Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Logo for the original Power Rangers series
Also known asMMPR
GenreAction
Adventure
Science fantasy
Superhero
Created byHaim Saban
Shuki Levy
Based onKyōryū Sentai Zyuranger
Gosei Sentai Dairanger
& Ninja Sentai Kakuranger
by Toei Company
Developed bySaban Entertainment
Toei Company
StarringJason David Frank
Thuy Trang
Austin St. John
Walter Emanuel Jones
Amy Jo Johnson
David Yost
Johnny Yong Bosch
Karan Ashley
Steve Cardenas
Catherine Sutherland
Paul Schrier
Jason Narvy
David Fielding
Voices ofBarbara Goodson
Richard Steven Horvitz
Robert L. Manahan
Robert Axelrod
Kerrigan Mahan
Dave Mallow
Michael Sorich
Wendee Lee
Bob Papenbrook
Kim Strauss
Tony Oliver
Narrated byDave Mallow (series announcer, "Today/previously on Power Rangers" segments)
Theme music composerRon Wasserman
ComposersShuki Levy
Haim Saban (as Kussa Mahchi)
Ron Wasserman
Kenneth Burgomaster
Country of originUnited States
Japan
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
1 (Re-version)
No. of episodes145
32 (Re-version)
Production
Executive producersHaim Saban
Shuki Levy
James Simone (Re-version)
ProducersRonnie Hadar
Jonathan Tzachor
Dan Evans III (Re-version)
Production locationsCalifornia (Santa Clarita & Los Angeles)
Japan (Greater Tokyo Area Tokyo, Saitama, Yokohama and Kyoto)
CinematographyIlan Rosenberg
Sean Mclin (2nd unit)
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time20–21 minutes
Production companiesSaban Entertainment
Renaissance Atlantic Entertainment
Toei Company, Ltd.
MMPR Productions, Inc.
Original release
NetworkFox (Fox Kids)
ReleaseAugust 28, 1993 (1993-08-28) –
November 27, 1995 (1995-11-27)
Related
Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (MMPR) is an American superhero television series that premiered on August 28, 1993, on the Fox Kids programming block. It is the first entry of the Power Rangers franchise, and became a 1990s pop culture phenomenon along with a large line of toys, action figures, and other merchandise.[1] The show adapted stock footage from the Japanese TV series Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger (1992–1993), which was the 16th installment of Toei's Super Sentai franchise.[2] The second and third seasons of the show drew elements and stock footage from Gosei Sentai Dairanger and Ninja Sentai Kakuranger, respectively, though the Zyuranger costumes were still used for the lead cast in these two seasons. Only the mecha and the Kiba Ranger (White Ranger) costume from Dairanger were featured in the second season while only the Kakuranger mecha was featured in the third season, though the Kakuranger costumes were later used for the mini-series Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers. The series was produced by MMPR Productions and distributed by Saban Entertainment, while the show's merchandise was produced and distributed by Bandai Entertainment.

While a global storyline would continue in Power Rangers Zeo, Power Rangers Turbo, Power Rangers in Space, and Power Rangers Lost Galaxy (which could be considered respectively and unofficially as the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh seasons of the original series), the subsequent series would not be sequels or spin-offs in the traditional sense, having self-contained plots with no strong connection with the original series (except taking place in the same universe, not being reboots). The exceptions would be Power Rangers Dino Thunder, which could be considered as a continuation of the original classic series by having the presence of the character Tommy Oliver (the Green Ranger and later White Ranger, portrayed by Jason David Frank) as part of the regular team of Rangers of the generation of that series (in some of the other series the character only made special participations). Another series connected to the original classic series would be Power Rangers Operation Overdrive, as one of the main villains of this series, Thrax, is the son of Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd, main villains of the classic series.

In 2010, a remake of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, with a revised new look of the original 1993 logo, comic book-referenced graphics, and extra alternative visual effects, was broadcast on ABC Kids, and Bandai produced brand new toys to coincide with the series. Only the first 32 of season one's 60 episodes were remade. It was the final Power Rangers season to air on ABC Kids as Haim Saban re-acquired the franchise from Disney, who took over the rights in 2002. With the beginning of Power Rangers Samurai in 2011, the franchise had moved to Nickelodeon.[3][4]

The original series also spawned the feature film Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, released by 20th Century Fox on June 30, 1995. Despite mixed reviews, it was a success at the box office,[5] and earned a cult following. In 1997, a second film titled Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie was released as a bridge between the series Power Rangers Zeo and Power Rangers Turbo. In 2017, a reboot film based on the original series was distributed by Lionsgate, simply titled Power Rangers.[6] Due to both the film's financial failure and Hasbro's acquisition of the franchise in 2018, another reboot is in development.[7][8]

A television special titled Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always commemorated the 30th anniversary of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and premiered on Netflix on April 19, 2023, with returning cast members David Yost, Walter Emanuel Jones, Steve Cardenas, Johnny Yong Bosch, Karan Ashley, Catherine Sutherland, Barbara Goodson, and Richard Steven Horvitz who reprised their roles. Charlie Kersh portrayed Minh, the daughter of Trini Kwan and the third Yellow Ranger.[9]

  1. ^ "Bandai Co., Ltd | Global Development". Archived from the original on 2013-04-01. Retrieved 2010-02-07.
  2. ^ "Toei Company Profile| Toei". Retrieved 2012-08-27.
  3. ^ "Press release: Bandai America Powers Up Like It's 1993; Brings Back Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in New Toy Line | Bandai America". 2009-10-01. Archived from the original on 2009-10-04. Retrieved 2009-10-02.
  4. ^ "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: TV Listings". TV Guide. Retrieved 20 December 2009.
  5. ^ "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers (1995)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  6. ^ "Power Ranger Reboot Moves To Early 2017". ScreenRant. 2015-04-30. Retrieved 2015-05-15.
  7. ^ Schmidt, JK (June 3, 2022). "Power Rangers Movie to Reboot Again With New Cast". ComicBook. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  8. ^ Kit, Borys (13 December 2019). "'Power Rangers' Reboot in the Works With Creator of 'It's the End of the F---ing World' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  9. ^ Gomez, Patrick (17 January 2023). "Original 'Power Rangers' stars reunite for 30th anniversary Netflix special". EW.com. Retrieved 13 March 2023.