Captain Planet and the Planeteers

Captain Planet and the Planeteers was an animated TV show co-created by Ted Turner and Barbara Pyle, that ran for six seasons, from 1990 to 1996. On the show, which featured characters voiced by Martin Sheen, Meg Ryan, Whoopi Goldberg, and others, “Five courageous teens from all over the world are brought together to embody the power of the elements and protect the planet. With their powers magnified, the Planeteers can summon Captain Planet to help because ‘saving our planet is the thing to do!’”

“Our goal was to arm a generation with the knowledge to find more sustainable ways of living on the planet,” said Pyle in 2020. On an episode titled “A Formula for Hate,” which aired during the show’s third season, Elizabeth guest starred as Mrs. Andrews, the mother of a high school basketball player named Todd (Neil Patrick Harris), who contracts AIDS through a blood transfusion. Captain Planet and the Planeteers, along with Todd’s coach, come to the rescue when the evil Verminous Skumm, aided by one of his minions, spread rumours about AIDS in an attempt to alienate Todd and further spread AIDS.

In October 1992, Elizabeth attended a screening of the episode for young AIDS patients at a Los Angeles children’s hospital.