I used to watch this show when I was a little girl. I only remember it vaguely, though. If you ask me, it was a good show. I remember the opening sequence and theme song vaguely, too. In addition to that, everyone was ideally cast. Also, the writing was very strong. The performances were top-grade, too. I hope some network brings it back so I can see every episode. Before I wrap this up, I'd like to say that I'll always remember this show in my memory forever, even though I don't think I've seen every episode. Now, in conclusion, if some network ever brings it back, I hope that you catch it one day before it goes off the air for good.
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Catherine_Grace_Zeh14 July 2006
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dylanstaxes5 June 2022Captain Planet is a wacky disjointed mess that somehow works. Let's discuss what makes it special.
1. The villains are so freaking evil. Let's torture kids. Kill kids. Mutate kids. Chop up kids. Blend kids into smoothies. No other cartoon attempts more horrific child murder.
2. The ecodisasters will give you nightmares. Blind sheep covered with tumors... Thanks for animating that captain planet.
3. The animation errors are constant. Hilarity ensues.
And then there's the sixth season theme song. The most atrocious thing to occur in animation apart from maybe that Scooby-Doo show with Scrappy but no Fred or Velma. -
OllieSuave-0071 March 2017I've caught some episodes of this cartoon show when I was a kid, and remembered it for having a heroic storyline where superheros work together to save the environment. Here, a quintet of teenagers team up to encourage everyday citizens to be responsible in saving and preserving the environment and, when disasters strike, they can band together and summon a superhero named Captain Planet to save the day.
It's a good cartoon to remind the little kids to be responsible for cleaning up after themselves, recycle and to keep stuff clean around them. And, what more inspiring to kids than to have a superhero to remind them to do these good deeds. There are some good action-packed scenes as well. Too bad saving the environment as gotten so polarized nowadays.
Grade B- -
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. -
Captain Planet and the Planeteers, if it is referenced at all nowadays, is generally treated as a subject of mockery. Online reviewers such as the Nostalgia Critic have shredded it relentlessly, depicting it as a hopelessly ideological cartoon that nobody enjoyed. The show did sometimes bite off more than it could chew, but it also managed to be entertaining and, yes, educational.
The show's premise is familiar to most people. Gaia, the spirit of the Earth, gives five elemental power rings to an international group of teenagers in order to fight pollution. When they going gets tough, they can summon Captain Planet, an anti-pollution superhero. Each episode deals with a different environmental theme, ranging from smog to extinction to...gang violence.
The show worked best when it stuck to environmental themes. At times, the writers became overambitious and tried to deal with more fraught topics such as AIDS and gang warfare. These episodes almost inevitably fell flat, coming across as ham handed and even more preachy than the series usually was. One episode on gang violence was particularly awful, with the gangs depicted as something out of a bad 80s Mad Max rip off.
Nevertheless, the show served a purpose. It was often brutally honest in its treatment of environmental topics, within the limits of a show geared towards children. For instance, one show dealing with whaling featured a sequence of a mother whale being harpooned, complete with blood getting spilled in the water. This type of straight talk was a good thing and left viewers not only entertained, but informed. Perhaps even willing to take action.
For all its flaws, Captain Planet remains a well remembered series for me. -
emasterslake8 February 2007I remember seeing this cartoon way back in the 90s when there was still an uproar of action pack cartoons straight from America.
Captain Planet and the Planeteers, is all about the world being so polluted and hazardous, that the spirit of the earth, Gaia couldn't stand it any more. And summoned 5 chosen teens, each of different backgrounds to help the world from global warming and other dangers.
All 5 of them are given special rings that include the powers of Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, and Heart. When they're all summon, Captain Planet appears. He's a super being who helps clean up the environment and preventing any national disasters that occur.
With this group of environmentalists, Earth has a chance in having a cleaner future. Throughout the whole series they battle the forces of evil. And not to mention that all the villains are a threat to the environment and try to trash it in any possible way. At the end of each episode, the character give you a lesson on how to help save energy or how to clean up.
