Power Rangers
Encyclopedia
Power Rangers is a long-running American entertainment and merchandising franchise
built around a live action
children's television series
featuring teams of costumed heroes
. Produced first by Saban Entertainment, later by BVS Entertainment, and currently by SCG Power Rangers LLC
, the series took its initial premise and much of its footage
from the Japanese tokusatsu
Super Sentai
franchise. Its first entry, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
, debuted on August 28, 1993, and helped launch the Fox Kids
programming block of the 1990s, during which it catapulted into popular culture
along with a line of action figure
s and other toys by Bandai
.
Despite initial criticism for its action violence targeted to child audiences, the franchise has continued, and the show consists of 19 television seasons of 16 different series and two theatrical films. Creator Haim Saban
regained ownership of the franchise in 2010 after seven years under The Walt Disney Company
. The current season Power Rangers Samurai
debuted in the United States on February 7, 2011.
, it features many hallmarks that distinguish it from other superhero series. Each series revolves around a team of young people recruited and trained by a mentor to morph
into Rangers, able to utilize special powers and pilot colossal assault machines called Zords to defeat and overcome evil forces that threaten humanity. At the end of a series, Rangers sacrifice their weapons, Zords, or powers in order to defeat the lead villain they had fought during the series. For example in Mighty Morphin, alien wizard Zordon
recruits "teenagers with attitude" to harness the power of the dinosaurs to overcome the forces of evil space alien Rita Repulsa
.
When "morphed
" rangers become powerful superhero
es wearing color-coded skin-tight battle suits and helmets with opaque
visor
s. Each team's costumes are nearly identical aside from individual rangers' color and helmet design. Morphed Rangers generally possesses superhuman strength, durability, and ability in hand-to-hand combat. Some possess superhuman abilities such as super-speed or invisibility
, attributes somewhat related to their Ranger abilities. In addition, each individual ranger has a unique individual weapon
as well as common weaponry used for ground fighting.As the series progresses, one or more of the Rangers will usually receive motorcycle
s for long-distance travel, as well as individual Zord
s. In many series, a Ranger is also given additional Zords or weapons. In some cases, one Ranger may receive something that other Rangers may not have; an example of this is the Battlizer given to the Red Ranger of each series since Power Rangers in Space
(up through Operation Overdrive). When enemies grow to incredible sizes, Rangers utilize individual Zord
s that combine into a larger Megazord.
Rangers teams operate in teams of five or three, with more Rangers joining the team part way into each season. Each team of Rangers, with a few exceptions, obeys a general set of conventions, outlined at the beginning of Mighty Morphin and implied by mentors throughout many of the other series: Power Rangers may not use their Ranger powers for personal gain or for escalating a fight (unless forced to do so), nor may the Power Rangers disclose their identities to the general public.Public servants (rescue squad, police officers, etc.) appearing as Rangers disregarded this convention in Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue, Power Rangers S.P.D., Power Rangers Operation Overdrive and Power Rangers RPM. The penalty for disobeying these rules, at least in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
, would be the loss of their power.
As in Super Sentai The color palette of each Power Rangers team changes every series.An original Power Ranger, the Titanium Ranger, was created especially for Lightspeed Rescue to add a sixth Power Ranger to the series. Only Red, Blue, and Yellow appear in every Ranger team. The most common color that does not appear every year is Pink, followed by Green, Black, and White. Other colors and designations also appear throughout the series.Other color designations include metal
lic colors, violet, and "Shadow", as well as protagonists who have powers and costumes similar to those of the Rangers but are not called "Power Rangers", such as the Blue Senturion and Koragg the Knight Wolf
. A Rangers' color designation also influences their wardrobe throughout the series: civilian clothing often matches Ranger color.A joke highlighted this correlation in Dino Thunder when Tommy Oliver
(a former Green Ranger, White Ranger, and Red Ranger) became the new Black Ranger; he said that he had to go shopping because he did not own enough black-colored clothing.
dub
or translation
of the Japanese footage, Power Rangers programs consist of scenes featuring English-speaking
actors (either from the United States
, Canada
, Australia
, New Zealand
, or the United Kingdom
) spliced with scenes featuring either Japanese actors dubbed into English or the action scenes from the Super Sentai Series featuring the Rangers fighting monsters
or the giant robot
(Zord
and Megazord) battles with English dubbing. In some series, original fight scenes are filmed to incorporate characters or items unique to the Power Rangers production. Like many of Saban Entertainment's previous ventures in localizing
Japanese television for a Western
audience, the plot, character names, and other names usually differ greatly from the source footage, though a few seasons have stayed close to the story of the original Super Sentai season.
The series that began the franchise
, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
(an American adaptation of the 1992 Japanese Super Sentai
Series, Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger), began broadcasting as part of the Fox Kids
block of programing that aired on the Fox
network. It lasted for three seasons (from 1993 to 1996).
of 2002. The Walt Disney Company
purchased the franchise as a part of a buyout that took place in 2001. This resulted in Fox Family Worldwide becoming ABC Family Worldwide Inc. This buyout also saw Saban Entertainment becoming BVS Entertainment, from News Corporation
, Fox's parent company, and Haim Saban
. The show continued to air on Fox until the company replaced its Fox Kids
package with "FoxBox" in the United States. Since September 2002, all Power Rangers shows have aired on various Disney-owned networks (ABC Kids, Toon Disney
and Jetix
channels worldwide). ABC Family, another Disney-owned network, also used to air Power Rangers until it did away with its Jetix timeslot after August 31, 2006. On February 12, 2009, Toon Disney ended in the wake of Disney XD, ending cable airings of Power Rangers in certain areas of the United States. Several ABC affiliate broadcasting groups, most notably Hearst-Argyle Television and Allbritton
, have declined to air most of the Power Rangers series since 2006 due to the lack of FCC-compliant educational and informational content
in the programs.
An article in The New Zealand Herald
published on March 7, 2009 identified Power Rangers RPM as the last season of the Power Rangers run. Production manager Sally Campbell stated in an interview, "...at this stage we will not be shooting another season." A September 1, 2009, revision to Disney A to Z: The Official Encyclopedia by Disney's head archivist Dave Smith
states that "production of new episodes [of Power Rangers] ceased in 2009". Production of Power Rangers ceased and the series by BVS Entertainment, RPM, ended on December 26, 2009.
On October 1, 2009, Bandai released a press release that Disney would re-broadcast Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
starting in January 2010 on ABC Kids in lieu of a new series utilizing footage from the 2009 Super Sentai television series
. A new toy line accompanied the series and appeared in stores in the later part of 2009. ABC's over-the air telecasts ended on August 28, 2010, and turned the hour back to affiliates.
