‘Captain Planet and the Planeteers’ Are Back and Cleaner Than Ever

The green-haired blue-skinned superhero sporting a mullet is back! And no I’m not talking about the hilarious and creepy Don Cheadle version from Funny or Die. I’m talking straight out of the 90’s cartoon, Captain Planet and the Planteers! The popular children’s animated series has made its way to the modern day era via digital download as of earlier this week. Here’s what you can expect from the series.

I used to watch this series as a kid, not religiously but when it was on, I’d sit down and watch it. I remember the whole idea of Captain Planet and the Planteers attempting to clean the world one episode at a time. Usually there was some type of environmental disaster caused by man or someone like the villain Hoggish Greedly, which the Planteers had to come together to help Captain Planet save the day. What I did not remember was that there were a few darker episodes.

For instance, there’s an episode on season 3 titled “A Formula for Hate”, which is based on a high school student that is HIV positive. Considering the time this episode came out, it makes sense but it’s just not something you see in cartoons much at any point in time because it’s almost taboo. But it shows that the series tackled different kinds of series issues going on in the world.

Another thing I did not remember was that the series had a really good cast. Lending their voices to the animated series were names like Whoopi Goldberg, LeVar Burton, Tim Curry, John Ratzenberger, Meg Ryan, and Martin Sheen, just to name a few. Though of course as a child, you’re not quite looking for which actor voices the characters but it’s interesting to know now as an adult.

The complete Captain Planet series is available via digital download through iTunes, Amazon Video and Google Play, the Playstation Store and Xbox Store; meaning Captain Planet and the Planeteers,The New Adventures of Captain Planet and The All New Adventures of Captain Planet can be viewed on just about any platform. The first two seasons consist of twenty-six episodes, while season three is thirteen episodes, season four at twenty-two episodes, with season five and six both having at thirteen episodes. You can tell that each episode has been restored for digital purposes but they are not as restored as you think they would be. The sound quality is pretty good but visually, the episodes still have that throwback feel to it, which I think is a good thing actually. It holds the nostalgia effect while not being overly touched up.

The seasons are available for $9.99 and $14.99 each. Individual episodes will retail for $1.99 each. Obviously the better value is to buy a whole season rather than just an episode here and there but that also depends on how big of a Captain Planet fan you are.

 

About Chris Salce

I'm a pop culture fanatic based out of Southern California. My collection of comics and pop culture memorabilia would even impress The Collector. When I'm not busy writing about pop culture news, doing film reviews or interviewing celebs, my brother and I work on a comic book called Blood-RED (And yes, that was a cheap plug). I have a certificate of completion for a children’s storybook writing program.

Check Also

WWE Announces Fan Axxess/ WWE Superstore For WrestleMania Week In Philadelphia

WrestleMania Weekend is less than two months away.  On Friday, April 5, WWE will broadcast …