It's quite a cartoon in my opinion. It may not be a recommended study for schools. But it does encourage the younger viewers on treating nature with more respect. I know, cause it change the way I viewed nature too. This and many other Action cartoons were very recognize able back in it's day. This one was done by DiC, the same dude who made "Carmen San Diego" and "Inspector Gadget" possible. It also continued with a few more season special thanks to Hanna-Barbara (back when they were still in business).
Today it co-exists in the world of animation, and very unknown to the newer generation. Those who grew up watching it would know that it deserves to be a cult-cartoon of it's time. If it ever gets it's own DVD release, I'll buy it and cherish it's moments. -
m-ramsay25 July 2006"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! -
thermoharmonic24 May 2011Caring for the environment is not a bad thing. We need the environment - practically and aesthetically. However the cartoon is biased and tends to exaggerate things for simplicity. I understand that it's a children's show and you can't expect it to be rational but still it could have been better. I think the idea behind it is great - a superhero who cares for the earth. But I also think the show should be remade to introduce more rational approaches towards environmental issues or maybe show kids actually cleaning trash with their powers. They should also teach kids to try and find out ways to reduce pollution through science, etc. and not just go kill industrialists. Otherwise this is just an average action cartoon with the extremely good guys vs extremely the bad guys, nothing in between. I enjoyed this cartoon as a kid but this is what I feel now.
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ThunderKing620 February 2019Classic show that teaches children about the environment without being boring.
It's a superhero who fights polluters.
Its produced with one of the best types of animations
And it has one of the best theme songs ever.
If you don't like this show then the power is not yours. -
Some might call it child propaganda. I call it child genius. How is recycling and helping our environment not at all a good thing? Even if one doesn't believe in climate change, then they should still care about other animals (besides humans) sharing this Earth with us. It just seems to be inherently humane.
I remember as a little kid I had ALL of the Captain Planet action figures: Kwane, from Africa, possesses the power of Earth; Wheeler, from North America, controls the power of fire; Linka, from the Soviet Union, has the power of wind; Gi, hailing from China, controls the power of water; and Ma-Ti, from the Amazon in Brazil, utilizes the power of Heart to create a sense of passion and care for the planet. I also had actually rings for each character. And, obviously.. "Let our powers combine," I had the Captain Planet action figure. "Go Planet!"
Network: TBS
Original Air Years: 1990-1996
As cheesy as this show was, it had a great underlying message of peace and happiness for our planet. It gave kids hope for the future. Not only did it encourage them to recycle and maintain a healthy planet, but it showed that individuals from all over the world could come together and conquer evil doers. Perhaps a superficial superhero would appear too.
The story is quite simple. Gaia, the spirit of Earth, has awakened from a long slumber by human activity threatening the ecosystems. She realizes the planet needs help and sends five magic rings, each with a specific elemental power (described above after each characters' name). They will encounter foes like that of Sly Sludge, Looten Plunder, and Hoggish Greedly.
It's equally worthy to duly note that the Captain Planet Foundation still exists to this day (what Captain Planet would tell kids to visit at the end of each show). Check it out at CaptainPlanetFoundation.org.
Also, note that in late 2007, Ted Turner was in talks of a movie. In early 2008 Warner Bros. denied said movie. On July 19, 2011, the announcement was made that Cartoon Network and producers of the Transformers films are developing a live-action film based on the series. Should be interesting. And, not a bad idea given the success of Transformers and the new Smurf film. Also, those pitiful Alvin and the Chipmunks movies made some cash.