On May 12, 2010, Haim Saban's Saban Brands
bought back the Power Rangers franchise from Disney for $43 million and announced plans to produce a new season of the television series. The nineteenth season Samurai
began airing on Nickelodeon
February 7, 2011, with the previous episodes beginning rebroadcast on Nicktoons later that year. It was also announced that Saban plans to make a new Power Rangers movie.
with a gradually changing cast and characters over six years.Changing characters include Jason
, Zack
, Trini
, and Kimberly
leaving in MMPR or Tommy
, Adam
, Tanya
, and Kat
leaving in Turbo Beginning with Lost Galaxy, although it had ties with the previous story arc, each Power Rangers series had its own self-contained storylines, independent of previous series. Crossover
episodes between different series featuring rangers, villains, and other other characters from past seasons also began with Lost Galaxy.The two anniversary series Wild Force (season 10) and Operation Overdrive (season15) featured crossovers with characters from multiple series: Wild Forces "Forever Red
" episode featured all Red Rangers of the first ten seasons (minus Rocky
) and Operation Overdrives "Once a Ranger" featured Power Rangers from the four previous series and Adam from MMPR. Ninja Storm, Mystic Force, Jungle Fury, and RPM did not feature any crossover episodes (Dino Thunder featured a crossover with Ninja Storm and characters from both Ninja Storm and Mystic Force appear in "Once a Ranger").
The Power Rangers series has also generated two theatrical film
s, both distributed by 20th Century Fox
. , Fox's home entertainment division
, long after Fox's parent company News Corporation and Haim Saban sold Fox Family (currently ABC Family
), including Saban Entertainment and the Power Rangers franchise, to the Walt Disney Company, still maintains worldwide home-entertainment rights to both of these Power Rangers films. However, with the sale back to Saban, Paramount Pictures
, part of the Viacom family of properties that includes Nickelodeon, could take over future video distribution rights.
or later Jetix
/Disney XD
channels or have syndicated the program on regional children's channels or blocks, either dubbed into the local language or broadcast in the original English. Since the 2010 acquisition by Saban Brands, international television distribution rights for Power Rangers have been managed by MarVista Entertainment.
Broadcast in East Asian territories has been treated differently than in other international markets due to the prevalence and familiarity of 'the Super Sentai brand originating in Japan. In Japan, many Power Rangers television seasons and movies were dubbed into Japanese for television and video with the voice actors often pulled from past Super Sentai casts, leading to the English-dubbed action sequences
being "re-dubbed" or "restored" back to Japanese as well. Power Rangers SPD is the latest season to be broadcast in Japan on Toei Channel in August 2011, with the Dekaranger cast voicing their counterparts. After broadcast of Power Rangers ended in South Korea with Wild Force, Bandai of Korea started airing dubbed Super Sentai series under the 파워레인저 (Power Ranger) brand on JEI TV. Some seasons of Super Sentai broadcast in South Korea have similarly named titles as their American counterparts, such as Power Ranger Dino Thunder for Abaranger in 2007 and Power Ranger S.P.D. in place of Dekaranger.
Internationally, additional DVD releases have occurred (such as Lightspeed Rescue, Time Force and Wild Force in Germany) and as free DVDs attached to the Jetix magazine, published in the UK. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Season 1, Season 2, and Season 3, Power Rangers Zeo, Power Rangers Turbo, and Power Rangers In Space have been released in Germany as well in both English and German, with Power Rangers Lost Galaxy only in German. Additionally, Ninja Storm, Dino Thunder, S.P.D., Mystic Force, and Operation Overdrive saw complete boxset releases in the UK. In France, Mighty Morphin Season 1 and Season 2 have been released in their entirety in 5 episode DVD volumes, and the first 25 episodes of Season 3 were released in May 2008. In Italy, Mighty Morphin, Zeo, Dino Thunder and S.P.D. have appeared in their entirety. Zeo and S.P.D. were made available as commercial DVDs, while Mighty Morphin and Dino Thunder were issued as bi-weekly volumes at newsstands.
The iTunes Store
previously made Power Rangers episodes available: part of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
, all of Power Rangers S.P.D., and the first 26 episodes of Power Rangers Mystic Force. , Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie
is the only Power Rangers selection available via the iTunes store. On June 15, 2011 all episodes of Power Rangers from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Season 1 to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers re-version
were made available for instant streaming on Netflix.
, in 2007. It celebrated fifteen years of Power Rangers on the air at the time, from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993) to Power Rangers Operation Overdrive (2007). A second convention took place from August 27–29, 2010 in Los Angeles, celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of the release of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie.
Media franchise
A media franchise is an intellectual property involving the characters, setting and trademarks of an original work of media , such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or a video game. Generally, a whole series is made in a particular medium, along with merchandising and endorsements...
built around a live action
Superhero live-action television series
Superhero live-action television series are television programs which feature the adventures of superhero characters, typically adapted from their original comic book roots, applied in a live action format. This often requires considerable modification in contrast to the animated television series...
children's television series
Children's television series
Children's television series, are commercial television programs designed for, and marketed to children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run in the early evening, for the children that go to school...
featuring teams of costumed heroes
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
. Produced first by Saban Entertainment, later by BVS Entertainment, and currently by SCG Power Rangers LLC
Saban Capital Group
Saban Capital Group is a global private investment firm based in Los Angeles, California focused on media, entertainment, and communications investments. Formed in 2001 by Haim Saban, Saban Capital Group owns Saban Brands, part of Univision Communications, and part of Tiger Gate Entertainment...
, the series took its initial premise and much of its footage
Footage
In filmmaking and video production, footage is the raw, unedited material as it had been originally filmed by movie camera or recorded by a video camera which usually must be edited to create a motion picture, video clip, television show or similar completed work...
from the Japanese tokusatsu
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
Super Sentai
Super Sentai
The is the name given to the long-running Japanese superhero team genre of shows produced by Toei Co., Ltd., Toei Agency and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi...
franchise. Its first entry, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is an American live-action children's television series based on the 16th installment of the Japanese Super Sentai franchise, Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. Both the show and its related merchandise saw unbridled overnight success, catapulting into pop culture in mere months...
, debuted on August 28, 1993, and helped launch the Fox Kids
Fox Kids
Fox Kids was the Fox Broadcasting Company's American children's programming division and brand name from September 8, 1990 until September 7, 2002. It was owned by Fox Television Entertainment airing programming on Monday–Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings.Depending on the show, the...
programming block of the 1990s, during which it catapulted into popular culture
Popular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
along with a line of action figure
Action figure
An action figure is a posable character figurine, made of plastic or other materials, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, video game, or television program. These action figures are usually marketed towards boys and male collectors...
s and other toys by Bandai
Bandai
is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs...
