Even when I was a kid I thought Captain Planet was dumb.
While I’m not among the kids whose parents wouldn’t let them watch a show about anti-corporate eco-terrorists*, I did usually find something else to watch or go pull out the Legos when the big blue conservationist showed up. I must have been in the minority as a kid though, as the show was apparently enough of a hit in the 90s that Transformers producers Don Murphy and Susan Montford have targeted it for a blockbuster movie adaptation.
Eugh.
The show followed a similar format to another 90s kids show (that will surely get a grittier blockbuster reboot one day as well), Power Rangers. That’s to say that it focused on a group of young people that get routinely wrapped up in evil doings, do all they can to handle the situation, and then it all escalates into an event that requires a more powerful deus ex machina to manifest itself. Instead of calling a collection of giant robots though, it was a blue, spandex-wearing, green-mulleted weirdo that appeared at the behest of the kids. He was called using the power of the kid’s rings, each of which was powered by a different element: Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, and Heart. So yeah, there’s also a sort of Green Lantern element to this whole scenario as well. I doubt that was part of the pitch.
If the show sounds like the kind of thing an old person with an agenda might come up with, it’s because it was the brainchild of Ted Turner, who pushed for the cartoon to endear ecological values to children. Not a bad idea obviously, but the resulting show was profoundly lame. Regardless, his pull brought in a lot of celebrity voices and kept the show going for six season, with a movie even rumored many years ago. Now it’s real as Murphy and co. throw their considerable weight behind it.
It’s difficult for me to imagine what this movie will end up looking like, or how it could possibly be successful. It’s probably much easier to envision when you’re on the other side of a billion dollar success story that has already turned a cheesy kids property into something huge. Will it work on the Planeteers though? I’m skeptical.
Ever watch Captain Planet? Any ideas how they’ll make this work as a movie? If so, you’re farther ahead than I am. Let me know in the comments, on the boards, or on twitter.
(via Screenrant)
*I’m not making that shit up- I know of at least three people my age whose childhoods were spared because of saturday morning right-wing paranoia.
6 comments
Cap-Plan is probably going to stand as the enduring legacy of Ted Turner, more so than CNN. Decades ahead of it’s time and more vital now than ever before, he’s truly the coolest superhero on the blue planet. You could make a fantastic film about the Planeteers (as I said on the forum many times), and I hope they put the right team in place to make this something special
EARTH! WIND! WATER! FIRE! HEART! With our powers combined he is Captain Planet!
Renn Brown, I used to watch…Captain Planet! Thanks to Boomerang, I watched the daily marathon in March- June. The bad guys are so…Over the top and EEEEEEEEEEEvil, that I had fun with the series. Eventually there was even an…EEEEEEEEEEEvil Captain as well. Larry Houston was one of the producers. He also produced several episodes of both…X-Men TAS, and G.I. Joe A Real American Hero! I will definitely see…Captain Planet The Film!
Man, if you dropped Captain* Planet from the story then you would have some sort Green Lantern ring war thing going on. That being said, playing armchair screenwriter, you would have to have a lot of action with the kids, using their “powers” (more like “tricks” but I digress) and possibly even age them into young adults. There’s a monkey in the series, I think, so there’s your comic relief. Captain Planet is what REALLY needs to be explained. The whole Mother Earth thing is cool too so, hey, there’s your theme. There’s a lot of antagonists to draw from so of course you have a bad guy with an origin story. I’d say the hardest part would be creating a real explanation and mythology justifying the existence of an eco- superhero with the Kurt Russell mullet.
I think it would still suck. 50 mil opening weekend at best, 60% the second week.
* Who made him a captain anyways? I would have made him a general.
i remember, at least in the first season, the bad guys being voiced by some premium hollywood talent. cant remember the names though, and too lazy to check the wikipedia right now.
The Planeteers always solved the problem. Then the good captain would show up, throw a net, and take all the credit. The power is yours my ass. Have you SEEN Wheeler lately?!
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