Captain Planet And The Planeteers: A Hero For Earth

"But enough fun, there's trash to take out," the environmentally conscious Captain Planet says after a grueling battle with the evil, oil-drilling Hoggish Greedley. Not your basic morning cartoon dialogue, but then again Captain Planet and the Planeteers is not your basic morning cartoon fodder. Featuring the voice talents of Whoopi Goldberg, Jeff Goldblum, Sting, Ed Asner, Meg Ryan, Dean Stockwell, and others, Captain Planet has become one of the most popular children's shows on television. The screener we watched contained the opening episode of the series (the actual cassette will have two episodes). Awakened by Hoggish Greedley's drilling rig, Gaia (Whoopi Goldberg), a.k.a. Mother Earth, assembles a team comprised of five kids from five continents, giving each a particular power: earth, fire, air, water, and heart. The quintet goes after Greedley, a loathsome hog, who is drilling in northern waters and casting an oil slick on both the sea and the creatures on shore. Unable to defeat the petroleum pig on their own, the superkids call for Captain Planet to help them kick the polluter's butt. Better than average animation, an engaging story line, and a strong sense of values make Captain Planet both fun to watch and educational. Highly recommended. (Available from most distributors.)