.
Despite initial criticism for its action violence targeted to child audiences, the franchise has continued, and the show consists of 19 television seasons of 16 different series and two theatrical films. Creator Haim Saban
Haim Saban
Haim Saban is an Egyptian born Israeli-American television and media proprietor. With an estimated net worth of $3.5 billion, he is ranked by Forbes as the 104th richest person in America.-Biography:...
regained ownership of the franchise in 2010 after seven years under The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
. The current season Power Rangers Samurai
Power Rangers Samurai
Power Rangers Samurai is the nineteenth season of the American children's television series Power Rangers. With Saban Brands buying back the franchise, the show is produced by SCG Power Rangers and began airing on Nickelodeon and Nicktoons on February 7, 2011...
debuted in the United States on February 7, 2011.
Premise
Since Power Rangers derives most of its footage from the Super Sentai SeriesSuper Sentai
The is the name given to the long-running Japanese superhero team genre of shows produced by Toei Co., Ltd., Toei Agency and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi...
, it features many hallmarks that distinguish it from other superhero series. Each series revolves around a team of young people recruited and trained by a mentor to morph
Henshin
is the Japanese word for "transformation," literally meaning, "to change or transform the body." This word is primarily used in manga, anime, and tokusatsu dramas for when a character transforms into a superhero. usually have a "henshin call", a catchphrase which they recite when they transform...
into Rangers, able to utilize special powers and pilot colossal assault machines called Zords to defeat and overcome evil forces that threaten humanity. At the end of a series, Rangers sacrifice their weapons, Zords, or powers in order to defeat the lead villain they had fought during the series. For example in Mighty Morphin, alien wizard Zordon
Zordon
Zordon is a powerful wizard and mentor to the Power Rangers franchise, appearing in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers television series and many of its subsequent incarnations....
recruits "teenagers with attitude" to harness the power of the dinosaurs to overcome the forces of evil space alien Rita Repulsa
Rita Repulsa
Rita Repulsa is a fictional character from the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. She is based on the Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger villain Witch Bandora...
.
When "morphed
Henshin
is the Japanese word for "transformation," literally meaning, "to change or transform the body." This word is primarily used in manga, anime, and tokusatsu dramas for when a character transforms into a superhero. usually have a "henshin call", a catchphrase which they recite when they transform...
" rangers become powerful superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
es wearing color-coded skin-tight battle suits and helmets with opaque
Opacity (optics)
Opacity is the measure of impenetrability to electromagnetic or other kinds of radiation, especially visible light. In radiative transfer, it describes the absorption and scattering of radiation in a medium, such as a plasma, dielectric, shielding material, glass, etc...
visor
Visor
A visor is a surface that protects the eyes, such as shading them from the sun or other bright light or protecting them from objects....
s. Each team's costumes are nearly identical aside from individual rangers' color and helmet design. Morphed Rangers generally possesses superhuman strength, durability, and ability in hand-to-hand combat. Some possess superhuman abilities such as super-speed or invisibility
Invisibility
Invisibility is the state of an object that cannot be seen. An object in this state is said to be invisible . The term is usually used as a fantasy/science fiction term, where objects are literally made unseeable by magical or technological means; however, its effects can also be seen in the real...
, attributes somewhat related to their Ranger abilities. In addition, each individual ranger has a unique individual weapon
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
as well as common weaponry used for ground fighting.As the series progresses, one or more of the Rangers will usually receive motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
s for long-distance travel, as well as individual Zord
Zord
In the universe of the television series Power Rangers, Zords are colossal mechanical or bio-mechanical robotic vehicles. When monsters grow to incredible sizes, usually the only way the Power Rangers can fight them is by summoning and piloting these robots...
s. In many series, a Ranger is also given additional Zords or weapons. In some cases, one Ranger may receive something that other Rangers may not have; an example of this is the Battlizer given to the Red Ranger of each series since Power Rangers in Space
Power Rangers in Space
Power Rangers in Space is a television show that aired in 1998 as the sixth season and fourth installment of the Power Rangers franchise...
(up through Operation Overdrive). When enemies grow to incredible sizes, Rangers utilize individual Zord
Zord
In the universe of the television series Power Rangers, Zords are colossal mechanical or bio-mechanical robotic vehicles. When monsters grow to incredible sizes, usually the only way the Power Rangers can fight them is by summoning and piloting these robots...
s that combine into a larger Megazord.
Rangers teams operate in teams of five or three, with more Rangers joining the team part way into each season. Each team of Rangers, with a few exceptions, obeys a general set of conventions, outlined at the beginning of Mighty Morphin and implied by mentors throughout many of the other series: Power Rangers may not use their Ranger powers for personal gain or for escalating a fight (unless forced to do so), nor may the Power Rangers disclose their identities to the general public.Public servants (rescue squad, police officers, etc.) appearing as Rangers disregarded this convention in Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue, Power Rangers S.P.D., Power Rangers Operation Overdrive and Power Rangers RPM. The penalty for disobeying these rules, at least in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is an American live-action children's television series based on the 16th installment of the Japanese Super Sentai franchise, Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. Both the show and its related merchandise saw unbridled overnight success, catapulting into pop culture in mere months...
, would be the loss of their power.
As in Super Sentai The color palette of each Power Rangers team changes every series.An original Power Ranger, the Titanium Ranger, was created especially for Lightspeed Rescue to add a sixth Power Ranger to the series. Only Red, Blue, and Yellow appear in every Ranger team. The most common color that does not appear every year is Pink, followed by Green, Black, and White. Other colors and designations also appear throughout the series.Other color designations include metal
Metal
A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...
lic colors, violet, and "Shadow", as well as protagonists who have powers and costumes similar to those of the Rangers but are not called "Power Rangers", such as the Blue Senturion and Koragg the Knight Wolf
Koragg the Knight Wolf
Koragg the Knight Wolf, or simply Koragg, is a fictional character from the American television series Power Rangers Mystic Force, the fourteenth program produced as part of the Power Rangers franchise. Koragg is based on the character of from Mahou Sentai Magiranger, the Japanese Super Sentai...
. A Rangers' color designation also influences their wardrobe throughout the series: civilian clothing often matches Ranger color.A joke highlighted this correlation in Dino Thunder when Tommy Oliver
Tommy Oliver
Dr. Thomas "Tommy" Oliver is a fictional character from the universe of the American children's television franchise Power Rangers. He is a main character in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV series, as well as four of its successive incarnations Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers, Power Rangers Zeo,...