Say what you will about Captain Planet, it will still always be a favorite show of mine; if not for the cheesy animation, sounds, and story-lines, then just purely from the message itself. -
Rectangular_businessman13 May 2013"Captain Planet" is one of those shows that many viewers used to watch as kids, but despise or mock as adults ( A similar things happens with the original "Power Rangers" series, which I'm sure that if it wasn't for the nostalgia factor, it would have been entirely forgotten by this time. Of course, I know that there are some people who still enjoy watching series like this, and that's perfectly fine, but I'm sure that even the most devoted fan of cartoons like this one is perfectly able to see how incredibly cheesy this series was.) Compared with other Nineties cartoons such as "Batman: The Animated Series", "Gargoyles" and "X-Men", "Captain Planet" hasn't aged very well: The animation is poor, the characters were flat and uninteresting (Both the heroes and villains) and most of its main features had a notoriously "dated" feeling on them.
Despite the fact that the ecological message is still relevant today, the way in which serious issues such as drug addiction, intolerance and racial violence left too much to be desired. Even for a kid's show, the writing was pretty lame and terribly uninspired.
That being said, I don't really hate this cartoon. I mean, I don't like it either, but I think that is not really different to many other equally forgettable cartoons from the eighties and nineties (Like for example "Turbo Teen", "It's Punky Brewster" and the "Darkstalkers" American cartoon from 1995)In many ways, it was just a product of its time, which wouldn't work very well today. Hey, I'm not even sure if it really worked back then, but this kind of extremely politically correct stuff was pretty common in kid's shows from the previous decades, when children were much less spoiled and also more impressionable. I miss so much those days. -
elonmusk-is_a_moron20 February 2022Why people tend to hate this show so much? It is because of the enviromental messages which for some reason cause a lot of anger on people who really, really hates nature (Despite the fact that without nature, humanity is doomed, but I suppose they are angry nihilists)
Is not because this cartoon its cheesy. A lot of 80s cartoons were extremely cheesy, and yet they are beloved on the internet (But most people remember them completely wrong, like imagining He-Man as a super-macho guy who hates women, when in the actual series he was nothing like that)
Some people really, really hate the enviroment for no reason. -
BigBadaBruce11 May 2007The precursor to The Power Rangers it could almost be said, this was a well-veiled attack on Environmental Damage. This was what taught most young children about the Environment, most kids remember this show, the use of a superhero and tackling obvious real problems was always a good shout to TV Execs, but this was one of the starters. Every vehicle and machines used by The Planeteers was either solar powered or other in order to not destroy Earth's economy, Captain Planet had no distinct look in terms of fashions in other countries, and the main 5 characters was well spread, helping it to become world wide popular, and delivered a great message. As Captain Planet used to say "The Power Is Yours!"
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zigzagcow22 December 2006The greatest problem with Captain Planet is that the solutions given are based along a few false pretenses. These pretenses remove any actual value from the show's environmentalist message, superhero aside.
A) Ignorance is not the problem, people who pollute do so with full intent to cause harm to the environment.
B) The environment is always an innocent victim, humans are never justified in their use of it.
C) The root of the problem lies with those who do the actual polluting, not with those who benefit from it.
Let's give an example. In one episode on Rhino poaching, the team goes to China, where stupid American kid gets sick after eating true Chinese food. They go to a traditional medicine shop and receive treatment, a bit of powdered rhino's horn.
The problem, the *real* problem, one that put countless species on the endangered list is very simple: Traditional Chinese medicine operates on the pretext that consuming parts of animals imbues one with aspects of said animal. Tigers have been slaughtered because it is believed that consuming their penises will enhance sexual potency. The same thing can be said for Rhino's horn. On a separate but equally noteworthy bit, Shark's Fin Soup, another product of China, has decimated the shark population, it's quite possible that it was what stupid American kid was eating. The source of the problem, the demand for Rhino horn, is ignored. Instead they travel to Africa to confront the poachers.
The Poachers, in classical Captain Planet fashion, state their ambition outright. They want to drive African Rhinos into extinction. In later scenes, Rhinos are depicted running away in fear from poachers, and even crying after getting shot.
