The surprising story behind the making of 'Captain Planet' | Grist

For those unfamiliar with the series, Captain Planet was an unlikely hit. It starred a preachy, green-mulleted, pollution-sensitive superhero ... Skiptocontent Gristhome TRIPLEyourgift $15 $25 $50 $100 Other Donate Donate Grist/AmeliaBates TeresaChin DeputyEditor Published Aug27,2021 Topic Climate+Culture Share Twitter Facebook Thisstoryispartof Grist’sSummerDreams artsandcultureseries,aweeklongexplorationofhowpopularfictioncaninfluenceourenvironmentalreality. Likemanyoldermillennials,Ispentquiteafewofmyafter-schoolhoursinthe1990sparkedinfrontoftheTV.Younameit—ifitcameonafter3:15p.m.anddidn’trequirecable,Iprobablywatchedit.Butthinkingbackonthosemanyhours30yearslater,oneshow’sstayingpowerrisesabovetherest:CaptainPlanet. Forthoseunfamiliarwiththeseries,CaptainPlanetwasanunlikelyhit.Itstarredapreachy,green-mulleted,pollution-sensitivesuperherowhousedhispowerstocombatissueslikeoilspills,greenhousegases,andnuclearwaste.HecouldonlybesummonedbythePlaneteers,agroupoffiveinternationallydiverseteenswithmagical,element-themedrings:Earth,Fire,Wind,Water,andHeart(thelastonebeingacombinationofempathy,telepathy,andextremepersuasion).Whenthosepowerscombined,astheypredictablydidatsomepointeveryepisode,CaptainPlanetwouldrisemajesticallyintotheair,readytodobattlewithawidearrayofpollution-spewingsupervillains.  ComparedtothedarkandbroodingsuperheroesoftheDCandMarveluniverses,CaptainPlanetwasabitofadorkydoodle.Sure,hecoulddeliverawell-timeddadpunwhilepunchinganoffshoredrillrig,buthealsospentasignificantportionofhisairtimestraight-uplecturingviewersaboutrecyclingandconservingelectricity.Allthesame,kidslikemekeptwatching.Theserieswasoneofthelongest-runningcartoonsofthe1990s,withsixseasons,113televisionepisodes,andonesetofBurgerKingcollectibleactionfigures.  Gristthanksitssponsors.Becomeone. ButaccordingtoexecutiveproducerBarbaraPyle,theshow’ssuccesshadnothingtodowithsellingmerch.“Ourmissionwastoinspireandtoeducatethenextgenerationofenvironmentalactivists,”Pylesaid.SheandproducerNicholasBoxermadeitapointtoslipasmuchplanetaryrealnessintotheshow’sfantasticalplotlines.Infact,PylesaysmanyideasweretakendirectlyfromtheGlobal2000ReporttothePresident,a1980papercommissionedbyJimmyCarterthatwarnedofenvironmentaldisastershouldpoliciesfailtoaccountfortheworld’sboomingpopulationgrowth.  “Peopleaskme,‘howonearthdidyoumakeallthisstuffup?’”Pylesaid.“Well,wedidn’tmakeitup.Eachepisodeoftheshowwasbasedonarealissueinarealculturesomeplace.” BarbaraPyleposeswithCaptainPlanetatafundraiserin2011. BenRose/WireImage Itwasnoeasytask.PyleandBoxerhadpreviouslyworkedtogetherondocumentariesaboutglobalsocialissues,buttranslatingenvironmentalconceptsintoakid’sshowwasadifferentkindofchallenge.“Theshowwasbothrevolutionaryandflawed,”saidBoxer.“Itwasveryhardtotakethesereallycomplicatedsubjectsandintegratethemseamlesslyintogoodstorytelling…Thebestepisodesfeltthoughtfulandcohesive.Theworstoneswerekindofamess.”  Pyle’sinterpretationisabitmoreforgiving.“Wedidourhomework,andthesciencewasclear,”shesaid.