WatchingMighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movieon VHS is one of my favorite childhood memories, which is why learning that the film isn’t canon was so heartbreaking.Power Rangersis more thanMighty Morphin, but we can’t deny how big of an impact the original series had on pop culture. Over 30 years after the premiere ofMighty Morphin, characters like Jason, Kimberly, and Rita Repulsa remain pillars of thePower Rangersfranchiseacross different media even though there have been dozens of other teams since then.
The 1990s’Power Rangersmania is one of the main reasons why the franchise remains so popularto this day. Even thoughPower Rangersis primarily aimed at younger audiences, those who grew up withMighty Morphinand other Zordon Era shows will always have a soft spot for the franchise. Even someone who hasn’t watchedPower Rangersin years will remember names like Rita Repulsa, Lord Zedd, or Ivan Ooze. Interestingly, neither Ivan Ooze nor anything else from the1995Power Rangersmoviewas ever part of the show’s official canon.
Learning That Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie Isn’t Canon Was Heartbreaking
My Favorite Power Rangers Story Never Happened In Canon
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie(1995) featured thecast ofMMPRin a brand-new adventure but is not considered canon. The film works as an alternate take on the TV series and makes both small and significant changes to the preestablishedPower Rangerscanon. From the design of the Command Center to how Zordon’s energy tube works,thePower Rangersmovie includes dozens of inconsistencies when compared to the TV showand cannot be considered part of theMighty Morphincanon. Instead, it is better perceived as a standalone adventure set in an alternate continuity.
Of the many small differences between thePower Rangersmovie and the TV show, one is that Tommy calls for"White Tiger"while morphing in the film instead of"Tiger Zord"like in the TV show. Weapons that had never been shown in the series as well as a brand new Rita Repulsa henchmen, Mordant, were also included in the movie and never showed up in the series.
As a kid who would watchPower Rangers: The Moviealmost every day, those inconsistencies were never a problem. WhileI did notice that the Power Rangers' costumes and the Command Center suddenly looked much betterthan they had ever looked on the show, I was still a few years away from becoming worried about canon and continuity. Still, once I realized that there was no way thePower Rangersmovie could fit into the same universe as the TV show, I can’t say I wasn’t disappointed. My favoritePower Rangersadventure had never been a canon story.
Ivan Ooze, one of the most iconic Power Rangers villains from the 1990s, never appeared in the TV show.
The concept of “canon” in a TV show aimed at children is very loose, butPower Rangersat least tried to keep its main universe somewhat consistent. For example, in “Clash of the Red Rangers,” the show establishes thatPower RangersR.P.M.takes place in an alternate universe from the other shows, which solved quite a few inconsistencies created byR.P.M.’s post-apocalyptic setting. Likewise,Dino Chargeavoided retconningMMPRandDino Thunderby taking place in a different universe entirely. That said, not even the multiverse angle can help the 1995 movie’s canon status.
Why Power Rangers Told The Same Story Twice (In The 1995 Movie And MMPR Season 3)
MMPR Season 3 Did A Different Version Of The Movie’s Story
Whereas shows likeR.P.M.andDino Chargeare still part of thePower RangersTV canon despite taking place in alternate realities,the 1995Mighty Morphinfilm exists as its own thing separated from the rest of the franchise.Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Moviewas produced by Saban like the TV show but was released by 20th Century Fox. While it’s unclear who has the rights to what when it comes to the movie, the fact is that none of the new characters fromPower Rangers: The Moviewas ever used byPower Rangersagain.
Canon Power Rangers Shows, Movies, And Specials
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Cosmic Fury
For example, Ivan Ooze, one of the most iconicPower Rangersvillains from the 1990s, never appeared in the TV show. Ooze never appeared in thePower Rangerscomic books either, although there was once a species in the background that looked quite similar to the purple villain. To make things more complicated,Mighty MorphinPower Rangersseason 3 retold the story of how the Rangers went from their classic powers to their Ninja powers.The “Ninja Quest” episodes are essentially an alternate version of what happened in the movie.
Regardless of its canon status, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie still holds up almost 30 years later.
Power Rangers: The Movieborrowed costumes and designs fromKakuranger, aSuper Sentaiseasonthat was also used as the basis for certain episodes ofMighty Morphinseason 3.In “Ninja Quest,” the Rangers have to find Ninjor, the creator of the power coins,to get new powers. In the movie, they meet Dulcea, an old friend of Zordon, who tests them before giving them access to the Animal Spirits. In other words, if you watchPower Rangersseason 3 after the movie or vice versa, you will watch pretty much the same story twice.
Power Rangers (1995) Is Still Incredibly Fun & Rewatchable Despite Not Being Canon
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie Has Aged Well
Regardless of its canon status,Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Moviestill holds up almost 30 years later. It is an incredibly fun movie that captures everything that made the originalPower Rangersshow so special. Everything feels bigger and more carefully crafted compared to the series, which isn’t surprising given that the movie had a much bigger budget than the averagePower Rangersepisode. From the reimagined costumes to the new weapons and Zords,I could never get tired of rewatching thePower Rangersmovie.
Power Rangers Finally Delivered The Scene Every Mighty Morphin Fan Had Been Waiting For Since The 1990s
It took 29 years, but Power Rangers finally delivered a team-up every Mighty Morphin fan had dreamed of seeing since the original 1990s show.
Whereas someepisodes ofMighty MorphinPower Rangerscan be hard to sit through in 2024, the film holds up surprisingly well. The fact that it is a standalone adventure means that the movie has a clear beginning, middle, and end and can be watched even if you don’t have much context aboutPower Rangers. It’s important to note thattheMMPRmovie was filmed when Austin St. John, Thuy Trang, and Walter Emanuel Jones had already exited the show.The film sees Rocky (Steve Cardenas), Aisha (Karan Ashley), and Adam (Johnny Yong Bosch) as the Red, Yellow, and Black Rangers.
Power Rangers: The Movie Not Being Canon Means It Never Got A Sequel
While there was anotherPower Rangersmovie two years after theMighty Morphinfilm, it was not a proper sequel.Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movieremained as a standalone, separate property, withTurbo: APower RangersMovieserving instead as a prelude to thePower RangersTurboTV show. To this day, theTurbofilm is the only TV-canonPower Rangersmovie. Released in 1997,Turbo: A Power Rangers Moviecovered the transition from the Zeo powers to the Turbo ones.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Moviewas also the name of a video game based on the film released for SNES, Game Boy, Game Gear, and Genesis.
AfterTurbo,Power Rangerswould only return to the big screen 10 years later withPower Rangers(2017). The reboot reimagined the characters and the costumes ofMighty Morphinand delivered a more grounded, mature take on the Power Rangers. Despite a positive reception from the fanbase – myself included –Power Rangers(2017) sadly flopped at the box office and never got a sequel. Although I like to rewatch the 2017 film from time to time,Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movieremains my favorite film in the franchise.
Power Rangers
Power Rangersis a long-running multimedia franchise that debuted in 1993 with the TV seriesMighty Morphin Power Rangers. Created by Haim Saban and adapted from the JapaneseSuper Sentaiseries,Power Rangersbecame a cultural phenomenon by combining action-packed footage fromSuper Sentaiwith new scenes featuring American actors. The franchise follows teams of young heroes who transform into Power Rangers to battle various villains, using martial arts, special powers, and giant mechas called Zords. Over the decades, the franchise has expanded into multiple TV series, films, comics, video games, and merchandise, becoming one of the most successful children’s franchises in the world.