(a former Green Ranger, White Ranger, and Red Ranger) became the new Black Ranger; he said that he had to go shopping because he did not own enough black-colored clothing.
Adapting the Super Sentai series
Production of Power Rangers episodes involves extensive localization of and revision of original Super Sentai source material in order to incorporate American culture and conform to American television standards. Rather than making an EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
dub
Dubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
or translation
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
of the Japanese footage, Power Rangers programs consist of scenes featuring English-speaking
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
actors (either from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, or the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) spliced with scenes featuring either Japanese actors dubbed into English or the action scenes from the Super Sentai Series featuring the Rangers fighting monsters
Kaiju
is a Japanese word that means "strange beast," but often translated in English as "monster". Specifically, it is used to refer to a genre of tokusatsu entertainment....
or the giant robot
Mecha
A mech , is a science fiction term for a large walking bipedal tank or robot, including ones on treads and animal shapes.-Characteristics:...
(Zord
Zord
In the universe of the television series Power Rangers, Zords are colossal mechanical or bio-mechanical robotic vehicles. When monsters grow to incredible sizes, usually the only way the Power Rangers can fight them is by summoning and piloting these robots...
and Megazord) battles with English dubbing. In some series, original fight scenes are filmed to incorporate characters or items unique to the Power Rangers production. Like many of Saban Entertainment's previous ventures in localizing
Language localisation
Language localisationThe spelling "localization", a variant of "localisation", is the preferred spelling in the US and Canada. is the second phase of a larger process of product translation and cultural adaptation to account for...
Japanese television for a Western
Western culture
Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...
audience, the plot, character names, and other names usually differ greatly from the source footage, though a few seasons have stayed close to the story of the original Super Sentai season.
The series that began the franchise
Media franchise
A media franchise is an intellectual property involving the characters, setting and trademarks of an original work of media , such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or a video game. Generally, a whole series is made in a particular medium, along with merchandising and endorsements...
, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is an American live-action children's television series based on the 16th installment of the Japanese Super Sentai franchise, Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. Both the show and its related merchandise saw unbridled overnight success, catapulting into pop culture in mere months...
(an American adaptation of the 1992 Japanese Super Sentai
Super Sentai
The is the name given to the long-running Japanese superhero team genre of shows produced by Toei Co., Ltd., Toei Agency and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi...
Series, Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger), began broadcasting as part of the Fox Kids
Fox Kids
Fox Kids was the Fox Broadcasting Company's American children's programming division and brand name from September 8, 1990 until September 7, 2002. It was owned by Fox Television Entertainment airing programming on Monday–Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings.Depending on the show, the...
block of programing that aired on the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
network. It lasted for three seasons (from 1993 to 1996).
Broadcast history
Saban Entertainment distributed the Power Rangers series from 1993 until the end of 2001, and Fox broadcast it until the fallAutumn
Autumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter usually in September or March when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier....
of 2002. The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
purchased the franchise as a part of a buyout that took place in 2001. This resulted in Fox Family Worldwide becoming ABC Family Worldwide Inc. This buyout also saw Saban Entertainment becoming BVS Entertainment, from News Corporation
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
, Fox's parent company, and Haim Saban
Haim Saban
Haim Saban is an Egyptian born Israeli-American television and media proprietor. With an estimated net worth of $3.5 billion, he is ranked by Forbes as the 104th richest person in America.-Biography:...
. The show continued to air on Fox until the company replaced its Fox Kids
Fox Kids
Fox Kids was the Fox Broadcasting Company's American children's programming division and brand name from September 8, 1990 until September 7, 2002. It was owned by Fox Television Entertainment airing programming on Monday–Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings.Depending on the show, the...
package with "FoxBox" in the United States. Since September 2002, all Power Rangers shows have aired on various Disney-owned networks (ABC Kids, Toon Disney
Toon Disney
Toon Disney was an American cable television channel owned by The Walt Disney Company. A spinoff of Disney Channel, it mostly aired children's animated series and some live action programming. Its format had similarities to those of Cartoon Network and Nicktoons...
and Jetix
Jetix
Jetix was a worldwide children's television programming brand owned by The Walt Disney Company. The Jetix brand was used for blocks and channels featuring action-related and adventure-related live-action and animated programming. It was also what Disney eventually turned Fox Kids into...
channels worldwide). ABC Family, another Disney-owned network, also used to air Power Rangers until it did away with its Jetix timeslot after August 31, 2006. On February 12, 2009, Toon Disney ended in the wake of Disney XD, ending cable airings of Power Rangers in certain areas of the United States. Several ABC affiliate broadcasting groups, most notably Hearst-Argyle Television and Allbritton
Allbritton Communications Company
The Allbritton Communications Company is an owner of television stations and other media, based in Arlington, Virginia. All of its stations are affiliated with ABC after signing an affiliation agreement in 1997.-Currently owned:...
, have declined to air most of the Power Rangers series since 2006 due to the lack of FCC-compliant educational and informational content
E/I
E/I, which stands for "educational and informative," refers to a type of children's television programming shown in the United States. The Federal Communications Commission requires that every full-service Terrestrial television station in the U.S. show at least three hours of these television...
in the programs.
An article in The New Zealand Herald
The New Zealand Herald
- External links :* * *...
published on March 7, 2009 identified Power Rangers RPM as the last season of the Power Rangers run. Production manager Sally Campbell stated in an interview, "...at this stage we will not be shooting another season." A September 1, 2009, revision to Disney A to Z: The Official Encyclopedia by Disney's head archivist Dave Smith
Dave Smith (archivist)
Dave Smith is the founder and former chief archivist at the Walt Disney Archives, which is located in the Frank G. Wells Building at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. He joined the company on June 22, 1970, as its first-ever archivist...
states that "production of new episodes [of Power Rangers] ceased in 2009". Production of Power Rangers ceased and the series by BVS Entertainment, RPM, ended on December 26, 2009.
On October 1, 2009, Bandai released a press release that Disney would re-broadcast Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is an American live-action children's television series based on the 16th installment of the Japanese Super Sentai franchise, Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. Both the show and its related merchandise saw unbridled overnight success, catapulting into pop culture in mere months...
starting in January 2010 on ABC Kids in lieu of a new series utilizing footage from the 2009 Super Sentai television series
Samurai Sentai Shinkenger
is the title of Toei Company's thirty-third entry in its long-running Super Sentai Series of Japanese tokusatsu television series. It premiered on February 15, 2009, the week following the finale of Engine Sentai Go-onger, and ended on February 7, 2010...
. A new toy line accompanied the series and appeared in stores in the later part of 2009. ABC's over-the air telecasts ended on August 28, 2010, and turned the hour back to affiliates.
