कैप्टन प्लैनेट एंड द प्लेनेटर्स

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.

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-

I 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

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.

Unlike many of the reviewers here, I'm NOT going denigrate a television show just for the sake of bashing a political ideology. Of course the show is PC, just like "Sesame Street" is PC. It's a CHILDREN'S SHOW -- it needs to be simplified and non-cynical for the consumption of the younger audience. Plus, whether you like it or not, concern for the environment is not a throwaway, frivolous subject to mock. The people of LA had to find out the hard way.

Anyhoo, probably the only reason why I watched this show in the first place was that there was nothing else on at five in the afternoon on Saturdays. Back then, I thought the show was pretty cheesy with very little variations on the plot lines. Yet I still rooted for the Planeteers and was satisfied whenever the bad guys were dealt with.

But now that I'm older and a little bit wiser, I now reserve full appreciation of the cosmic and biblical cheesiness this cartoon had to offer. Whenever I think of the villain, I just wonder what's going through their minds: "Hahahah! I've just wasted precious time and money creating this environmentally unsafe factory, not to make any profits, not even to make a product of any kind, but just for the sake of polluting the planet and p**sing off the Planeteers, hahahahah!" Yeah, that's what most of these villains were thinking in most of the episodes.

Also, I agree with the other reviewers that there were hardly any character growth among the Planeteers, although the tension between Wheeler and Linka had me at least halfway interested.

There were some keeper episodes, like the one where three oppressed persons, an Irish Catholic living in Belfast, a Palestinian, and a black South African were supplied with triggers that will set off nuclear weapons which can then wipe out their adversaries. The Planeteers were dispached to those separate areas and only succeeded in turning around those people by having them experience the *hypothetical* consequences of their actions if they chose to press the button.

Of course, Captain Planet comes to the rescue, digs up the nukes and throws them like discuses towards the sun, which begs the question why didn't he just do that in the first place?

So one and a half stars (* 1/2) our of four for the Planeteers. Protecting the environment is an important thing, but we can do better.

FYI, Ma-Ti's Power of Heart allows him to communicate with the animals, so that in some episodes elephants and giraffes gives Captain Planet a breather and take care of all the dirty work.