Capitaine Planète

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.

I 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.

I'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.

"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!