Children of the 90’s know about ecology. The push for more science-aware programming such as Beakman’s World and Bill Nye the Science Guy brought the sciences alive for the 5-12 crowd. One of the biggest series of the earlier part of the decade was Captain Planet and the Planeteers.
Captain Planet was the brainchild of cable-mogul Ted Turner. The show aired globally on various affiliates and on TBS and Cartoon Network in the US. It combined action and adventure with a strong ecological message. I’m not sure if it was the lame puns or the green mullet, but the show has left its impression on pop culture. Love or hate it, Captain Planet brought concepts such as recycling and ecological ethics to the mainstream.
Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of the show, and to celebrate Mother Nature Network (MNN) is going to be posting 20 full streaming episodes of the series throughout the next 12 months. The site was founded on the same premise as Captain Planet — to promoting “green” values and empowering people to make better choices for our planet. Along with the episodes you’ll see many behind-the-scenes featurettes, including a very interesting one about the Captain Planet feature film that started the production stage in 1995.
The film was set in a post-apocalyptic world, similar to the one seen in Blade Runner. The characters all seem to remain the same but with an updated, futuristic look. While I’m not completely convinced that any of this was a good idea, it would have been fun to see Captain Planet (a sketch the featurette didn’t show) and how his look would have been altered for the movie. Let’s face it, spandex and speedos have never done anyone justice. If you’re a fan or new to the series, I’d suggest you check it out. With re-runs being sparse on cable, this might be your best chance to catch up with your childhood favorite.