On May 12, 2010, Haim Saban's Saban Brands
Saban Capital Group
Saban Capital Group is a global private investment firm based in Los Angeles, California focused on media, entertainment, and communications investments. Formed in 2001 by Haim Saban, Saban Capital Group owns Saban Brands, part of Univision Communications, and part of Tiger Gate Entertainment...
bought back the Power Rangers franchise from Disney for $43 million and announced plans to produce a new season of the television series. The nineteenth season Samurai
Power Rangers Samurai
Power Rangers Samurai is the nineteenth season of the American children's television series Power Rangers. With Saban Brands buying back the franchise, the show is produced by SCG Power Rangers and began airing on Nickelodeon and Nicktoons on February 7, 2011...
began airing on Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
February 7, 2011, with the previous episodes beginning rebroadcast on Nicktoons later that year. It was also announced that Saban plans to make a new Power Rangers movie.
Television series
The first series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' through In Space followed a story arcStory arc
A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
with a gradually changing cast and characters over six years.Changing characters include Jason
Jason Lee Scott
Jason Lee Scott is a fictional character in the Power Rangers franchise, played by actor Austin St. John. Jason is best remembered as the original Red Ranger from the first entry of the franchise, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, as well as the leader of the original team of Power Rangers...
, Zack
Zack Taylor
Zachary "Zack" Taylor is a fictional character in the Power Rangers universe, appearing in the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. He is the original Black Ranger of the first generation of Power Rangers...
, Trini
Trini Kwan
Trini Kwan is a fictional character in the Power Rangers universe, portrayed by Vietnamese actress Thuy Trang. She is best remembered as the original Yellow Ranger in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the first entry of the franchise....
, and Kimberly
Kimberly Hart
Kimberly Ann Hart is a fictional character in the Power Rangers universe. She was played by actress Amy Jo Johnson during the first three seasons of the show, plus on the two feature films of the franchise. Kimberly is best remembered as the first Pink Ranger from the first entry of the franchise...
leaving in MMPR or Tommy
Tommy Oliver
Dr. Thomas "Tommy" Oliver is a fictional character from the universe of the American children's television franchise Power Rangers. He is a main character in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV series, as well as four of its successive incarnations Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers, Power Rangers Zeo,...
, Adam
Adam Park
Adam Park is a fictional major character from the universe of the American television series franchise Power Rangers, played by Johnny Yong Bosch. He is a main character in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV series, as well as three of its successive incarnations Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers,...
, Tanya
Tanya Sloan
Tanya Sloan, originally named Kenya Sloan, is a fictional character and hero in the Power Rangers universe, appearing in the television series Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers, Power Rangers Zeo and Power Rangers Turbo. She is played by Nakia Burrise and is introduced as living with an African tribe...
, and Kat
Katherine Hillard
Katherine 'Kat' Hillard is a fictional character in the Power Rangers franchise. She was played by Australian-American actress Catherine Sutherland in adult form, and by Julia Jordan in child form...
leaving in Turbo Beginning with Lost Galaxy, although it had ties with the previous story arc, each Power Rangers series had its own self-contained storylines, independent of previous series. Crossover
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
episodes between different series featuring rangers, villains, and other other characters from past seasons also began with Lost Galaxy.The two anniversary series Wild Force (season 10) and Operation Overdrive (season15) featured crossovers with characters from multiple series: Wild Forces "Forever Red
Forever Red
"Forever Red" is an episode of the television series Power Rangers: Wild Force, commemorating the tenth anniversary of the Power Rangers meta-series. The episode was later included in the 2003 DVD collection The Best Of The Power Rangers: The Ultimate Rangers as one of several voted by the fans to...
" episode featured all Red Rangers of the first ten seasons (minus Rocky
Rocky DeSantos
Rocky DeSantos is a fictional character in the Power Rangers universe. In the second season of the television show Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, he joined the team as the second Red Ranger...
) and Operation Overdrives "Once a Ranger" featured Power Rangers from the four previous series and Adam from MMPR. Ninja Storm, Mystic Force, Jungle Fury, and RPM did not feature any crossover episodes (Dino Thunder featured a crossover with Ninja Storm and characters from both Ninja Storm and Mystic Force appear in "Once a Ranger").
- Mighty Morphin Power RangersMighty Morphin Power RangersMighty Morphin Power Rangers is an American live-action children's television series based on the 16th installment of the Japanese Super Sentai franchise, Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. Both the show and its related merchandise saw unbridled overnight success, catapulting into pop culture in mere months...
, the longest-running series, aired from 1993 to 1995, spanning three seasons. In those three seasons, MMPR used footage, costumes, and props from three of the Super SentaiSuper SentaiThe is the name given to the long-running Japanese superhero team genre of shows produced by Toei Co., Ltd., Toei Agency and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi...
Series: Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger for season 1, Gosei Sentai DairangerGosei Sentai Dairangeris a Japanese tokusatsu television series. It was the seventeenth production in the long-running Super Sentai franchise of television tokusatsu dramas produced by Toei Company, following Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. It was originally broadcast from February 19, 1993 to February 11, 1994...
for season 2, and Ninja Sentai KakurangerNinja Sentai Kakurangerwas TOEI Company Limited's eighteenth production of the Super Sentai television series. The name given to this series by Toei for international distribution is Ninja Rangers....
for season 3. In 2010, MMPR was re-versionRe-versionA relatively recent phenomenon in television production, re-versioning is the process of re-releasing an existing production or an entire series, updated in some form, as a "new" show. It is an alternative to a straight rerun of a series...
ed for broadcast.- Mighty Morphin Alien RangersMighty Morphin Alien RangersMighty Morphin Alien Rangers is a Power Rangers miniseries set at the end of the third season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers...
aired in early 1996 as a miniseries that served as a link between MMPR and Zeo. It also utilized footage and props from Kakuranger and featured the costumes used by the Kakurangers as the footage for the Alien Rangers.
- Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers
- Power Rangers Zeo aired in 1996 and featured the first change in costume for the American Power Rangers, using footage from Chōriki Sentai Ohranger.
- Power Rangers Turbo aired in 1997 and also had a movie with the series, titled Turbo: A Power Rangers MovieTurbo: A Power Rangers MovieTurbo: A Power Rangers Movie is a 1997 American superhero action science fantasy film directed by David Winning and Shuki Levy. It is set in the Power Rangers universe, serving as a bridge between Power Rangers Zeo and Power Rangers Turbo...
which acted as the bridge between Zeo and Turbo, and introduced Justin StewartJustin StewartJustin Stewart is a fictional character in the Power Rangers universe. He first appeared in Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, and served as the Blue Ranger throughout the subsequent television series, Power Rangers Turbo...
