It’s a great time for reboots. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power showed how an 80s cartoon could be reinvigorated to something both familiar and different, and it’s not like it was the first, following on from the earlier success of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. It’s not just them either; Animaniacs has come back, and Teen Titans found new life (and a movie) in Teen Titans Go. With all these cartoons reaching new audiences now is the time to give Captain Planet and the Planeteers its own reboot.
Captain Planet and the Planeteers made its debut in 1990, and ran for six seasons. In the show’s first episode, the main characters (collectively called “The Planeteeers”) are assembled together by Gaia “the spirit of the Earth” and told they have been charged with protecting the world from environmental damage. In order to help them with their mission they are each given a ring with the ability to control a different element; earth, wind, fire, water, and heart (beating The Fifth Element to the punch on calling “love” an element). When the five bring their rings together they summon the titular Captain Planet, a hero with all the powers from the heroes’ rings, and a few extra. The show’s environmental focus meant the characters mostly fought against villains who posed a threat to the environment for their own selfish reasons (usually greed). There was also the spirit of another world, and Captain Planet’s villainous doppelganger, Captain Pollution.
There is a lot of potential in a Captain Planet reboot. The Planeteers all come from different countries and all have different backgrounds. A rebooted version of the show could use this diversity to tell some insightful stories about its characters. What perspectives do their different cultures give them on the threats they face? How do each of them react to finding out for a fact that the Earth has a spirit? And are there any tensions in the group caused by problems between the countries of two or more of the countries they come from? Having an international cast would hopefully encourage a more diverse set of voices in among the show’s writers, animators, and other behind the scenes roles.
Recent cartoons have found success by exploring ideas which come from a more diverse cast, and a new Captain Planet could be yet another example of how focusing on a greater variety of voices results in much richer, deeper story telling which connects with a great number of people; speaking to their daily lives and experiences. Though the reboot would have to be more specific about where Gi came from than just “Asia” (it’s a very big place). Since the characters come from all over the world, there’s also no reason why a new Captain Planet can’t be set all over the world. Rather than stay in one place, the heroes could travel from week to week. Not knowing where the Planeteers might be headed next would give the show a sense of adventure.
There’s also a lot of potential in the show’s “Eco-Villains”, especially in 2020. When Captain Planet was airing, the show’s villains may have seemed one note, and two dimensional. They were each meant to represent a different type of threat to the environment, and the show leaned into that. More recently it might have seemed that antagonists like the Eco-Villains were a thing of the past, but if this year has shown us anything it that’s corrupt businessmen and politicians can be just as one note and cartoonish as the villains in those old shows. It’s the perfect time for those villains to to shine a light on all the ways in which damage is being done to the planet through a mixture of greed and neglect. All of them will have to be updated in one way or another, but enough about them turned out to be prescient that their core concepts wouldn’t have to be done away with altogether.
The titular Captain Planet himself has a lot to offer in a potential reboot. Recent cartoons like Steven Universe have done a lot to look at the idea of identity, and a new Captain Planet show could do the same. How much of his identity is tied into the rings? What is he without them? Did he always have his powers, or was he a regular person who was gifted his powers by Gaia, much like the Planeteers? And what of Gaia herself? What does it mean to be the literal spirit of the Earth? These are all questions which could provide a of thought provoking material to fuel character arcs and individual episodes. This could be where Zarm, another of the show’s villains, and a rival “earth spirit” could shine, providing a foil to Gaia which would give the writers opportunities to flesh her out as a character. Also, Captain Planet as a character is very much in the same mold as classic superheroes, and sometimes it’s just fun to see a good guy in a colorful outfit kick ass.
Captain Planet and the Planeteers was created to discuss the issues surrounding climate change and the environment with children. Over thirty years since the show first aired, those issues have not gone away. If anything, they’ve only gotten worse. A new Captain Planet show could bring more attention back to these problems the original discussed. Not only has cartoon storytelling come leaps and bounds since the 90s, but younger generations around the world have shown themselves to be increasingly conscious of the environment. With something important to talk about, cartoons already being used for deep, thoughtful commentary in a way which appeals to kids, and an audience out there ready to listen, why shouldn’t there be a new Captain Planet? It’s the perfect time for it.
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