“Weknewtherewasgoingtocomeatimewhenitwouldbenecessaryforanentiregeneration—yourgeneration—tospeakwithonevoiceonbehalfoftheplanet.Insomeways,theentireCaptainPlanetserieswasaboutpreparingusforthismoment.” WatchingCaptainPlanetin2021isalotlessentertainingthanitwasin1990. Gristthanksitssponsors.Becomeone. Asan8-year-old,Ifocusedontheactionsequences,thecooltime-travelnarratives,andtheinevitabletriumphofgoodoverevil.TheenvironmentalhazardsandvillainsIsawonthescreenweresocartoonishlyoverthetop,itdidn’toccurtomethattheymightposeactualthreatstomyfuturewellbeing.Iassumeditwasapieceoffiction,liketalkinggargoylesorsewer-dwellingmutantturtles.Doingmypartfortheplanetseemedaseasyascuttingtheplasticringsonasix-packofsodaorflippingoffthelightinanunoccupiedroom. Buttheseedsoftherealclimatecrisis—theonethatadultshowcreatorslikePyleandBoxerknewwascoming—werealwaysthereintheshow’splotlines.Take,forexample,thetwo-part,seasononeepisode“TwoFutures,”inwhichpig-facedvillainHoggishGreedlydecidestoopenupagolfresortintheArctic.Naturally,heandhissidekicksolicittheaidofmadscientistDr.Blight—voicedbynoneotherthanactressMegRyan.Greedly’sstrategyistogobacktothe1950sand“burnallthecoalandfossilfuels”anduseglobalwarmingtomeltalltheice.  Thearciskindofintense(anddisturbinglyprescient)forakids’cartoonshow.That’sbecausePylehadasecondaryaudienceinmind:parents.“Iwantedtomakeashowthatwascross-generational,”shesaid.“Inmyhead,mytargetdemographicwaspeoplebornaround1985.ButIwashopingparentsorgrandparentswatchingalongsidekidswouldpickuponthemessagetoo.”  Thatfamilyedutainmentgoalaffectedalotoftheshow’swriting.Pyledidn’twantkidstoseetheirfamilymembersasevil,ecologicallyspeaking.“That’soneofthereasonswemadethebadguysandtheirplanssoridiculous,”sheexplained,“Wetriedtopointthefingeratbehaviorsratherthanindustries.Thatway,nochildwouldgohomeandsay,‘Oh,daddy,you’reinablahblahbusiness.’ItwouldbehorribleforsomechildtoseetheirfamilymemberasaCaptainPlanetvillain.” Unliketheshow’sexaggeratedvillains,theinspirationforthePlaneteerswereverymuchgroundedinreality.Whencreatingthecharacters,Pyledrewinspirationfromspecificindividuals,manyofwhomwereprominentintheenvironmentalmovementofthe1980sand1990s. Linka,whocontrolledwind,waslooselybasedonGermanGreenPartyco-founderPetraKelly.Gi,thebearerofthewaterring,wasinspiredbyCheeYokeLing,aMalaysianhumanrightsadvocatewhoattendedthe1992U.N.“EarthSummit”ConferenceinRiodeJaneiro.FieryWheelerwasmoreofaneveryman—amishmashofPyle’sfatherandherbestfriendfromNewYork.Ma-Ti,whopossessedthepowerofheart,wasbasedonPaulinhoPaiakan,chiefoftheKayapópeopleandoneofthebest-knownIndigenousdefendersoftheAmazonrainforest.Kwame,whocontrolledearth,wasacombinationofseveralyoungmen—twofromZimbabweandonefromGhana—thatPylehadmetwhilemakingenvironmentaldocumentaries. BarbaraPylebasedmanyofthePlaneteersonreal-lifeenvironmentalactivistsactiveinthe1980sand1990s.Heart-powerPlaneteerMa-Tiwasbasedonreal-lifeactivistPaulinhoPaiakan,left,aleaderoftheKayapopeopleinBrazil’sAmazonBasin.Wind-powerPlaneteerLinkawaslooselyinspiredbyGermanGreenPartyco-founderPetraKelly,RIGHT,seenherein1983.PhotosbyScottWallace/GettyImages,GabySOMMER/Gamma-RaphoviaGettyImages. Asfortheunifyingcharacter,thenamehadcomefromfamouslyeco-consciousmediamogulTedTurner,whohiredPylein1980tomakecriticalglobalissuesmorefunandentertaining.“CaptainPlanet!”heallegedlyexclaimedtoPyle.Whensheaskedwhothatwas,heresponded,“That’syourproblem.” “Onsomelevel,wehadlostfaiththatadultswerereallypayingattentiontotheproblem,”Boxerrecalled.“So,wesaid,let’sgotothekids,inanentertainingway.” Pylelikedtheideaofakids’showtogetthebigtakeawaysfromlandmarkreports,liketheGlobal2000ReporttothePresident,acrosstoawideraudience,butshedidn’tthinktheworldneededanotherbeefysuperhero.ShestartedworkingontheprojectwithBoxer,whosuggestedtheymakesureCaptainPlanetwouldonlymakeanappearanceafterthePlaneteershadidentifiedtheproblemandcomeupwiththeirownplan.Insteadofabrawnysavior,theypushedtomakeCaptainfun-loving,lean,anddependentonothers—ametaphorforteamwork. Somepeopledidn’tgetit.Boxerremembershavinglunchwithahigh-rankingTVexecutiveandbeingtold:“Idon’tlikeCaptainPlanet.Idon’tbelieveinit.AndIdon’tthinkanycartoonshouldhaveamessage.”  