, the youngest Power Ranger. Turbo used footage from Gekisou Sentai CarrangerGekisou Sentai CarRangeris a Japanese tokusatsu television show. It was Toei's twentieth production of the Super Sentai television series. Its action footage was used in Power Rangers Turbo.-Plot:...
. - Power Rangers in SpacePower Rangers in SpacePower Rangers in Space is a television show that aired in 1998 as the sixth season and fourth installment of the Power Rangers franchise...
aired in 1998. It ended a story-arc concerning the character ZordonZordonZordon is a powerful wizard and mentor to the Power Rangers franchise, appearing in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers television series and many of its subsequent incarnations....
and introduced the Battlizer armor, unique to the American productions. The in Space series took footage from Denji Sentai MegarangerDenji Sentai Megarangeris Toei's twenty-first production of the Super Sentai television series. The footage was also used in the American series, Power Rangers in Space. Megaranger premiered on February 14, 1997 and concluded on February 15, 1998.-Plot:... - Power Rangers Lost Galaxy aired in 1999. Whereas all of the previous series featured interconnections in their casts and characters, Lost Galaxy used an entirely new cast of characters to play the Power Rangers. It also began the trend of the "team up" crossoverFictional crossoverA fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
episode where the current team meets with the previous team to fight a common enemy. The series used props and footage from Seijuu Sentai GingamanSeijuu Sentai Gingamanis a Japanese tokusatsu television series. It is Toei's 22nd entry of the Super Sentai television series. The series aired from February 22, 1998 to February 14, 1999 airing alongside Tetsuwan Tantei Robotack...
. - Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue aired in 2000 and is the first to feature an original Power Ranger, the Titanium Ranger. Lightspeed Rescue used footage, costumes, and props from Kyuukyuu Sentai GoGoFive.
- Power Rangers Time Force aired in 2001; it was the last series fully produced by Saban Entertainment. Time Force used footage and props from Mirai Sentai TimerangerMirai Sentai Timerangeris a Japanese Tokusatsu television series. It is the twenty-fourth series in Toei's Super Sentai franchise. The footage from this series was used in the American production Power Rangers Time Force. The opening narration of the series is .-Plot:...
. - Power Rangers Wild Force (the first series produced partly by BVS Entertainment) aired in 2002. As the 10th anniversary series, it also featured an anniversary crossover episode titled "Forever RedForever Red"Forever Red" is an episode of the television series Power Rangers: Wild Force, commemorating the tenth anniversary of the Power Rangers meta-series. The episode was later included in the 2003 DVD collection The Best Of The Power Rangers: The Ultimate Rangers as one of several voted by the fans to...
" where every series' original Red Ranger up until that point returned to fight a common enemy. Wild Force used footage and props from Hyakujuu Sentai GaorangerHyakujuu Sentai GaoRangeris Toei's twenty-fifth production of the Super Sentai television series airing in 2001 and celebrated the franchise's 25th anniversary. Its footage was used in the 2002 American series Power Rangers Wild Force and was later dubbed in 2010 as the retitled Power Ranger: Jungle Force for South Korean...
. Wild Force was the final season to be filmed in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. - Power Rangers Ninja Storm aired in 2003. The first series produced entirely by BVS Entertainment and filmed in New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. Unlike several of its predecessors, it did not feature a crossover episode with the previous group of Power Rangers. Ninja Storm used footage and costumes from Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger. - Power Rangers Dino Thunder aired in 2004 and re-introduced Jason David FrankJason David FrankJason David Frank is an American actor, martial artist and professional mixed martial arts fighter, best known for playing Tommy Oliver in Power Rangers.- Early life :...
's character Tommy OliverTommy OliverDr. Thomas "Tommy" Oliver is a fictional character from the universe of the American children's television franchise Power Rangers. He is a main character in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV series, as well as four of its successive incarnations Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers, Power Rangers Zeo,...
, who had previously appeared in Mighty Morphin, Zeo, and Turbo. Dino Thunder used footage from Bakuryū Sentai Abaranger. Tommy and the Ninja Rangers' appearances in Dino Thunder established the continuity between the Saban and Disney productions. - Power Rangers S.P.D. aired in 2005. Like its Japanese counterpart Tokusou Sentai DekarangerTokusou Sentai Dekarangeris the twenty-eighth production of the Super Sentai television series produced by Toei. The action footage from the show was used for the American series Power Rangers S.P.D..The opening catchphrase of the series is .-Story:...
it featured more than six Rangers, two of which only appeared once. - Power Rangers Mystic Force aired in 2006 and is the first series to have a cast of entirely Australians and New Zealanders, as well as the first BVS-produced series to not create a new antagonistic character, relying totally on the villain characters from its Super Sentai counterpart Mahou Sentai MagirangerMahou Sentai Magiranger, is Toei Company's twenty-ninth production of the Super Sentai television series. The action footage was used in Power Rangers Mystic Force and both shows had scenes simultaneously shot in New Zealand...
. - Power Rangers Operation Overdrive aired in 2007 and was the 15th anniversary season for the franchise, featuring the crossover episode Once a Ranger that featured the return of Johnny Yong BoschJohnny Yong BoschJohnny Yong Bosch is an American actor, voice actor, martial artist, and musician.He may be best known for portraying Adam Park in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and being the English voice of Ichigo Kurosaki in the hit anime series Bleach, Vash the Stampede in Trigun and Lelouch Lamperouge in Code...
's character Adam ParkAdam ParkAdam Park is a fictional major character from the universe of the American television series franchise Power Rangers, played by Johnny Yong Bosch. He is a main character in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV series, as well as three of its successive incarnations Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers,...
. Operation Overdrive used footage and costumes from GoGo Sentai BoukengerGoGo Sentai Boukengeris the 30th series in Toei's Super Sentai series, a franchise of Japanese tokusatsu television series. It is the first installment to be broadcast in HDTV. It premiered on February 19, 2006 at 7:30 a.m. on TV Asahi...
. - Power Rangers Jungle Fury aired in 2008 and is the first BVS-produced series, as well as second altogether, to introduce original Power Rangers, the Spirit Rangers. Like its Super Sentai counterpart Juken Sentai GekirangerJuken Sentai Gekirangeris Toei Company's thirty-first entry in the Super Sentai franchise. Production began on September 29, 2006 with principal photography beginning on October 6, 2006. It premiered on TV Asahi on February 18, 2007, and concluded its airing on February 10, 2008...
