Captain Planet and the Planeteers: The Complete Franchise collects the three seasons of Captain Planet and the Planeteers, which was produced by DIC Enterprises and broadcast from September 1990 to December 1992, and the three seasons of The New Adventures of Captain Planet, which was produced by Hanna-Barbera and broadcast from September 1993 to May 1996. This children’s edutainment series brings to mind Super Friends, in terms of its educational and ecological focus, and Voltran, in terms of a quintet coming together to form a more powerful being who saves the day.
Buy Captain Planet and the Planeteers: The Complete Franchise Blu-rayIn the show’s mythology, Gaia (Whoopi Goldberg in Seasons 1–3, Margot Kidder in Seasons 4–6), the spirit of the Earth, responds to the planet’s destruction at the hands of numerous villains by awarding magic rings to five children around the world. Kwame (LeVar Burton) from Africa has the power over earth. Wheeler (Joey Dedio) from North America, specifically Brooklyn, New York, has the power over fire. Linka (Kath Soucie) from the Soviet Union, changed to Eastern Europe in Season 3 after real-world changes, has the power over wind. Gi (Janice Kawaye) from Asia has the power over water. Ma-Ti (Scott Menville) from South America, specifically Brazil, has the power of heart. They learn how to use their new abilities rather quickly.
When the team combines their powers, they summon Earth’s greatest champion, Captain Planet (David Coburn who was cast after scheduling kept Tom Cruise from taking on the role) rendering their rings powerless. Although it would change the nature of the show, it seems like it would be better to just have Captain Planet appear from the get-go or Gaia could just have handled the issues with her magical powers, but then the children in the audience wouldn’t see characters like themselves solving the problems, which seems to be a purpose of the show.
The eco-villains Team Planet frequently deal with are anthropomorphizations of issues and are voiced by famous actors. They include the piggy Hoggish Greedly (Ed Asner), the rat-faced Verminous Skumm (Jeff Goldblum in Season 1), former scientist turned mutant Duke Nukem (Dean Stockwell in Seasons 1–3), unethical scientist Dr. Barbara “Babs” Blight (Meg Ryan in Season 1) and her AI assistant MAL (David Rappaport in Season 1, Tim Curry in Seasons 1–6) , poacher/businessman Looten Plunder (James Coburn in Seasons 1–3), andwaste collector Sly Sludge (Martin Sheen in Seasons 1–3). One of the biggest guest stars is Elizabeth Taylor who appeared in “A Formula for Hate” as the mother of high school student (Neil Patrick Harris) who learns he got HIV/AIDS from a transfusion.
The stories simplify the issues for kids. There’s no providing a balance for each side. The villains are bad people/creatures doing bad things. Not that there much to say in defense of someone who runs a puppy mill that creates sickly dogs, but there’s certainly no ambiguity on where the Planeteers (and the producers) stand. The episodes end with Planeteer Alerts, lessons for the children to take away from the story. To keep the show entertaining, the writers use a lot of puns and mix in a decent amount of action.
The video has been given a 1080p/MPEG-4 AVC encoded transfer displayed at the show’s original aspect ratio of 1.33:1. Colors appear in strong hues. Blacks are inky and whites are accurate. Animated objects have edges comprised of thin black lines while background objects lack that definition, appearing softer in contrast. The image is clean and free of defects.
The audio is available in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Dialogue is clear. The music by composers Tom Worrall (Seasons 1–3), Thomas Chase Jones (Seasons 4–6), and Steve Rucker (Seasons 4–6) has good fidelity, and Season 6 has a new rap opening by Fred Schneider of the B-52s. The effects have a good presence. The sound elements are balanced well together in the mix.
Captain Planet and the Planeteers: The Complete Franchise presents113 episodes across 9 discs. Geared towards a younger audience, many of the issues the show was dealing with in the ’90s are unfortunately still relevant today so it could find a new audience. Although there is no bonus material, the high-definition presentation should please fans and those who take a chance on buying the franchise all at once.