Boxerwasunphased.“Itoldhim,‘Everythinghasamessage.Thequestioniswhetherthemessageisintendedornot.Atleastweknowwhatwearetryingtosay.’” Almost31yearshavegonebysinceCaptainPlanetfirsthittheairwavesandbothalotandtoolittlehaschanged.We‘90skidswhowatchedtheshowareallgrownupnow,abletovoteandactandweighourowndecisionsagainsttheirimpactontheveryrealclimatecrisisstillinprogress.Thepowerisours,forrealthistime. PolicearresttwoprotestersdressedasCaptainPlanetduringaFloodWallStreetprotestin2014. BryanThomas/GettyImages TheweightofthatrealizationissomethingInowgrapplewith.Sure,Istillrecycleandturnofflights,butnowI’mkeenlyawarethatindividualactionssimplyaren’tenoughtostaveofftheworsteffectsofclimatechange.Ratherthanviewingthatpurelyasmotivationtodomore,I’vebecomedisillusioned,compromising,anxious.Inotherwords,Igrewup. AndI’mhardlyalone:Backin1990,TIMEmagazinedubbedmygenerationthe“ecokids,”callingus,“thebesthopeforthecauseofpreservation.”Thearticlequotedseveralearnestyoungsterswhovowedtokeepfightingfortheplanetcomewhatmay.In2019,TIMEstaffwriterOliviaB.Waxmantrackeddownmanyofthesamesourcestoaskhowtheyfeltaboutthatpledgeasadults.Whilesomehadcarvedoutcareersintheenvironmentalmovementandfeltthecausehadmadeprogress,othershadbecomejadedandgivenuphope. Pyle,ontheotherhand,hasbecomeevenmoreunrelentinginheroptimism.Overtheyears,shelearnedofgroupsofreal-lifeplaneteers—hernameforthegenerationofadultswhogrewupwatchingCaptainPlanet—whohadorganicallybegunorganizingaroundlocalenvironmentalissues.In1997,sheusedtheproceedsfromtheSasakawaPrizetocreatetheBarbaraPyleFoundationtosupportthoseefforts,buildingamorecohesivenetworkofenvironmentallymotivatedmillennials.ThenetworkiscurrentlyworkingonanurgentmessagingcampaignfortheupcomingCOP26climatenegotiationsinGlasgowtoconvinceworldleaderstotakeaction.“It’sbeen25yearsalready,”Pylesaid.“Wedon’thaveanother25years.” IfCaptainPlanetwerelikeanyothersuperhero,nowwouldbeareallygreattimeforareboot.Climatescientistsarewarningthatwehavetoactimmediatelytoavoidplanet-alteringtippingpoints;thelatestU.N.climatereporthintsthatitmayalreadybetoolatetolimitglobalwarmingto1.5degreesCelsiusabovepre-industriallevels;andanti-sciencesentimentsareperpetuatingthespreadofadeadlyglobalvirus.We’veidentifiedtheenemyandknowgenerallyhowtodefeatit,butwe’vesofarfailedtomakethatplanareality. TherehavebeenseveralattemptstomakeaCaptainPlanetmovie,buttheeffortsalwaysseemtostallout.Pylesaysthatmaybeduetooutsidewriters’misunderstandingoftheshow’smythology.“I’veheard,‘He’sgoingtobeanalcoholicandthePlaneteersaregoingtofindhimsomewhereinsomeoldIrishbarinNewYork.’Now,whatiswrongwiththatpremise?CaptainPlanetdoesn’texistwithoutthePlaneteers.He’sjustareflectionofwhoweare.” Boxersayshe’sencouragedthatpopcultureisstilltalkingabout—andparodying—theshowmorethantwodecadessinceitlefttheair.Butifheweretowritenewepisodesfortheshowtoday,withsomuchuncertaintyaboutourabilitytoactinthescientificallyallottedtimeframe,he’stornabouthowtheywouldend. “Thejuryisstilloutonwhat’sgoingtohappen,”hesaid.“Ithinkyou’dhavetogowith‘tobecontinued.’” Supportsolutions-basedclimatenews Theonlynewsroomfocusedonexploringsolutionsattheintersectionofclimateandjustice. Ourin-depthapproachtosolutions-basedjournalismtakestimeandproactiveplanning,whichiswhyGristdependsonreadersupport.Yourgiftskeepourunbiased,nonprofitnewssitefree. Donatetoday,andallgiftswillbeTRIPLEDbutonlyforalimitedtime. 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