, Jungle Fury also featured the first ZordZordIn the universe of the television series Power Rangers, Zords are colossal mechanical or bio-mechanical robotic vehicles. When monsters grow to incredible sizes, usually the only way the Power Rangers can fight them is by summoning and piloting these robots...
s used by the villains that could combine with the Power Rangers' Megazord in cooperation. - Power Rangers RPM, the seventeenth season, premiered in March 2009. It is the second series to take place in a futuristic setting and the first to take place in a post-apocalyptic setting. This series uses costumes and footage from Engine Sentai Go-ongerEngine Sentai Go-ongeris the title of Toei Company's thirty-second Super Sentai series of Japanese tokusatsu television series. It premiered on February 17, 2008, a week following the finale of Juken Sentai Gekiranger, and ended on February 8, 2009. It aired as part of TV Asahi's 2008 Super Hero Time block alongside...
. - Power Rangers SamuraiPower Rangers SamuraiPower Rangers Samurai is the nineteenth season of the American children's television series Power Rangers. With Saban Brands buying back the franchise, the show is produced by SCG Power Rangers and began airing on Nickelodeon and Nicktoons on February 7, 2011...
, the latest series, produced by Saban, began airing in February 2011. This series uses costumes and footage from Samurai Sentai ShinkengerSamurai Sentai Shinkengeris the title of Toei Company's thirty-third entry in its long-running Super Sentai Series of Japanese tokusatsu television series. It premiered on February 15, 2009, the week following the finale of Engine Sentai Go-onger, and ended on February 7, 2010...
.
Feature films
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s, both distributed by 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
. , Fox's home entertainment division
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of the 20th Century Fox film studio. It was established in 1976 as Magnetic Video Corporation, and later as 20th Century Fox Video, CBS/Fox Video and FoxVideo, Inc....
, long after Fox's parent company News Corporation and Haim Saban sold Fox Family (currently ABC Family
ABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
), including Saban Entertainment and the Power Rangers franchise, to the Walt Disney Company, still maintains worldwide home-entertainment rights to both of these Power Rangers films. However, with the sale back to Saban, Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, part of the Viacom family of properties that includes Nickelodeon, could take over future video distribution rights.
| Film | Release date | Box office revenue | Director | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Foreign | Total | |||
| Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie is a 1995 American superhero action fantasy based on the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers on Fox Kids. It featured the characters and actors from the series itself, and used the zords from Ninja Sentai Kakuranger... |
June 30, 1995 | $38,187,431 | $28,245,763 | $66,433,194 | Bryan Spicer Bryan Spicer Bryan Spicer is an American director of film and television.As a television director some his credits include Castle, 24, Day Break, Bones, House, Heroes, Killer Instinct, Vanished, Prison Break, Invasion, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The X-Files, The Lone Gunmen, In Plain Sight, Eureka and... |
| Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie is a 1997 American superhero action science fantasy film directed by David Winning and Shuki Levy. It is set in the Power Rangers universe, serving as a bridge between Power Rangers Zeo and Power Rangers Turbo... |
March 28, 1997 | $8,363,899 | $1,251,941 | $9,615,840 | David Winning David Winning David Winning is a Canadian and American dual Citizen film and television director, screenwriter, producer, editor, and occasional actor. Although Winning has worked in numerous film and TV genres, his name is most commonly associated with science fiction, thrillers and drama.-Biography:Winning... |
Distribution
Power Rangers has long had success in international markets and continues to air in many countries, with the exception of New Zealand, where the series filming takes place . As of 2006, Power Rangers aired at least 65 times a week in more than 40 worldwide markets. Many markets carry or have carried the series on their respective FoxFox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
or later Jetix
Jetix
Jetix was a worldwide children's television programming brand owned by The Walt Disney Company. The Jetix brand was used for blocks and channels featuring action-related and adventure-related live-action and animated programming. It was also what Disney eventually turned Fox Kids into...
/Disney XD
Disney XD
Disney XD is a brand of children's TV channels worldwide targeting young males, owned by The Walt Disney Company. The channel was formerly known as Toon Disney and/or Jetix in most areas. According to Gary Marsh, President of Entertainment for Disney Channel Worldwide, "XD" does not "stand for...
channels or have syndicated the program on regional children's channels or blocks, either dubbed into the local language or broadcast in the original English. Since the 2010 acquisition by Saban Brands, international television distribution rights for Power Rangers have been managed by MarVista Entertainment.
Broadcast in East Asian territories has been treated differently than in other international markets due to the prevalence and familiarity of 'the Super Sentai brand originating in Japan. In Japan, many Power Rangers television seasons and movies were dubbed into Japanese for television and video with the voice actors often pulled from past Super Sentai casts, leading to the English-dubbed action sequences
Stage combat
Stage combat is a specialized technique in theatre designed to create the illusion of physical combat without causing harm to the performers. It is employed in live stage plays as well as operatic and ballet productions. The term is also used informally to describe fight choreography for other...
being "re-dubbed" or "restored" back to Japanese as well. Power Rangers SPD is the latest season to be broadcast in Japan on Toei Channel in August 2011, with the Dekaranger cast voicing their counterparts. After broadcast of Power Rangers ended in South Korea with Wild Force, Bandai of Korea started airing dubbed Super Sentai series under the 파워레인저 (Power Ranger) brand on JEI TV. Some seasons of Super Sentai broadcast in South Korea have similarly named titles as their American counterparts, such as Power Ranger Dino Thunder for Abaranger in 2007 and Power Ranger S.P.D. in place of Dekaranger.
Home media
, 33 Power Rangers DVD collections have been released in the United States:- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The MovieMighty Morphin Power Rangers: The MovieMighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie is a 1995 American superhero action fantasy based on the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers on Fox Kids. It featured the characters and actors from the series itself, and used the zords from Ninja Sentai Kakuranger...
, 1995; 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment - Turbo: A Power Rangers MovieTurbo: A Power Rangers MovieTurbo: A Power Rangers Movie is a 1997 American superhero action science fantasy film directed by David Winning and Shuki Levy. It is set in the Power Rangers universe, serving as a bridge between Power Rangers Zeo and Power Rangers Turbo...
, 1997; 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment - Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie/Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, 1995, 1997; 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (DVD compilation set of both movies.)
- The Best of the Power Rangers The Ultimate Rangers, 2003; BVHE (DVD compilation of episodes from five different seasons of Power Rangers. The episodes include "Forever RedForever Red"Forever Red" is an episode of the television series Power Rangers: Wild Force, commemorating the tenth anniversary of the Power Rangers meta-series. The episode was later included in the 2003 DVD collection The Best Of The Power Rangers: The Ultimate Rangers as one of several voted by the fans to...
