It’s been awhile since we’ve seen Captain Planet — and if the below video tells us anything, it’s that time and the environment have not been kind to the eco-superhero. In fact, he’s downright pissed that all the BS he went though in defending the Earth from various polluting bad guys in the early 90s hasn’t amounted to much more than a stomach full of plastic.

In this clip, we see what happens when Captain Planet goes to the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference. Needless to say, it ain’t pretty.

This one’s for those of you keeping track of the international impact of animated ambassadors…  At the world premiere of Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure it was announced by the UN that Tinker Bell would be the organization’s new Honorary Ambassador of Green.  “Honorary” perhaps because her ability to carry out her diplomatic duties is hindered somewhat by not being, um, real.

This is one of the UN’s steps, under the Secretary-General’s Creative Community Outreach Initiative, to promote environmental awareness in the lead-up to the upcoming Copenhagen conference on climate change. Huzzah!

According to Disney, “Since its earliest days, The Walt Disney Company has sought to inspire a love of nature and spirit of conservation through its storytelling, and the environment is an underlying theme of the Tinker Bell movies, told through the magical world of Fairies, Pixie Hollow, where nature is nurtured. Tinker Bell is a natural ambassador of Green, living consistently in harmony with the environment, her appointment, as Honorary Ambassador of Green, is a great opportunity for this beloved character to play a key role in inspiring kids.”

Mae Whitman and Raven-Symone both gave their voice talents to the film and were at the premiere to celebrate Tink’s new role.

In the interest of full disclosure, I was actually on-hand at the UN in 1997 when Winnie-the-Pooh was named the UN Ambassador of Friendship. I kinda wish I was making that up. I’m not.

You gotta love all the behind-the-scenes drama that happens in the cartoon world regarding the diets of certain characters. Last month, we had the story of Casey Kasem petitioning for Shaggy from Scooby-Doo to remain VEG. Now comes word that Paul McCartney had some push in keeping Lisa Simpson’s dinner plate meat-free. David Mirkin, executive producer for The Simpsons, told how it all went down.

“It’s actually Paul McCartney who was responsible for another permanent change,” Mirkin said. “When I asked him to do the vegetarian episode, he agreed but made me promise to keep Lisa as a vegetarian – and I was happy to comply with that because I’m a vegetarian too! Every time I see him, he always checks – and he’s always surrounded by nine or ten lawyers, so it’s quite frightening!”

As the VegetarianStar points out, perhaps Lisa’s little sister Maggie will be the next to go VEG — should she ever decide something looks better than the binky.

The long awaited Modest Mouse video for “King Rat” directed by Heath Ledger was released today — and it’s a true testament to the late actor’s stance on illegal commercial whale hunts. Using rough animation, it shows a world where whales hunt humans.

A tribute to Heath on The Masses website reveals a bit of the background saying,

Always one to operate from his heart and take a stand for what he cared deeply about, Heath’s intention was to raise awareness on modern whaling practices through a potent visual piece without having to say a word.  It was his way to let the story, in its candid reversal, speak for itself. The video was fully conceived down to the last detail but unfinished when Heath passed away in January of 2008.   We completed the video in his honor with the support and advocacy of Isaac Brock (of Modest Mouse).

Proceeds from iTunes video downloads in the first month of release will go toward Sea Shepherd — a group that Ledger was passionately involved with. As discussed earlier, we’re pretty sure this animated video is the one the actor was anxious to show Captain Paul Watson. It should also not come as a surprise that before his death, Heath was tipped to play Watson in a movie about his life and anti-whaling adventures. Check it out below:

According to Variety, Chris Meledandri, head of Illumination, feels (as many do) that the late Ted Geisel “was prescient in an uncanny way when he wrote the book and explored themes of greed and how that can lead to the destruction of the environment.”

If you’re unfamiliar with the story (for shame!) the story is told by a selfish entrepreneur who clear cuts the forest of all of its Truffala trees leaving no homes for the animals. It’s often referred to as a parable about industrialization, greed and obsolescence as embodied by the narrator, brilliantly named the “Once-ler”. There was also an animated version made in 1972.

It’ll be cool to see if Universal is able to make a broader environmental statment in their production and marketing instead of simply riding the “green” wave.

And remember…”You’re in charge of the last of the Truffula Seeds. And Truffula Trees are what everyone needs.”

via thrfeed

The creator of Family Guy, Seth MacFarlane, has recorded two PSAs for FOX’s “Green It, Mean It” campaign in the voices of characters Stewie and Peter. I found them both rather funny — especially Stewie’s reading of the tagline at the end. Check ‘em out below:

The environmental activist/actor is shown driving his “Ed Begley Solar Car” when the eclipse hits — only to have it run out of juice on some train tracks. Thankfully, the train is solar-powered and stops just before killing out green hero. Check out the clip below:

Julia Roberts is continuning the interview circuit for her new film with Clive Owen, Duplicity, and along the way we’re learning a bit more about her new green home in Malibu. “We use a lot of solar power,” she told the Philippine Daily Inquirer. “It’s not a 100-percent green house but I’d say that all the materials that were in the house before went to Habitat for Humanity.” Nice way to recycle! [Read more...]

A walk-on role in the new Steve Carell/Tina Fey flick, Date Night, brought in a reported $14,000 for charity. The online charity auction site CharityFolks.com hosted the fundraiser, with money raised going towards the community focused organizations DreamYard and The Urban Ecology Institute. Who wouldn’t want to meet Liz Lemon or Michael Scott?

The Sundance Channel will premiere season two of Isabella Rossellini’s Green Porno shorts online starting April 1st. Expect even more bizarre costumes and reenactments of the sex lives of various creatures. Other Web titles include Yung Yeti, a series of green-themed animated shorts by Cole Gerst; H2.0, an alternative, artistic look at the importance of water; and EcoHeros, which features interviews with inspirational people within the eco-friendly movement.