Power Rangers

Power Rangers is a long-running American Entertainment and merchandising franchise built around a live-action television series featuring teams of costumed heroes. The television series takes much of its footage from the long-running Japanese tokusatsu series Super Sentai, produced by Toei Co. Ltd.
Originally created by Saban Entertainment, the franchise was under the ownership of the Walt Disney Company in the 2000s, and a total of seven Power Rangers seasons (named by the series itself as generations) were produced by BVS Entertainment and distributed internationally by Buena Vista International Television. The fans of the series named this phase of the saga as the "Disney Era". A videogame produced by Disney Interactive; named Power Rangers: Super Legends was made for celebrate the franchise's 15th anniversary in 2007. A "remastered" version of the first series was produced in 2010. Later that year, however, Disney sold the franchise and all the seasons of the series to Haim Saban, and between 2011 and 2017, the series was produced by (a Saban Capital Group company) and distributed worldwide by Marvista Entertainment. The sale also included shows related to Power Rangers, like VR Troopers and Beetleborgs.
As of 2018, the franchise is now owned by toy company Hasbro.
==Background==
The concept is based on the Super Sentai series of shows, however, is not an English dub of the original, but rather a new production with English-speaking actors spliced in with the original Japanese footage to varying ratios. Due to the very Japanese nature of many of Super Sentai's stories and cultural differences of moral standards, the American adaptations are generally changed to fit its Western audience.
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 programming that aired on the Fox network. It lasted for three seasons (from 1993 to 1996).
Power Rangers was produced by Saban Entertainment and Renaissance-Atlantic Films from 1993 until the end of 2002 and was broadcast on the Fox Kids Network.
==The Disney Era==
The Walt Disney Company purchased the franchise as part of the buyout of Fox Family Worldwide, which took place in 2001. This buyout also saw Saban Entertainment, the company who co-owned Fox Family Worldwide and the owners of the Power Rangers franchise becoming BVS Entertainment.
The show continued to air on Fox until the company replaced its Fox Kids package with the 4Kids Entertainment-ran "FoxBox" block in the United States. From September 2002, all Power Rangers shows aired on various Disney-owned networks (ABC Kids, Toon Disney, and Jetix channels worldwide). ABC Family, aired Power Rangers until it did away with its Jetix time slot 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 declined to air most of the Power Rangers series since 2006 due to the lack of FCC-compliant.
Even before hand, Disney were not happy or pleased to own the franchise and numerous times during the Ninja Storm and Dino Thunder seasons trying to cancel it outright. However, the franchise was still hugely successful for the Jetix Europe-owned networks, to the point they forced Disney to sign a contract to keep the series running until 2008. By 2008, Disney were growing more and more tired of producing new episodes and series (according to RPM producer Eddie Guzelian, Disney were embarrassed to even be airing the show let alone producing it due to the problems with the mentioned lack of FCC-compliant), with at one point requesting to simply dub episodes of Super Sentai. However, Jetix Europe once again refused to negotiate the contract and with Bandai (then the toy master licensee of the franchise) the two companies agreed to help Disney fund production for Power Rangers RPM.
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 2009 series by BVS Entertainment, RPM, ended on December 26, 2009.
On October 1, 2009, Bandai released a press release, stating that Disney would re-broadcast Mighty Morphin Power Rangers starting in January 2010 on ABC Kids instead of a new series utilizing footage from Samurai Sentai Shinkenger. 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.
==Franchise sale==
After RPM, Disney successfully cancelled the series. On May 12, 2010, Haim Saban announced that through his company Saban Capital Group, had repurchased the Power Rangers franchise, including all the seasons of the series (including the ones that Disney produced). With this, he formed a new division of SCG, called Saban Brands and revived Power Rangers with a new series titled Power Rangers Samurai, and that old and newer seasons would now be aired on Nickelodeon starting in 2011. The franchise has continued on with brand new seasons every two years. Notoriously, the series has maintained the tradition of being recorded in New Zealand, an initiative taken by Disney since 2003 with Ninja Storm.
Five shows that were related to the Power Rangers franchise - VR Troopers, Big Bad Beetleborgs, Masked Rider, Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation, and Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog, were also repurchased by Haim Saban with their copyrights transitioning from BVS Entertainment to Saban Capital Group.
Jonathan Tzachor (producer of the Samurai season) stated that any season that was produced under Disney was to be declared non-canon. However, while this may be his personal view, Samurai (a Saban season) crossed over with RPM (a Disney season) in The Clash of the Red Rangers. Later on, some Disney Rangers made special appearances on the anniversary episodes of both Power Rangers Megaforce and Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel.
Seven years later, in 2018, just after being named the new toy master licensee for the franchise after Bandai lost the rights, Hasbro (which is also the toy master licensee of many Disney franchises, most notably the Marvel Comics characters and Star Wars) acquired the franchise from Saban Brands along other properties, with Power Rangers Beast Morphers (the first Hasbro-produced season) premiering on Nickelodeon on March 2, 2019. Saban Brands was eventually shut down after this buyout.