To those unfamiliar with Rhinos, they are stupid, aggressive, and noted for attacking absolutely everything that moves. By everything, I mean *everything*. They don't cry, they don't run away, they attack, whether you're a pride of lions, a jeep, or an abnormally large wiener dog, they will attack.
I could nitpick until the end of time, but that would be missing the forest for the trees. The attitude presented casts out some of the most valuable allies to the environmental movement in favor of often outdated logic (CFCs were illegal when the show was made, dolphin safe tuna was also universal). The most valuable allies, the ones who often get things done, are the very people portrayed by this show as villains. Hunters may kill animals, but they also protect habitat. We will have to get our wood from somewhere, and newer trends in logging can help the forests. The Rainforest is not in danger from corporate greed, but from residents trying to clear land to farm on. Kids should be taught that the only way real change is going to be made is by working together, work with those big shadowy enterprises, not against them. Corporations, for all the bad press they get in shows like this, will take a better solution if its presented. Cars produce large amounts of C02. Car companies brought us Hybrids. Teach them that they can exact change by working *with* instead of against polluters. As individuals, they can do great things that way. Captain Planet would have us believe that polluters are doing so for the sole purpose of polluting, and are thus unredeemable. That is the platform Greenpeace, PETA, and other terrorist organizations. Don't let them think that. Diplomacy, not violence, not a tights clad superhero with a green mullet, will solve the problem. Does it make for good TV? No, not even slightly, but it does ring true with the message of the show. The power *is* yours.
Environmental angle aside, Captain Planet had a few messages worth listening to, when they weren't talking about the environment. -
rfkfreak5 April 2004I may be in the minority but I was first introduced to this show once it was on syndication and actually liked it. I never saw the reason to write such an extended response that dealt with the complete and utter negativity of a TV show or movie as I've seen here. It truly is amazing that there are individuals that would sit there and write such elongated responses. Is it political, absolutely. This show is somewhat ahead of its time, as I don't recall a strong effort being made to concern ourselves with the environment at that time. Regardless, I enjoyed it and whereas I have not seen this show in quite a while, I imagine that I'd enjoy it as much as I did in the past were I to see it again.
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"Captain Planet and the Planeteers" was a great cartoon for me when I was growing up. It was also one of my favorite cartoons from the early 1990s, and it is also one of the best superhero cartoon series I've ever seen. It's been a while since I last saw it (mostly likely, more than 10 years, at least), but I do nonetheless remember it as an animated cartoon series with a powerful message that we could all learn something from, regardless of our political differences (i.e., liberal vs. conservative): "We all share this planet together, so let's unite with one another to make a difference, because this is the only planet we have to live on." I honestly don't see how anyone can possibly have a problem with such a message (unless, of course, they're incredibly selfish and have no compassion whatsoever) - even though I myself am no environmentalist, though I do my part, however small, to maintain a clean environment around me and recycle what I can, whenever I can.
In short, "Captain Planet and the Planeteers" is one animated superhero cartoon show that I think we can all learn something important from...
10/10 -
OMTR21 May 2019An excellent educational tool, to teach all ages, about global issues in terms of environmental protection. Congratulations and thank you!!
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gladrius11 December 2004I promise I won't get all political as I talk about this show; I actually think it had a great idea behind it, but it starts to look really dumb if one takes a second to think about anything besides, "Oh this is a cartoon about saving the environment! Just what the world needs!"
I find the idea of a bunch of kids of different nationalities and ethnicities putting aside their differences for the greater good impeccable. Especially when their goal is something like reducing trash, pollution and deforestation and the like, because people just don't think about that kind of thing enough. But if you think about it, the way the show presents this message kind of falls apart. Think about this: we have a nigh-omnipotent planetary spirit who entrusts the future of her planet to five kids. Why does she need them to do it? Why can't she do it herself? Never says. The message of kids being in charge of saving the ecological good of the world is also hurt because they inevitably leave the hard work to somebody else, their pun-spewing genie in a bottle, Captain Planet. Seriously, even when I was a kid and really liked this show, I would be all "they really need him to help with this?" I figure the creators put him in because they figured the show's chances were better with a superhero, but I think it hurts their point that kids need to help the save the environment too if the kids they're using as models are just handing off the responsibilities left and right.
