This product was provided by Warner Bros. my opinions are my own.
Time for a blast from the past with Captain Planet. If you aren’t familiar with the franchise, it revolves around the Planeteers, a group of five teenagers from different parts of the earth, handpicked by Gaia, aka Mother Earth, to come to the aid of the world that’s being destroyed by pollution. They aren’t going at it alone, because she equips each of them with different rings that represent elemental powers like earth, wind, water, fire, and heart to combat eco-villains.
The Planeteers and Their Mission
The Planeteers aren’t simply blasting enemies with rings; they face different challenges that requires them to think strategically as individuals and as a team. The rings certainly come into play when needed but they aren't the just blasting their way to solutions. When those challenges become too great, they combine their powers to summon Captain Planet, a hero created by Gaia based on the different elements. He doesn’t simply use all the powers the rings provide; he also has super strength and is basically indestructible like Superman, but his form of kryptonite is a direct attack with pollution. He even needs help from the Planeteers at times when pollution has him down for the count.
Considering the format and having to fit the show within a 30-minute segment, you do see and feel that the pacing of the show is sped up a bit in some areas to make sure that the show’s key points are represented (like the message presented to the audience at the end of each episode), but it doesn’t render the show unwatchable. You will notice a shift as we get deeper into the later seasons as well.
The Eco-Villains
Each episode reveals the dirty deeds of the eco-villains like Hoggish Greedly and the evil they’re dishing out on the planet. They also have to take on Looten Plunder, Verminous Skumm, and others like Dr. Blight, who is actually able to take on Captain Planet (but I'll leave it at that).
Visuals and Art Style
Visually, the show held up well, delivering a late 80s to mid-90s comic book-inspired art style for the animation. When you get into the New Adventures of Captain Planet, you will notice a change in the art style a tad, which is a bit more refined. The characters look similar, but you can tell there are some differences, and the Planeteers are older.
Why Parents Should Pick This Up for Their Family
This show is worth parents picking up for their children for more than a few reasons. It showcases teamwork, perseverance, the ability to do your part to impact the world no matter where you come from, your age, height, the ability to work together with others no matter where they come from, and the importance of doing good for the planet as well as in the world. Sadly, a number of people would hear this and call it fantasy, but the ability to contribute is a very real thing. Here's an example from my own life:
I was one of those kids who felt like what I contributed would make a difference, and it remains in me to this very day. We lived on a certain street in Fort Myers, Florida, at one point in my life that was pretty nice, but people would take trash and throw it on the ground when they passed through (I didn't get it). It was a road that ran between two major highways, and so people would utilize it often. I don’t know what it was, but when people saw trash, they saw justification to throw even more trash there. I didn’t care for it, and I grew up on Captain Planet, the Magic School Bus, and the elementary school that I went to was big on teaching recycling and promoting the preservation of nature because it’s good for the earth as well as humans and animals.
So with the approval of my mom (who didn't liter and was extremely supportive), I took trash bags and literally went up & down the entire street picking up trash until it was all bagged up. What happened after that was little to no trash being thrown on the ground on our street. Maybe they didn’t want to be the cause of the problem again, and our neighbors began taking better care of their yards. Maybe the energy rubbed off on them, and maybe it will inspire you too. By the way, there's an actual Captain Planet Foundation that I had no clue about. They work with kids to young adults up to 23 years of age in different capacities for each group (elementary, middle school, high school and beyond).
One thing I don’t care for is the New Adventures of Captain Planet’s intro theme music. I don’t know who heard that and thought it would really turn someone’s head, but someone lied to them in my opinion because it sounds bad.
Pricewise, you can get Captain Planet: The Complete Franchise for $99.99 SRP, which isn't bad for 15 DVDs packed with 6 seasons that serve up 113 episodes of over 43 hours of wholesome action. At the same time, we have to give you the hook up for $69.96!
Overall, Captain Planet: The Complete Franchise is a nostalgic journey that still holds valuable lessons for today’s generation. It’s a solid 4 out of 5 stars.
Story 4
Visuals 5
Audio 3
Price 5
4.25 out of 5 Cool Points