===Movies ownership===
While Lionsgate is the owner and distributor of the 2017 film, with Hasbro planning to reboot the movie-franchise with Paramount Pictures in the near future, the first two theatrical features based on the series (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie and Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie) were released by 20th Century Fox and have remained under their ownership to this day. When the Walt Disney Company merged with 21st Century Fox on March 20, 2019, both movies came with the sale and thus Disney once again owns pieces of Power Rangers history. Ironically, Shout! Factory, which has a licensing deal with Hasbro for most of its catalog (including Power Rangers), has released Blu-ray versions of both movies under its separate licensing deal with Fox.
===Comic license===
In 2016, the American comic book company Boom! Studios acquired the exclusive comic book license to the Power Rangers franchise. Three years later on March 20, 2019, The Walt Disney Company inherited Fox's minority stake in the company following their acquisition of 21st Century Fox. Boom! Studios continues to hold the comic book license to this day, and continues to publish new issues in the series. Since then, Hasbro has also released action figures with the Boom! Studios branding on the packaging for new characters or pre-existing ones with original designs featured in the comics. In 2024, Disney sold its stake of Boom! Studios as the comic book company was in the process of being bought out by Random House Publishing, ending any remaining involvement with Boom!.
==Generations made by Disney==
*Power Rangers Wild Force (only post-production, produced by Saban Entertainment) (adaptation of Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger)
*Power Rangers Ninja Storm (adaptation of Ninpu Sentai Hurricaneger)
*Power Rangers Dino Thunder (adaptation of Bakuryuu Sentai Abaranger)
*Power Rangers S.P.D. (adaptation of Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger)
*Power Rangers Mystic Force (adaptation of Mahou Sentai Magiranger)
*Power Rangers Operation Overdrive (adaptation of GoGo Sentai Boukenger)
*Power Rangers Jungle Fury (adaptation of Juken Sentai Gekiranger)
*Power Rangers RPM (adaptation of Engine Sentai Go-Onger)
*Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (2010 Re-Version) (adaptation of Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger)
==Video Games==
Some video games were released during the Disney Era, most of them licensed by THQ. These are:
*Power Rangers Wild Force (published by THQ, developed by for the Game Boy Advance)
*Power Rangers Ninja Storm (published by THQ, developed by Natsume for the Game Boy Advance and by Artech Studios for PC)
*Power Rangers Dino Thunder (published by THQ, developed by for the Nintendo GameCube and the PlayStation 2 and by Natsume for the Game Boy Advance)
* (published by THQ, developed by Natsume for the Game Boy Advance)
*Power Rangers: Super Legends (published by Disney Interactive Studios, developed by for the PlayStation 2 and PC and by for the Nintendo DS)
==Theme Parks==
Before the Disney Era, the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers made appearances in the Disney Hollywood Studios park during the first seasons of the television series, but then vanished. During the Disney Era, since 2005 to 2010, five Rangers (every from one season) were presented in the same park in different time slots (see image). They came in a special themed car in a different hour and later they leave the place until the next time slot. The shows ended in 2010 after Haim Saban purchased back the franchise.
====Gallery====
Disneymgm1.jpg|The Power Rangers made their first Walt Disney World debut in 2005.
Power Rangers at Disney 2008.jpg|The Power Rangers in 2008.
Power Rangers at Disney 2009-2010.jpg|The Rangers in the 2009-2010 presentations.
Power Rangers Car.jpg|The Power Rangers Car.
Power Rangers Time Sign.jpg|The Rangers' time slots presentations.
==Animated Series Plans==
Disney originally had plans to create an animated version of the Power Rangers between 2007 and 2009. These plans were later cancelled for unknown reasons. Outside of a concept art (pictured right) and an unreleased animation demo, there's no information about this project. According to some sources, the series was planned to air on Disney XD.
While unknown if it was pitched before or after Disney's own attempt, animation studio Nerd Corps Entertainment (now known as DHX Studios Vancouver) pitched a Power Rangers animated series to Disney in the mid-late 2000s. To help sell the idea, a crew of three hastily produced a promotional short over the course of a weekend (). Disney turned down the offer.
==Trivia==
*During the first years of the show, Marvel Comics published a series of comic books based on the third season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. This was during almost the same time Marvel published some Disney comics, and way before Disney owned either of both franchises.
**Notably; both Marvel Entertainment and Power Rangers were owned by Disney at the same time during five months and twelve days, since Marvel was acquired by Disney on December 31, 2009 and Power Rangers was sold to Saban on May 12, 2010. While it is unknown, is unlikely that Marvel had plans for the franchise during that short time.
**Also, Marvel co-produced the third, fourth, and fifth installment of the Super Sentai series along with Toei Company.
*Boom! Studios (which had for some time the license to publish some Disney comics) is the current publisher of the Power Rangers comic books and graphic novels. In 2019, a minority stake holdings of the comic company owned by 20th Century Fox transferred over to Disney upon acquisition of the studio.
==References==
==External links==
*
*For more on the Power Rangers franchise and the Japanese series it is based off of, visit RangerWiki.
Category:Non-Disney
Category:Former Disney subsidiaries and assets
Category:Ex-Disney franchises
Category:ABC Kids