And there's other things, like characters being good or bad and nothing in between (none of them realize that if they destroyed the ozone layer and cut down all the tress they'd die), and some episodes seeming to say if you're environmentally correct you're exempt from the law (various episodes of the Planeteers breaking into and tearing apart a bad guy's office or invading private property without a search warrant, and getting away with it because they're on the side of earth), and other things that are just not healthy to teach kids. Like I said, I like the idea a whole lot. But the presentation just doesn't cut the mustard. -
Wyatte had a dream about being in a hot air baloon with a rusted trumpet. But Wyatte actually works at the Marriott (in Yuma). In 'captian planet' Wyatte runs one lap on the track and sits down in the first place he can to break a ceiling fan with a lego rod. In the same day Wyatte and a last known titanic survivor are shown laying under a ford trying to switch out the driveshaft. Wayatt puts both his hands on the trucks frame and says: "this isnt a titanium chassy, before, they would always make these from titanium." Titanic survivor (Ruth Conover) replys: "YES, my husband could carve any car part out of titanium, his specialty, was eyeballing together a f150s frame from a freshley extracted riverbed slab of titanium, and he did it well. And it did indeed earn my husband and I a seat on Titanics maiden voyage." Ruth continues: i remember captian Smith staring me down with his large nurturing eyes and sad looking mouth.
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catfish90716 November 2012Oh Captain Planet and the Planeteers. Where to start. Well,you know how people always say that the cartoons from the 90's were the best? That's not true. Yeah,I love a lot of 90's cartoons,but there were some 90's 'toons that were terrible. One of them was Captain Planet and the Planeteers". It's extremely cheesy and stupid,but you just can't help laughing at it(not with it). *WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD! IF YOU DON'T LIKE SPOILERS THEN SKIP AHEAD TO THE END OF MY REVIEW!* OK. So here's the plot. Gaia (The Earth goddess from Greek mythology) is upset with pollution on Earth so she summons the Planeteers! The 5 Planeteers are kids from around the world! Kwame: He's from Africa and has the power of Earth. Wheeler: He's from America and controls the power of fire. Linka: She's from the Soviet Union(This was changed to "Eastern Europe" after the USSR fell to keep it PC)and has the power of wind. Gi: She's from Thailand and controls water. Ma-Ti: She's from Brazil and has the power of heart (What the hell? "Heart" isn't an element! Oh well). What the Planeteers all have in common is that they're all one dimensional and lack personality! They also have a flying car(Solar powered of course). They can also summon Captain Planet! A superhero that helps the environment and has a mullet! Also, his sexual orientation is questionable. Now on to the villains. They all seem to be PURPOSELY trying to pollute the Earth(In real life polluters unknowingly pollute). Apparently they don't realize that they'll die to if they kill the planet they live on. Also one of the villains is called "Duke Nukem"(Has no connection to the video game franchise). He's supposed to represent nuclear power. Didn't the creators of this show realize that nuclear power is BETTER for the environment then fossil fuels? Anyway the shows views on taking care of the environment are questionable at best. As one reviewer pointed out,in the poaching episode instead of dealing with the actual problem (demand for rhino ivory)they go to the poachers themselves. Wouldn't it be better to make the market for rhino ivory go away by introducing medicine that ACTUALLY works and simply dive the poachers out of business? Also they seem to think businesses that pollute are simply evil and want the environment dead. How about getting businesses to install eco-friendly policies instead? Also the lines are SO cheesy! "The power is yours!" "Let our powers combine!" ""By you powers combined! I am Captain Planet!"<---This one always has me in tears laughing! Oh and for the people who claim that Captain Planet is some Communist/Liberal/Socialist plot to brainwash children;get real. It's not some evil plot to destroy Capitalism,it's just a crappy cartoon that you can't help but laugh at! In other words. Captain Planet is so cheesy it's laughable!
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gryphon124326 July 2004I don't understand you people. This show was meant for children to teach them to respect the environment. You christians who claim that it offends you, get over it. Be accepting of other peoples beliefs, even if they are different. There is already more than enough Christian shows out there.
This show taught me valuable lessons, and as a kid, I never saw any underlying themes, other than to help the planet. It may not have been the best cartoon, but it was one of the few that had a great message, and one of my favorites.
As for political aspects, do you people spend your every waking moment searching cartoons for secret agendas? Get a life! This show may have other agendas, I don't know and I doubt that if it did, anyone who watched it, being a young child, would even notice. This show tried to unite different beliefs, different backgrounds and to show us that we can work together and make a difference. I admit that as an adult, I now see the cliché-ness of the villains, but as a kid I never noticed and I doubt any child would. The message of saving the earth won't even reach every watcher (though it will reach some), let alone all this other junk you are reading into it.
All in all, this was a good show, and I think kids need more shows like it. I wish that all those who disliked it for whatever reason, could at least try to see the good it was trying to do.
"All things are connected...whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth." -Chief Seattle -
jazzy-bebop8 January 2007"You're on candid GAMMA RAY!" This was but one of the corny catch-phrases that made up the likes of the episodes of "Captain Planet". Like many kids from my generation I watched this show on the early morning cartoon blocks (to my knowledge, it's still on CN--at 5 am or such). Sure at times it could be campy or cheesy, but that really didn't matter to the young mind. And now that I've grown a bit, I've come to appreciate it even more! Though my friends and I agree that he was one of the wimpiest super heroes ever (you spray him with any pollutant (ie aerosol) and he's down for the count--we still love it.
Cap-tain Plan-et! He's a he-ro! Gonna take pol-lu-tion down to ze-ro! He's our powers, mag-ni-fied, and he's fightin' on the pla-net's side! -
rhsgregpalmer22 April 2011Well, first off let me say this. I grew up on Captain Planet. He was the man. As I've grown older and had access to the Internet, I've discovered that this series was an all-star effort. Looking back on it now, I find it spectacular. Consider Kwame. He's voiced by LeVar Burton, who in 1990 was doing two other projects at the same time (Reading Rainbow and Star Trek). The entire first season had unexpected people doing voice acting. Names include Martin Sheen, Dean Stockwell, Sting, and Meg Ryan.
I saw an episode today on YouTube with Vanna White guest starring as a cosmetics mogul.
When you think about it, we don't get this kind of programming today. We don't have that kind of message. However, like any other cartoon of its time, it was always a source of revenue. Yet, it seemed to be less so. Makes you wonder how Ted Turner got all these celebrities involved, how he paid for it.
We need a series like this today, instead of mindless garbage such as Adventure Time or Hole in the Wall. You could get celebrities to do it, and there's a new field of VAs out there just waiting to take over for uninterested members of the original cast. Borrow from the anime world. -
benschmidt-489111 June 2017The show had good elements. The pollution and caring about our planet (being environmentally friendly).
But there were elements, that were much to much of political doctrin.
Spoiler alert!
Overpopulation. I don't know if captain planet and the planeteers ever was released in countries like India, China (althought they are reglemented by the one child policie some years ago, now its limited to two) and even Africa.
But the funny thing is: Europe and Northamerica, even Russia don't really have problem like overpopulation. But other parts of the world do have.
So what I disliked was this topic and all the other hidden political agenda (as a kid you may not notice its about social policy). Its a children series not a teen - series. So much to early to put topics like overpopulation (that requires Sex or in vitro fertilisation) in an animated TV series. -
hellraiser77 January 2016This show is another childhood gem and a bit of a guilty pleasure. Yeah, the show can be a little preachy even kinda corny/cheesy. However I really like this show because it has it where it counts on two things, delivering a good message but also just being plain fun.
