend to work alone most of the time. Each of these villains represent a specific ecological disaster. These include:

• Hoggish Greedly (voiced by Edward Asner) – A pig-like human who represents the dangers of overconsumption and greed. In the episode "Smog Hog", it's revealed Hoggish has a son named Junior. In the episode "Hog Tide," it is revealed that he has a grandfather named Don Porkaloin. However, unlike Greedly, Porkaloin changed his ways and became environmentally friendly, as shown in the episode "The Ghost of Porkaloin Past."
  • Rigger (voiced by John Ratzenberger) – Hoggish Greedly's henchman. In the episode "The Ghost of Porkaloin Past," Rigger mentioned that he worked with Greedly because no one else would hire him. In the episode "Hog Tide," it is revealed that Rigger has a grandfather named Rex Rigger I who was an assistant to Don Porkaloin.
• Duke Nukem (voiced by Dean Stockwell in 1990–1992, Maurice LaMarche in 1993–1995) – A doctor who changed himself into a radioactive mutant who represents the misuse of nuclear power. He is the only Eco-Villain able to single handedly defeat Captain Planet. Apogee temporarily renamed the eponymous character of the Duke Nukem computer game franchise to 'Duke Nukum' so as to avoid any possible copyright claims they could face from the producers of Captain Planet. The character was later found to be under no copyright and the games were restored to their original titles.^[10]
  • Leadsuit (voiced by Frank Welker) – Duke Nukem's cowardly accomplice, who is named after the radiation suit he constantly wears to protect himself from Nukem's radioactive aura. He works for Duke under the belief he will rule the world alongside his boss when he brings about the nuclear age.
• Looten Plunder (voiced by James Coburn in 1990–1992, Ed Gilbert in 1993–1995) – A wealthy poacher and greedy businessman who represents the evils of uncontrolled capitalism and unethical business actions, his name is even a reference of the phrase "Loot and Plunder". Looten is also shown to have a nephew named Robin Plunder as seen in the episode "Going Bats, Man" and is a play on "Rob and Plunder".
  • Argos Bleak (voiced by S. Scott Bullock) – Looten Plunder's main henchman, and leader of Plunder's private army. In the episode "The Predator," he appeared without Looten Plunder when it came to tricking the people of the Florida Keys that basking sharks are deadly. Barbara Pyle and Nick Boxer (Co-producers) have confirmed that Bleak is a product of mixed races, with his mother being Australian, father being South African and studying in boarding school in England, leading to development of his accent.
  • Pinehead Brothers (voiced by Dick Gautier and Frank Welker) – Oakey and Dokey are two oversized lumberjacks that are Looten Plunder's henchmen in the final season of "The New Adventures of Captain Planet."
• Sly Sludge (voiced by Martin Sheen in 1990–1992, Jim Cummings in 1993–1995) – An unscrupulous waste disposer who represents ignorance and the dangers of short-term thinking.
  • Ooze (voiced by Cam Clarke) – Sly Sludge's sidekick.
  • BP (voiced by Terry Bollea) - Sly Sludge's alternate sidekick.
  • Tank Flusher III (voiced by Frank Welker) – Sly Sludge's strongman servant who makes his debut in "The New Adventures of Captain Planet" episode "A Mine is a Terrible Thing to Waste" Pt. 1.
• Verminous Skumm (voiced by Jeff Goldblum in 1990, Maurice LaMarche in 1991–1995) – A rat-like creature who represents the dangers of poor sanitation and crime.
  • The Rat Pack – A gang of rat/human thugs under the command of Skumm.
• Dr. Blight (voiced by Meg Ryan in 1990, Mary Kay Bergman in 1991–1995) – A mad scientist with a half-scarred face hidden behind her hair who represents the dangers of uncontrolled technology and unethical scientific experimentation. In the episode "Hog Tide," it is revealed that Dr. Blight had a grandmother named Betty Blight who assisted Don Porkaloin in his plot. In the episode "Hollywaste", it is revealed she has a sister named Bambi and through Bambi, it's revealed to the viewers and the planeteers that Dr. Blight's first name is Babs.
  • MAL (voiced by David Rappaport in 1990, Tim Curry in 1991–1995) – Dr. Blight's evil high-intellectual supercomputer.
• Zarm (voiced by Sting in 1990–1992, David Warner in 1993, Malcolm McDowell in 1994–1995) – Zarm is the former spirit of the Earth who left Gaia in search of other lands and ended up laying other populous planets to ruin lacking Gaia to balance out his methods. He represents war and destruction. Even though Zarm does not have any henchmen of his own, he would often manipulate other people to do his bidding. Zarm once united Hoggish Greedly, Looten Plunder, Sly Sludge, Duke Nukem, Verminous Skumm and Dr. Blight under his leadership in the two-part episode "Summit to Save Earth".
• Mame Slaughter (voiced by Theresa Saldana in the first appearance, Mitzi McCall in the third appearance) – Leader of the Slaughter family who made their debut in "The New Adventures of Captain Planet." Mame and her family are a family of poachers who represent the evils of poaching and are often in direct monetary competition with Looten Plunder. She and the Slaughter Family once collaborated with Looten Plunder and Argos Bleak in the episode "Horns A'Plenty" when the Planeteers ruined each one's rhinoceros poaching.
  • Stalker Slaughter (voiced by Charlie Adler) – Mame's son and second-in-command.

Captain Pollution

A polluting counterpart to Captain Planet named "Captain Pollution" appears in the two-part episode "Mission to Save Earth" when Dr. Blight steals the Planeteers' rings, creates polluting duplicates of them, and distributes the duplicates to most of the other Eco-villains. Each Eco-villain received a specific ring:

• Duke Nukem has a Super Radiation Ring (counterpart of Fire).
• Looten Plunder has a Deforestation Ring (counterpart of Earth).
• Sly Sludge has a Smog Ring (counterpart of Wind). In the comic book version involving Captain Pollution, Sludge was replaced by Hoggish Greedly.^{[citation needed]}
• Verminous Skumm has a Toxics Ring (counterpart of Water).
• Dr. Blight has a Hate Ring (counterpart of Heart).

Each of the evil rings have malevolent faces on them, in contrast to the more element-themed Planeteer rings. Captain Pollution is weakened when he is in contact with pure elements such as water or sunlight, while he gains power from contact with pollutants (and is later shown to gain power without limit when in contact with pollutants after his resurrection). When he is summoned he says "By your polluting powers combined, I am Captain Pollution! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!", and when he disappears, he declares "The polluting power is yours!"

In his first appearance, he is sent by the Eco-villains to destroy the Planeteers but gets chased off by Commander Clash, and after a fight with Captain Planet, he returns to the evil rings causing them to explode. In the two-part episode "A Mine is a Terrible Thing to Waste", Captain Pollution is brought back to life by toxins that seep into the earth.

Captain Pollution resembles Captain Planet, but his skin is pale yellow, and covered in brown lesions. His hair is red, and styled in a Widow's peak and he has red eyes. His costume is the same color and style as Planet's, but the chest is torn in the middle, with two halves of a cracked version of Planet's chest symbol on either side. His voice has a California Valley twang to it. Captain Pollution is defeated twice by Captain Planet; first in Mission to Save Earth by being rammed through earth, lava, air and water, and then again in A Mine is a Terrible Thing to Waste by being tricked into going into an underground magma chamber.

His role as an evil/imperfect duplicate mirrors that of Superman's imperfect duplicate; Bizarro; Albeit more malevolent and less of a harmless dunce, and with normal intelligence and lack of confusion at his surroundings.

Like his good counterpart, Captain Pollution is voiced by David Coburn in both appearances.

In the comic book version, Captain Pollution was created by Zarm.

Episodes

Main article: List of Captain Planet episodes

"A Formula for Hate"

The episode titled "A Formula for Hate" (1992) was unique for the series in that it did not deal with environmental pollution or destruction. It was also the first episode in an American children's animated series to directly deal with the AIDS-HIV pandemic (and also the first to directly mention sex on a children's show).^[11] In the episode, Verminous Skumm brainwashes a local community into thinking the virus can be spread through casual contact, and thus causing people to hate and fear a young man, infected with HIV, named Todd (voiced by Neil Patrick Harris, with his mother voiced by Elizabeth Taylor).

"Mind Pollution"

Another episode titled "Mind Pollution" was also known as it also did not deal with the environment, instead it dealt with the issue of drugs, (which was considered by the characters as a pollution of the mind) the episode revolved around an epidemic of a designer drug known as "bliss" created by Skumm, it was also known for being quite dark, as it allowed a scene of Linka's cousin bleeding from his arms, as well as actually dying from an overdose of the drug.

The New Adventures of Captain Planet

The New Adventures of Captain Planet logo.

The original series was the second longest running cartoon of the 1990s, producing 113 episodes. It lasted for three seasons under the name Captain Planet and the Planeteers (produced by TBS Productions and DiC), before many of the voice actors quit or were replaced and much licensing occurred, changing the title to The New Adventures of Captain Planet (produced by Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, which was acquired by Turner in 1991).

This series had noticeable differences from the original, such as episodes revealing more of the past of each of the characters. This does not directly contradict the first, but expands on it dramatically. Gi tells the story of her pet dolphin, while Linka is revealed to have a mining family who used canaries to detect lethal gases in the mines, and her opening sequence generalizes her birthplace as Eastern Europe to avoid confusion in viewers born after the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991 (which would place her canonical birthplace among one of the countries that gained their independence when the Soviet Union collapsed). Dr. Blight, with a new voice actor, is revealed to have a sister who is a famous movie actress.

Other changes were also noticeable, most significantly the animation style. While the character models from the DiC episodes were retained (and the original DiC opening sequence used) the new animation relied less on shading and was slightly more colorful. Many of the characters had refurbished outfits. The sound effects utilized when the Planeteers used their rings were changed and the echo in Captain Planet’s voice when he emerged was gone, as well was the DiC season's use of a specific synth rock soundtrack; these tracks were replaced by a large number of orchestral pieces, although the famous end credits theme was retained, now showcasing footage from the Hanna-Barbera episodes. A small number of cast changes occurred, affecting Gaia and most of the eco-villains; similarly, the opening narration was voiced by David Coburn (Captain Planet) rather than LeVar Burton (Kwame), and was eventually replaced by a rap by Fred Schneider of The B-52's.

Cast

Heroes

• David Coburn as Captain Planet
• Whoopi Goldberg as Gaia (1990–1993)^[12]
• Margot Kidder as Gaia (1993–1996)^[13]
• LeVar Burton as Kwame
• Joey Dedio as Wheeler
• Kath Soucie as Linka
• Janice Kawaye as Gi
• Scott Menville as Ma-Ti
• Frank Welker as Suchi
• Louis Gossett, Jr. as Commander Clash

Villains

• Charlie Adler as Stalker Slaughter
• Edward Asner as Hoggish Greedly
• Mary Kay Bergman as Dr. Blight (1991–1995)
• S. Scott Bullock as Argos Bleak
• Cam Clarke as Ooze
• David Coburn as Captain Pollution
• James Coburn as Looten Plunder (1990–1993)
• Jim Cummings as Sly Sludge (1993–1995)
• Tim Curry as MAL (1991–1995)
• Dick Gautier as Oakey Pinehead
• Ed Gilbert as Looten Plunder (1993–1995)
• Jeff Goldblum as Verminous Skumm (1990)
• Maurice LaMarche as Duke Nukum (1992–1995), Verminous Skumm (1990–1995)
• Mitzi McCall as Mame Slaughter (3rd Time)
• Malcolm McDowell as Zarm (1994–1995)
• David Rappaport as MAL (1990)
• John Ratzenberger as Rigger
• Meg Ryan as Dr. Blight (1990)
• Theresa Saldana as Mame Slaughter
• Martin Sheen as Sly Sludge (1990–1993)
• Sting as Zarm (1990–1992)
• Dean Stockwell as Duke Nukem (1990–1992)
• David Warner as Zarm (1993)
• Frank Welker as Leadsuit, Dokey Pinehead, Tank Flusher III

Music

The show's intro theme was composed by Tom Worrall.

The ending theme (maintained by both DIC and Hanna-Barbera’s versions) is considered one of the most memorable parts of the series due to its catchy main chorus and rock track ("Captain Planet, he’s our hero, gonna take pollution down to zero"). Its lyrics were written by show producer Nick Boxer^[14] and is performed by Murray McFaden and Timothy Mulhollan.

Other media

Toys

As with many popular cartoons, Captain Planet had a toy line. Released by Tiger Toys in 1990, the line ran for several years, long enough to tie into the New Adventures series. The toys were repackaged and sold by Grand Toys in Canada and Kenner throughout Europe. The toys were of average poseability, with the common five points – neck, shoulders, and hips.

Finding a comprehensive list of what was released is difficult, since not all toys shown in the initial retailer catalog were even released. The collector's market is small, the toys being somewhat rare on eBay. The Captain Planet Foundation still sells a small number of them online, however. There may have also been further foreign variations of certain toys which may be even more difficult to catalog. Various toys from the New Adventures waves are not as likely to be well known.

All five Planeteers, five Eco-Villains, Commander Clash, and several versions of Captain Planet, each with a different gimmick or paint scheme, were released, along with several vehicles. A toy ring with lights and sound and interchangeable lenses for the five elements was also released. Four small vehicles were also sold through a Burger King promotion.

Comics

Marvel Comics published a short-run comic series to tie in to the show; however, the comics were a separate continuity. While not effectively part of the Marvel Universe, issue #4's cover was a parody of the cover to Fantastic Four issue #1.

Video games

A video game based on the series was produced for the NES by Mindscape called Captain Planet. The game, which involved a good deal of shooting, received poor reviews from game critics and thus a Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) version of the game was canceled. A separate side-scrolling game was developed by Novalogic for the Mega Drive/Genesis, but only saw release in Europe and Australia.^[15]

David Perry and Nick Bruty developed a ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC game using the license, a 3-level shoot 'em up. A game was also released in 1990 for the Commodore Amiga and Atari ST, written by Tony Crowther. This was a platform game, and was briefly bundled with the Amiga 500 "Cartoon Classics" pack released in 1991.[1] A Commodore 64 game was in development but never released. Tiger Toys, owners of the action figure license, also created an LCD hand-held game.

In the video game Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion, Captain Planet appears as one of the unlockable characters in both Nintendo 3DS version and XL for Wii, PS3, and XBox 360.

Home video

Several VHS tapes were released, usually with a single episode each. A DVD with four episodes and bonus features exists but was only available as part of a "Planeteer Pack" purchased from the Captain Planet Foundation.^[16] The "Planeteer Pack" special is no longer available.

Shout! Factory released a DVD set of the complete 1st Season on April 19, 2011. The DVD packaging is made of 100% recycled paper.^[17]

Films

Michael Reaves

Writer Michael Reaves reimagined the Captain Planet concept in a script he wrote for a theatrical movie in 1997, entitled "Planet" or "Dark Planet". The script was darker than the series, and set in a post-apocalyptic time period. The script was met with acceptance, but "got lost in the shuffle when Turner and Warner Bros. merged."^[18][19] The movie reached the design stage before it was abandoned. The Mother Nature Network later released footage of these designs in a special video presentation to coincide with their streaming of Captain Planet episodes.^{[citation needed]}

Cartoon Network

In late 2007, it was reported that Ted Turner was in talks regarding a Captain Planet movie.^[20] In early 2008 Warner Bros. denied that a movie was planned.^[21] On July 19, 2011, it was announced that Cartoon Network and producers Don Murphy and Susan Montford are developing a live-action film based on the series.^[22][23]

