I wrote to Greta Thunberg recently: if she’s reading this, Captain Planet would love to help out. Younger people are becoming more vocal and doing the job that we adults have neglected. But I do think the conversation is changing now. The show was very prophetic in many ways, and it’s alarming that the knowledge that fed into it has been ignored for so long. There was one scene where MAL, the evil computer voiced by Tim Curry, gloated about pollution causing stronger storms and melting the Greenlandic ice sheet. This wasn’t a swipe at Bill and Ted, or Snake from The Simpsons: it was just the voice that, in the early 90s, represented total irresponsibility. It’s fun to play a bad guy, and I enjoyed giving Captain Pollution – Captain Planet’s evil clone – a valley accent. Photograph: Everett Collection Inc/Alamy Stock Photo
Captain Planet himself is a metaphor for international cooperation, with a penchant for bad puns and 60s music. Heart is the most important power, as without it there can be no compassion. Gaia, the spirit of the Earth, called them together when the degradation of the planet became too dire for her to bear.Įach Planeteer controls a power of nature: earth, wind, fire, water – and heart. He can’t exist without the combined powers of the Planeteers. The world didn’t need another male macho superhero, so we made Captain Planet the quintessential antihero. The Planeteers and many of the characters were based on real people. We lifted the characters and locations from environmental documentaries I had made with Nick Boxer.
He said: “That’s your problem.” And my problem it was. Ted called me into his office and said: “Captain Planet.” “What’s that, sir?” I asked. Captain Planet is a metaphor for international cooperation with a penchant for bad puns and 60s music.
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