" and "White Light"[ Tommy'sTommy OliverDr. Thomas "Tommy" Oliver is a fictional character from the universe of the American children's television franchise Power Rangers. He is a main character in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV series, as well as four of its successive incarnations Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers, Power Rangers Zeo,...
reintroduction as the White Power Ranger] ) - Power Rangers Ninja Storm Volumes 1–5, 2003; BVHE
- Power Rangers Dino Thunder Volumes 1–5, 2004; BVHE
- Power Rangers S.P.D. Volumes 1–5, 2005; BVHE
- Power Rangers Mystic Force Volumes 1–3 and 'Dark Wish', 2006; BVHE
- Power Rangers Operation Overdrive Volumes 1–5, 2007; BVHE (The release of an entire season for the first time in the US.)
- Power Rangers Jungle Fury Volumes 1 & 2, 2008; BVHE (Volumes 3,4 & 5 are only available in the UK.)
- Power Rangers RPM Volumes 1 & 2, 2009; BVHE Volumes 3 & 4, exclusive to Amazon.com, will also be available in the near future.
- Power Rangers RPM 'Bandai Demo DVD', 2009; BVHE (A promo DVD given away at Disney Stores. Contains the episode In or Out).
Internationally, additional DVD releases have occurred (such as Lightspeed Rescue, Time Force and Wild Force in Germany) and as free DVDs attached to the Jetix magazine, published in the UK. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Season 1, Season 2, and Season 3, Power Rangers Zeo, Power Rangers Turbo, and Power Rangers In Space have been released in Germany as well in both English and German, with Power Rangers Lost Galaxy only in German. Additionally, Ninja Storm, Dino Thunder, S.P.D., Mystic Force, and Operation Overdrive saw complete boxset releases in the UK. In France, Mighty Morphin Season 1 and Season 2 have been released in their entirety in 5 episode DVD volumes, and the first 25 episodes of Season 3 were released in May 2008. In Italy, Mighty Morphin, Zeo, Dino Thunder and S.P.D. have appeared in their entirety. Zeo and S.P.D. were made available as commercial DVDs, while Mighty Morphin and Dino Thunder were issued as bi-weekly volumes at newsstands.
The iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
previously made Power Rangers episodes available: part of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is an American live-action children's television series based on the 16th installment of the Japanese Super Sentai franchise, Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. Both the show and its related merchandise saw unbridled overnight success, catapulting into pop culture in mere months...
, all of Power Rangers S.P.D., and the first 26 episodes of Power Rangers Mystic Force. , Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie
Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie
Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie is a 1997 American superhero action science fantasy film directed by David Winning and Shuki Levy. It is set in the Power Rangers universe, serving as a bridge between Power Rangers Zeo and Power Rangers Turbo...
is the only Power Rangers selection available via the iTunes store. On June 15, 2011 all episodes of Power Rangers from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Season 1 to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers re-version
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (re-version)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers ', an American television series created by Haim Saban and Shuki Levy, began airing January 2, 2010, on ABC Kids, and concluded on August 28, 2010. Rather than just a rerun of the first season of MMPR, Buena Vista Television added several visual effects that were not...
were made available for instant streaming on Netflix.
Power Morphicon
The Power Morphicon, the first Power Rangers convention, took place in Los AngelesLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, in 2007. It celebrated fifteen years of Power Rangers on the air at the time, from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993) to Power Rangers Operation Overdrive (2007). A second convention took place from August 27–29, 2010 in Los Angeles, celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of the release of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie.
See also
- List of Power Rangers cast members
- ZordZordIn the universe of the television series Power Rangers, Zords are colossal mechanical or bio-mechanical robotic vehicles. When monsters grow to incredible sizes, usually the only way the Power Rangers can fight them is by summoning and piloting these robots...
- Super SentaiSuper SentaiThe is the name given to the long-running Japanese superhero team genre of shows produced by Toei Co., Ltd., Toei Agency and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi...
- VR TroopersVR TroopersVR Troopers was a syndicated live action show produced by Saban from 1994 to 1996...
- Masked RiderMasked Rider (TV series)Masked Rider is an American adaptation of the Japanese television series Kamen Rider Black RX, the ninth in a line of series in the popular Kamen Rider Series franchise. It was produced by Saban and aired on FOX part of the Fox Kids program block from September 16, 1995 to August 31, 1996 and then...
- Big Bad BeetleborgsBig Bad BeetleborgsBig Bad Beetleborgs is an American television series produced by Saban Entertainment. It aired for two seasons on Fox Kids between September 7, 1996 and March 2, 1998. Reruns later aired on UPN Kids during 1998-1999...
- The Mystic Knights of Tir Na NogThe Mystic Knights of Tir Na NogThe Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nóg is an American television series set in a fantasy version of ancient Ireland, created by Saban Entertainment. It was loosely based on actual Irish mythology. The name derives from Tír na nÓg, one of the Otherworlds of Irish mythology. It was Saban's first fantasy...
- Ninja Turtles: The Next MutationNinja Turtles: The Next MutationNinja Turtles: The Next Mutation or Saban's Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation is an American live-action television series produced by Saban Entertainment, which ran on the Fox Kids network from 1997 to 1998. The short-lived series was based loosely from Mirage Studios' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...
- Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters from Beverly HillsTattooed Teenage Alien Fighters from Beverly HillsTattooed Teenage Alien Fighters From Beverly Hills is an original live-action series which was released by DIC Entertainment and aired on the USA Network during the 1994-1995 season. The show was a low budget attempt to emulate the success of Saban's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.-Synopsis:The show...
- Superhuman Samurai Syber-SquadSuperhuman Samurai Syber-SquadSuperhuman Samurai Syber-Squad is an American television series. It was produced by Tsuburaya Productions, Ultracom and DIC Entertainment, with distribution by All American Television , and ran for two seasons from September 12, 1994 to July 15, 1995 on ABC, as well as syndication...
- Kamen Rider: Dragon KnightKamen Rider: Dragon KnightKamen Rider: Dragon Knight is the Daytime Emmy Award-winning American adaptation of the Japanese tokusatsu series Kamen Rider Ryuki, the twelfth installment of the Kamen Rider Series. It was brought to television by Steve and Michael Wang and produced by Jimmy Sprague through Adness Entertainment...
External links
- Official Power Rangers Website
- Power Rangers at Saban BrandsSaban Capital GroupSaban Capital Group is a global private investment firm based in Los Angeles, California focused on media, entertainment, and communications investments. Formed in 2001 by Haim Saban, Saban Capital Group owns Saban Brands, part of Univision Communications, and part of Tiger Gate Entertainment...
- Power Rangers Universe Wikia
- Power Rangers at BandaiBandaiis a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs...