Captain Planet and the Planeteers

Captain Planet and the Planeteers was an American animated environmentalist television program created by Ted Turner, Robert Larkin III, and Barbara Pyle, produced by Pyle, Nicholas Boxer, Andy Heyward and Robby London, and developed by Pyle, Boxer, Heyward, London, Thom Beers, Bob Forward, Phil Harnage and Cassandra Schafhausen. The series was produced by Turner Program Services and DIC Entertainment and it was broadcast on TBS from September 15, 1990 to December 5, 1992. A sequel series, The New Adventures of Captain Planet, was produced by Hanna-Barbera and Turner Program Services, and was broadcast from September 11, 1993 to May 11, 1996. Both series continue today in syndication. The program is a form of edutainment and advocates environmentalism. In 1997, the series aired on Kids' WB! during weekday mornings right after Tiny Toon Adventures.

In February 2009, Mother Nature Network began airing episodes and unreleased footage of Captain Planet and the Planeteers on its website. In September 2010, the Planeteer Movement was launched with the assistance of Pyle as a means for fans of the show to connect and continue to integrate the show's messages into their lives as real-life Planeteers.

Plot

Gaia, the spirit of the planet, is awakened from a long sleep by Hoggish Greedly, who happens to be drilling above her resting chamber. Realizing that the damage is extensive, Gaia sends five magic rings, four with the power to control an element of nature and one controlling the element of 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 dissolution), Gi from Asia, and Ma-Ti from South America.

These five are dubbed the Planeteers and are tasked with defending the planet from the greatest of disasters and making efforts to educate mankind to keep others from happening. Gaia uses her "Planet Vision" to discover where the most devastating destruction is occurring (in most episodes one or more of the Eco-Villains is behind it) 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 super hero, 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 planet 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. He has a grass-green proto-mullet, crystal blue skin, earthy brown eyes, a fire-red chest, gloves, trunks, and boots, and a sun-yellow globe insignia.

The Planeteers cannot use their rings while Captain Planet has been summoned. Despite his vulnerability to pollution, Captain Planet is a formidable and valiant hero. Once his work is done, Captain Planet returns to the planet, 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!" which is said to mean that all have the power to end the destruction of the planet if we work together as one world rather than fighting each other as separate nations.

Characters

Captain Planet

Captain Planet (voiced by David Coburn) is the titular character of the series. In the beginning of the series, Gaia assembles a modern-day team of "Planeteers" 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. His only weakness is when he comes into contact with sources of pollution.

Gaia

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

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

Gaia lives on Hope Island, 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 the planet, and her health and well being are connected with the condition of the planet.

The Planeteers

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 elementsÂ â€" Earth, Fire, Wind, and WaterÂ â€" as well as a fifth element, Heart, which represents love and communication and enables telepathy and empathy, as well as potential mind control. Pyle cites that the inspiration for the five Planeteers came from real people that she met during the show's pre-production in 1989.

To summon Captain Planet, the Planeteers must activate their powers in a specific order, (Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, and Heart) 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. In the Hanna-Barbera series, there were some creative ideas for Captain Planet's appearance when being summoned; 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.

Since the show takes place all over the world, The Planeteers have many methods of travel. The Geo-Cruiser is the 'usual' vehicle for the Planeteers. It is a solar-powered flying craft, in the design of a jet. The Geo-Cruiser is yellow in colour during the original seasons, but during season six it is given a paint job, and is decorated with red. The Geo-Cruiser can hover, allowing it to land on top of buildings and in rough terrain. The Eco-Cycles are stored somewhere on the Geo-Cruiser, although it is not known how they are stored, or if they are aboard for every mission. Their engines are not fuel-combustion, as that would pollute the air. Most likely their engines are electric, as their engines make a low whirring noise when in use, and they have flashing lights. The Geo-Copter is a yellow helicopter the Planeteers will occasionally use instead of the geo-cruiser. The Eco-Sub is usually used in missions closer to Hope Island. Occasionally, the Planeteers will also use the Eco-Sub to investigate issues out in the middle of the ocean. The Eco-Sub is shaped a lot like the Geo-Cruiser. It is yellow in colour, and is fitted with a periscope. The Planeteers are occasionally seen carrying out maintenance on it. Gi is its main driver and operator.

Kwame

Kwame (voiced by LeVar Burton): From Zimbabwe, Africa, Kwame possesses the power of Earth. He has a soft spot for plant life, and even runs his own greenhouse on Hope Island. Growing up in a tribe in his homeland Africa, he is at one with the land and its purpose, and does what he can to preserve it. In the episode Talkin' Trash, he mentions that how he never knew his father, hinting that his father died while Kwame was still very young. The de facto leader of the group, he is also the voice of reason that keeps the Planeteers in check when the group begins to lose faith in a given situation. He also acts as kind of a mentor to Ma-Ti. Kwame is the first Planeteer to be summoned.

Gi

Gi (voiced by Janice Kawaye): Hailing from Malaysia, 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 (due to finding her dolphin friend dying from pollution as a child), and somewhat impulsive at times. She also often works on the mechanical and forensic aspects for the team, as well as being the most diplomatic of the group who convinces others to see reason and do the right thing. Gi can also be seen wearing a gold medallion around her neck. Gi is the second Planeteer to be summoned.

Wheeler

Wheeler (voiced by Joey Dedio): From Brooklyn, New York, Wheeler controls the power of Fire. He is shown to be the least knowledgeable about the planet 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 exceedingly the most street-smart of the group, yet, while having his heart in the right place, tends to get himself into tight spots when acting impulsively; fittingly, he is sometimes a "hothead". In the episode Talkin' Trash, he gets news that his father's liver is shot. Viewers learn that Wheeler and his father don't get along normally leaving his soft-spoken mother to play peacekeeper. The two seem to connect by the end of the episode by sharing an embrace after his father says he did good. Throughout the series, he openly flirts with and tries to get closer to Linka, almost always having his advances shot down. Wheeler is the third Planeteer to be summoned.

Linka

Linka (voiced by Kath Soucie): From the Soviet Union (in later episodes stated as being from Eastern Europe after the Communist regime's collapse), Linka has the power of Wind. Linka closely studies bird life and, due to this, is extremely emotional when pollution harms them, because she admired birds who were used in the mines to detect gas while growing up as a miner's daughter. Wheeler often tries to flirt with her, and despite more often than not shooting down these advances, is shown every now and again that she too possesses feelings for him, even kissing him in the episode "Missing Linka". She is a master of strategy and logic, as well as a computer expert. Linka often uses Russian words and phrases, the most common one being "Bozhe moi!" (meaning "My God!"), which she normally says when she's shocked. Linka is the fourth Planeteer to be summoned.

Ma-Ti

Ma-Ti (voiced by Scott Menville): From the Amazon of Brazil and raised by a Kayapo Indian shaman, Ma-Ti wields the powers of Heart and telepathy to instill caring, passion, and sympathy into the people of the world to care for the planet. He can also use this power to telepathically communicate with people and animals. Ma-Ti is also considered to be the "kid" of the team due to being the youngest of the group. He owns a pet monkey named Suchi (voiced by Frank Welker). Ma-Ti is the fifth Planeteer to be summoned.

Eco-Villains

The Eco-Villains are a small group of antagonists who cause danger to the planet by committing pollution, deforestation, and poaching. They enjoy the destruction they cause to the planet 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, although episodes do show the villains enter into temporary alliances when it suits their plans. Only in a few episodes did the entire ensemble of Eco-Villains work as a team, with Zarm as kingpin. Each of these villains represent a specific ecological disaster. These include:

Hoggish Greedly (voiced by Edward Asner) â€" A pig-like human who represents the dangers of overconsumption and greed, Hoggish is the first villain Captain Planet and the Planeteers encounter. In the episode "Smog Hog", it's revealed Hoggish has a son named Hoggish Greedly Jr. who appears only once. In the episode "Hog Tide," it is revealed that he has a grandfather named Don Porkaloin (portrayed as a parody of Vito Corleone from The Godfather) who in the past was defeated by another group of Planeteers. Unlike Hoggish Greedly, Porkaloin cleaned the slate and became environmentally friendly as shown in the episode "The Ghost of Porkaloin Past."
- Rigger (voiced by John Ratzenberger) â€" 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.

Verminous Skumm (voiced by Jeff Goldblum in 1990, Maurice LaMarche in 1991â€"1995) â€" The second villain to appear on the series, he is a part human, part rat creature whose human name is unknown; he represents the dangers of poor sanitation and crime. Skumm has a personal helicopter called The Scum O'Copter. Skumm is responsible for the death of Linka's cousin, Boris.
- The Rat Pack â€" A gang of humanoid rat thugs under the command of Skumm. Skumm can also control regular Rats.

Dr. Blight (voiced by Meg Ryan in 1990, Mary Kay Bergman in 1991â€"1995) â€" 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 that Dr. Blight has a sister named Bambi. Bambi calls Blight by her first name "Babs", a shortened form of "Barbara". She is the third villain to appear on the series.
- MAL (voiced by David Rappaport in 1990, Tim Curry in 1991â€"1995) â€" Dr. Blight's evil highly-intellectual supercomputer and a parody of HAL, the supercomputer from 2001: A Space Odyssey (In a twist of coincidence, Turner/Time Warner, the creators and rights holders of Captain Planet, are the owners and copyright holders of that film). MAL has control over computers, and can infect any computer with a virus.

Duke Nukem (voiced by Dean Stockwell in 1990â€"1992, Maurice LaMarche in 1993â€"1995) â€" A doctor who changed himself into a radioactive mutant who represents the misuse of nuclear power. He is one of the few Eco-Villains, along with Zarm and Captain Pollution, able to single-handedly defeat Captain Planet. Nukem generates radiation to fire off radioactive blasts from his hands and possesses X-Ray vision. Apogee temporarily renamed the eponymous character of the Duke Nukem computer game franchise to 'Duke Nukum' so as to avoid any possible trademark claims they could face from the producers of Captain Planet. The character was later found to be under no trademark and the games were restored to their original titles.
- Leadsuit (voiced by Frank Welker) â€" 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 1990â€"1992, Ed Gilbert in 1993â€"1995) â€" A wealthy poacher and crooked businessman who represents the evils of unethical business actions, his name is even a reference of the phrase "Loot and Plunder." He is the fourth villain to appear on Captain Planet. Looten is also shown to have a nephew named Robin Plunder as seen in the episode "Going Bats, Man."
- Argos Bleak (voiced by S. Scott Bullock) â€" Looten Plunder's main henchman, pilot, 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, making him the only Eco-villain sidekick to have his own episode. Executive Producers Barbara Pyle and Nick Boxer have confirmed that Argos 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) â€" 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 1990â€"1992, Jim Cummings in 1993â€"1995) â€" An unscrupulous trashman who represents ignorance and the dangers of short-term thinking.
- Ooze (voiced by Cam Clarke) â€" Sly Sludge's sidekick.
- Tank Flusher III (voiced by Frank Welker) â€" 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.

Zarm (voiced by Sting in 1990â€"1992, David Warner in 1993, Malcolm McDowell in 1994â€"1995) â€" Zarm is the former spirit of the planet who left Gaia in search of other worlds 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. He 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". Zarm is the last Eco-Villain to appear in the series.

Minor Villains

The Slaughters, led by Mame Slaughter (voiced by Theresa Saldana in the first appearance, Mitzi McCall in the second appearance), who made their debut in "The New Adventures of Captain Planet." The Slaughters are a family of poachers who represent the endangerment of animals and the evils of poaching. They are often in direct monetary competition with Looten Plunder. Mame and her 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) â€" One of Mame's sons and her second-in-command.

Commander Clash

An army soldier stranded in an island in the episode Mission to Save Earth. The Planeteers encounter him when the eco-villains cause their vehicle to land on the island. Clash initially treats the Planeteers as enemies, but they reconcile and help defeat the eco-villains and Captain Pollution. Clash later helps the Planteers defeat Zarm in the later episode Summit to Save Earth

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). In the comic book version Looten Plunder let his employee use the ring for him.
Sly Sludge has a Smog Ring (counterpart of Wind). In the comic book version involving Captain Pollution, Sludge was replaced by Hoggish Greedly.
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, being able to absorb pollutant and emit radioactive rays (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 of the 5 evil rings that seep into the planet.

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.

Like his good counterpart, Captain Pollution is voiced by David Coburn in both appearances. Coburn used a surfer-dude voice for Captain Pollution. In the comic book version, Captain Pollution was created by Zarm.

Episodes

Controversial episodes

"Mind Pollution"

The episode titled "Mind Pollution" (1991) was notable in that it did not deal with the environment, but rather with the issue of drug abuse. This was explained by the fact that the characters thought of drug addiction as "pollution of the mind." The episode revolved around an epidemic of a designer drug known as "Bliss" created by Verminous Skumm. It was also known for being quite a dark episode in the Captain Planet series, as it allowed a scene of Linka's cousin Boris bleeding from his arms after jumping through a window and dying from an overdose of the drug.

"A Formula for Hate"

The episode titled "A Formula for Hate" (1992) was also unusual 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. In the episode, 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 Andrews (voiced by Neil Patrick Harris, with his mother voiced by Elizabeth Taylor).

The New Adventures of Captain Planet

The original series was the second longest running US-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 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 Unionâ€™s collapse in 1991 (which would place her canonical birthplace among one of the countries that gained their independence when the Soviet Union collapsed).

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 Planetâ€™s voice when he emerged was gone, as well was the DiC seasons' 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 (1990â€"1993)
Margot Kidder as Gaia (1993â€"1996)
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

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

Special guest stars

David Ackroyd -
Franklyn Ajaye -
Hoyt Axton - Big Ed Bakar
Christopher Daniel Barnes -
Ed Begley, Jr. - Dr. Russell's Assistant, Preston, Zoning Commissioner
Robby Benson -
Phyllis Diller - Jane Goodair
HÃ©ctor Elizondo - Shanoub
Dan Frischman -
Danny Glover - Dr. Apollo
Louis Gossett, Jr. - Commander Clash
Robert Guillaume -
Mark Hamill -
Kadeem Hardison - Goki
Neil Patrick Harris - Todd Andrews
Phil Hartman -
George Hearn - Wheeler's Dad
Earl Holliman - Milton
Michael Horse -
Ken Howard -
Helen Hunt -
Robert Ito -
Casey Kasem - Lexel Starvak
Perry King - Ray
Ricki Lake -
Mark Langston -
Michelle Langston -
Oren Lyons -
Melissa Manchester - Jane Green
Kenneth Mars - Moisha Lowkowitz
Marilyn McCoo - Trish/Trash
Danica McKellar - Lisa
Don McLean -
Rita Moreno -
Kate Mulgrew -
Robert Patrick -
Brock Peters -
Robert Picardo -
Lou Rawls - Dr. Rice
Tristan Rogers - Caucasian Patrol Member
Robby Romero - Skyrunner
Fred Savage -
Charlie Schlatter - Hoggish Greedly, Jr.
Fred Schneider - Danny Dazzleduff
Cree Summer - Karen, Dr. Georgina Carbor
Elizabeth Taylor - Todd Andrew's Mom
Ted Turner - Fred Lerner
Brenda Vaccaro -
Lark Voorhies -
Marcia Wallace - Wheeler's Mom
Dionne Warwick - Dr. Russell
Dennis Weaver - Josh, Dusty
Bob Weir -
Floyd Red Crow Westerman - Old Indian
Vanna White - Lori Saunders
Paul Williams - Kujo
Jonathan Winters - Eco the Clown
Gene Wood - "You Bet Your Planet" Announcer

Anndi McAffee - Bitsy Blight

Music

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

The ending theme (maintained by both DIC and Hanna-Barberaâ€™s versions) is considered one of the most memorable parts of the series due to its catchy main chorus and rock track ("Captain Planet, heâ€™s our hero, gonna take pollution down to zero"). Its lyrics were written by show producer Nick Boxer and is performed by Murray McFadden and Timothy Mulhollan. During the end credits, James Coburn, in character as Looten Plunder, utters the line "You'll pay for this, Captain Planet."

Other media

Pyle and Boxer demanded that the series' merchandise be made sustainably; because of this, several of the companies producing Captain Planet-themed merchandise had to completely overhaul their means of production to manufacture recycled and recyclable products.

Toys

As with many popular cartoons, Captain Planet had a line of action figures and vehicles. 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 pointsÂ â€" 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.

The 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-lived comic series for 12 issues 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 developed for the Nintendo Entertainment System by Mindscape called Captain Planet. The game, which involved a good deal of shooting, received negative 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.

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.[2] 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. This promotional DVD contained the episodes "A River Ran Through It", "A Perfect World", "Gorillas Will Be Missed" and "The Big Clam Up" plus " Planeteers in Action", a short clip about Captain Planet Foundation. 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.

Films

"Planet"

Boxer and Pyle wrote a film adaptation of Captain Planet in 1996, originally titled Planet. Five years later, Michael Reaves revised the concept as Dark Planet. The storyline was darker than the series, and set in a post-apocalyptic time period. However, the script was lost when Turner and Warner Bros. merged before both became a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Warner in June 1, 2014. The film reached the design stage before it was abandoned.

Cartoon Network

In late 2007, it was reported that Turner was in talks regarding another film adaptation of the series. In early 2008 Warner Bros., rejected plans to produce the film. In July 2011, Cartoon Network and producers Don Murphy and Susan Montford began developing a live-action film based on the series and its location is Los Angeles, California. Sony Pictures is in final negotiations to pick up the rights to the early 1990s series for an adaptation and to be produced by Murphy, Montford and Mark Gordon.

References

External links

Official Turner Captain Planet site _{Retrieved 13.June 2013}
Captain Planet Foundation _{Retrieved 13.June 2013}
Captain Planet at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on April 9, 2012.
Captain Planet and the Planeteers at the Internet Movie Database
Captain Planet And The Planeteers at the Big Cartoon DataBase
The New Adventures of Captain Planet at the Big Cartoon DataBase
Captain Planet and the Planeteers at TV.com
Good Guys The Heroes of Captain Planet and the Planeteers on ntlworld.com. _{Retrieved 13.June 2013}

Friday, November 28, 2014