I like the animation, mainly the character animation really like the details on them. Like this is a super sentai like show that is focused on saving the enviorment which is a plot line that I really don't see much, I really like this kind of plot line where your saving the world but all of the elements that make this world livable which I think is great because you have a lot more factors to deal with.
The action was a lot of fun, in a way this show is sort of like with the anime/manga series "Sailor Moon" as we see each of the characters had powers all based on elements of earth. It was just always cool seeing them use the powers with the rings which are sort of like the rings in "Green Lanturn" as you say the element to activate the powers you can also psychically control them, make the power act out anyway you want. My favorite was always fire since that has the most use and seems to be the strongest.
The villains were a lot of fun, each of them were colorful and of course are ironically true to their names much like any "Dick Tracy" villain. What really made them stand out where that they were all voiced by just a great ensemble of familiar faces. From Martin Sheen as Sly Sludge, Jeff Goldblum as Verminous Scum whose voice acting was just fantastic I didn't even know it was him. The late great James Colburn as Luten Plunder whom I find dryly funny as he is just a corporate sleaze wanting to make a fast buck in the worst way.
Though my favorites are Hoggish Greedly voiced by Ed Asner whom is funny because he is a glutton for both profit and just about everything, he's almost sort of a Walter Mathaeou like character as the guy is just a complete slob and he thrives from it with glee. And Dr. Blight and her A.I. program Mouth voice by Meg Ryan and Tim Curry. Blight is really smart, she has that balance where she can be sexy and steady(weird to say) but can really turn that around as she exercises nastiness in both her twisted experimentation and persona. Mouth is sort of like an evil version of Jarvis from "Iron Man" I really like that he exercises intelligence but also has a lot of dry humor and wit that makes me crack up.
The planeteers are also solid characters, I like that it's a multi racial ensemble which for it's time was uncommon. Two of my favorites are Wheeler and Linka. Both of them to me are the best thing about the Planeteers because of their chemistry (cmon both have the hots for one another lets face it), sort of like with Richard Castle and Kate Beckett and many others.
Wheeler I really like because he really is true to his ring title as he is full of fire. This guy has just a lot of energy and fire, he doesn't take crap from anyone, he exercises aggression and I like that he's kinda a wisecracker as he is gives the bad guys grief with both his powers and jokes. However what I like about him the most is I could empathize with him as he doesn't always want or even like to do the right thing, most times he just wants to have a good time but when the call comes he rolls his eyes, buckles down and does what he has to do because no one else will, he's the only one who can.
Linka is also really like, she is beautiful inside and out. She is really feisty and is selfless. I can also emphasize with her because she is kinda a passive aggressive type as she is calm like to think things though before she acts; and when she exercises actions their big much like a building wind.
The back and forth between them is great as both are just giving each other grief but they balance each other out well. As we see both challenge each other in a certain way but also bring out a certain something inside they don't normally do with anyone else.
The only bad thing for me really was Captain Planet himself, it's just some of his lines of dialog just really bad make me grown as he has some of the worst puns ever, which makes me grateful he's only in the episode for a minimum amount of time, and personally sometimes I feel you say more by not saying anything at all. Though the guy's actions are where it counts as his superpowers are elemental which to me sort of make him unique from most superheroes whose powers most of the time are destructive, at least with the Captain he can both create and destroy which is cool because it's a little different.
There are a lot of memorable episodes; One odd but actually kinda sad episode where it was sort of a Richard Adam's tale where Wheeler stumbles upon a colony of overpopulated rats. Another which is a dark episode where Quamim goes to an alternate reality where Verminous Scum and Street Gangs rule. And my favorite which is a two parter arc on Wheeler journeying to an alternate time line in which he never becomes a planeteer and the deep affect it has on not just the planet but his friends.
The Power is Yours.
Rating: 3 stars