Unless you’re a diehard Power Rangers fan or an avid Disney Parks-goer in the U.S. (or both), it’s easy to forget that the color-coded, spandex-wearing superheroes once graced Walt Disney World Resort with their “mighty morphin” presence. In fact, it’s just as easy to forget that the Rangers also fell under the Disney banner for a short time in the early 2000s.
Power Rangers at Disney Parks
The Power Rangers used to make regular appearances at Disney’s Hollywood Studios decades ago, back when it was known as Disney–MGM Studios.
They included the original Mighty Morphin lineup, Time Force, Wild Force, Ninja Storm, Dino Thunder, Space Patrol Delta, Mystic Force, and Operation Overdrive iterations, appearing on their own float (stylized as a special vehicle) as part of the park’s Stars and Motor Cars Parade, along with some meet-and-greets.
Disney owned Power Rangers through its purchase of Saban Entertainment in 2002 until it was bought back in May 2010.
Disney Power Rangers Reboot
Following the reacquisition, Saban would churn out more seasons of the show until reselling the IP to Hasbro in 2018. But earlier this year, according to a report from TheWrap, the toy giant has now teamed up with Disney to work on a new Power Rangers series for Disney+.
“Percy Jackson and the Olympians showrunners Jonathan E. Steinberg and Dan Shotz are in talks to write, show-run and produce a live-action Power Rangers series for Disney+ and 20th Century TV,” the report reads. “Hasbro will produce the series, which will reinvent the franchise for a whole new generation of fans while delighting those who already know and love the world of Power Rangers.”
Related: Disney’s Live-Action ‘Power Rangers’ Reboot: Everything We Know
The History of Power Rangers Across All Media
The original TV series first appeared on our screens in 1993. Combining color-coded superheroes with dinosaur-themed assault vehicles, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers utilized footage from the Japanese show Super Sentai in addition to its original American footage, and swiftly became a pop culture phenomenon, ruling the toy market for years.
The series maintained its original continuity for several seasons before undergoing numerous reinventions on television, all the while churning out content that spanned other mediums of storytelling, including comic books, video games, and theatrical movie releases.
In 1995, they ditched the spandex for armor in their cinematic debut, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995). The straight-to-video film, Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie (1997) followed, but they wouldn’t return to the big screen for 20 years.
In 2017, the reboot starring Naomi Scott (Kimberly Hart, the Pink Ranger) and Bryan Cranston (Zordon) grossed $142.5 million worldwide (over its $100-105 million budget) and was met with mostly positive reviews from audiences and critics. Unfortunately, the box office performance wasn’t enough to justify continuing with the many planned sequels.
Related: 4 Reasons Why ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie’ Is Awesome
Will They Return to Disney Parks in the Future?
If the Hasbro/Disney+ reboot really is happening, there’s no reason to think these characters won’t return to Disney Parks in some shape or form one day.
While the American toy and entertainment giant Hasbro still has ownership, it’s possible that these iconic superheroes could make an appearance, whether at Disneyland or Disney World. Either way, the parks are definitely missing out on some mighty morphin action.
Power Rangers isn’t big enough to justify a themed land, though (maybe back in the ’90s), but a theme park attraction like a roller coaster wouldn’t be out of the question. Imagine stepping into a “Zord car” and embarking on a high-speed ride through familiar set pieces such as the Command Center and the evil Rita Repulsa‘s moon lair, before witnessing a truly epic battle between the Megazord and one of Rita’s giant, city-destroying monsters.
Would you like to see the Power Rangers at Disney Parks? Let us know!
The post Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Could Return to WDW After Upcoming Reboot appeared first on Inside the Magic.
