Earth! Fire! Wind! Water! Monkey! … I mean… Heart! Go Planet!
When the Earth is in danger, five kids are selected to become its protectors. They are each given a ring of incredible power, and when those powers combine, they form Captain Planet! Now, thanks to our friends at Shout! Factory, you can own Captain Planet and the Planeteers: The Complete First Season on DVD!
Captain Planet and The Planeteers originally aired from 1990-1996 and ran for 6 seasons (which includes The New Adventures of Captain Planet). The original concept for the series came from Ted Turner, and was designed to focus on educational entertainment (or “edutainment”), which would encourage kids to become more aware of their environment. The series brought together large number of notable voice actors, including LeVar Burton (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Ed Asner (Up), Martin Sheen (West Wing), Whoopi Goldberg (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Frank Welker (Transformers), Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park), Maurice LaMarche (Futurama), Dean Stockwell (Battlestar Galactica), Meg Ryan (When Harry Met Sally), Sting (he’s Sting…nuff said), and Tim Curry (Clue).
Episode Highlights:
“A Hero For Earth”- Witness the origin of the Planeeters! Gaia summonds five kids from across the globe to help stop an impending threat against our planet. Can Wheeler, Kawame, Linka, Ma-Ti, and Gi stop Hoggish Greedly (yes that is his name…and yes he does look like a pig-man) and use their powers to summon Captain Planet?
“Mission to Save Earth (Parts 1 and 2)”- The Eco-Villains have a new plan to unleash destruction upon the Earth! Dr. Blight has stolen the Planeeter’s rings, proceeding then to create five evil versions of their powers. When these forces combine they create the evil version of Captain Planet….CAPTAIN POLLUTION! Now the Planeeters must find a way to stop Captain Polution before he does unrepairable damage.
“Two Futures (Parts 1 and 2)”- Dr Blight is at it again! This time creating a device that will allow her to travel back in time and increase global warming! During an attempt to stop Blight, Wheeler accidently messes up the plan and he begins to doubt whether or not he should be a Planeeter. Blight uses this self doubt to convince Wheeler to go back in time to talk his younger-self out of wielding the power of fire and becoming a Planeeter. Gaia shows Wheeler a glipse of the future where the Planeeters no longer exist, and where the Eco-Villains have taken control and have fully polluted the planet. Can one person alone make a difference and fix history?
Special Features:
- Your Powers Combined: The Story of Captain Planet
- Original Concept Art
- Captain Planet Foundation Featurette
- “A Hero for Earth” Storyboards
Go Planet:
So, a few years ago, information was released about the concept for a Captain Planet Animated Movie, which would drastically change the original look of the series. This movie would be set many years in the future, focusing on a post-apocalyptic scenario and reveal the now-grown-up-Planeeters and the more deadly versions of the Eco-Villains. Take a look at some of the concept art for Captain Planet: Dark Planet in the video link below:
Overall:
Captain Planet was definitely a staple of our childhood, and this new release from Shout! Factory is a nice addition to our DVD collections. For those of you who are still Eco-Aware Planeteers, the packaging for this set is 100% recycled fibers with an average of 60% post-consumer recyclable and compostable.
ComicsOnline gives Captain Planet and the Planeteers: The Complete First Season on DVD – 4 out of 5 kids who had legitimate power rings (sorry Ma-Ti, Heart doesn’t count).
Get your copy of Captain Planet and the Planeteers: The Complete First Season on DVD at Amazon.
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