References

1. ^ Kahn, Eve M. "Television; Cartoons for a Small Planet" The New York Times (March 3, 1991).
2. ^ ^{a b} Captain Planet Zooms to the Rescue of the Environment, Washington Post – Sep 16, 1990
3. ^ ^{a b} Szymanski, Michael (1990-02-03). "Captain Planet: Here He Comes to Save the Day". The Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1990-02-03/entertainment/ca-990_1_captain-planet. Retrieved 2010-08-24. 
4. ^ Jensen, Elizabeth (April 22, 2006). "An Aging Superhero Wins a Life Beyond Reruns". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9803E4DC153FF931A15757C0A9609C8B63. Retrieved 2010-03-13. 
5. ^ Mother Nature Network | Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Mother Nature Network
6. ^ "Mother Nature Network: Online Media Finally Catches up to Sustainability Needs", Fast Company (2009-02-04)
7. ^ Season 1 Episode 1: A Hero For Earth 14:46–14:50
8. ^ Drew, A.J. "A Wiccan Bible: exploring the mysteries of the craft from birth to summerland" The Career Press 2003: 94. ISBN 1-56414-666-9
9. ^ Penderson, T., "Beast of the Temple" Captain Planet. episode 17
10. ^ "3D Realms Site: Duke Nukem I". 3drealms.com. 1991-07-01. http://www.3drealms.com/duke1/index.html. Retrieved 2011-11-15. 
11. ^ Mendoza, N.F. (1992-11-21). "'Capt. Planet' Tackles the AIDS Crisis". The Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1992-11-21/entertainment/ca-626_1_captain-planet. Retrieved 2010-08-24. 
12. ^ King, Susan (1990-09-02). "Celebrities Lend A Voice, Hand Or Name To Fall's New Children's Programs". The Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1990-09-02/news/tv-2158_1_big-fan. Retrieved 2010-08-24. 
13. ^ Mendoza, N.F. (1995-04-09). "Kids Shows that Aim to Raise Awareness as Well as Entertain". The Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1995-04-09/news/tv-52455_1_captain-planet. Retrieved 2010-08-24. 
14. ^ Captain Planet: The theme song Mother Nature Network
15. ^ "Captain Planet and the Planeteers on MobyGames". http://www.mobygames.com/game/genesis/captain-planet-and-the-planeteers-. Retrieved 2008-08-24. 
16. ^ Captain Planet Foundation: Planeteer Pack^{[dead link]}
17. ^ Captain Planet And The Planeteers: Season One Shout! Factory
18. ^ "Michael Reeves interview, in which he recalls the title as simply "Planet"". AnimationArtist.com. http://www.animationartist.com/2000/Interviews/Screenwriters/Michael_Reaves/MReaves.html. Retrieved 2007-02-08. 
19. ^ "Michael Reaves's website, listing the script as "Dark Planet"". http://www.michaelreaves.com/movies.htm. Retrieved 2008-04-20. 
20. ^ "Ted is currently in talks to create a possible movie version of the cartoon – wonder who will play Captain Planet?". http://www.hollywoodtoday.net/?p=3116. 
21. ^ d'Estries, Michael (February 7, 2008). "Captain Planet Movie Rumors Get Thrown In The Trash". Ecorazzi.com. http://www.ecorazzi.com/2008/02/07/captain-planet-movie-rumors-get-thrown-in-the-trash/. Retrieved October 3, 2010. 
22. ^ Zeitchik, Steven (July 19, 2011). "Cartoon Network's 'Captain Planet' will be drawn into film". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2011/07/cartoon-network-captain-planet-movie.html. Retrieved July 19, 2011. 
23. ^ Rosenfeld, Everett (22 July 2011). "With Hollywood's Powers Combined, a 'Captain Planet' Movie Will Hit Theaters". Time News Feed. http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/07/21/hes-our-hero-captain-planet-movie-is-in-the-works/. Retrieved 22 July 2011. 

External links

	United States portal
	Environment portal
	Animation portal
	Television portal

• Captain Planet Foundation
• Captain Planet Foundation online store
• Official Turner Captain Planet site
• Captain Planet DVD Premier
• Captain Planet and the Planeteers at the Internet Movie Database
• Captain Planet and the Planeteers at TV.com
• http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.fish2/captain_planet/cpGood.html