Power Rangers Origins (partially found cancelled animated film; 2012)

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Screenshot from the trailer showcasing the Mega Zord vs. an unnamed monster.

Status: Partially Found

Power Rangers Origins was a proposed CG-animated movie adaptation of Saban Entertainment's 1993-1995 Mighty Morphin Powers Rangers live-action TV show - itself an adaptation of Toei's Japanese live-action series Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. The film was to be produced by Saban Brands, ZAG Inc., and Onyx Films. It was never officially announced, but production was allegedly halted in 2012, presumably to focus the brand on the then-upcoming 2017 live-action film.[1]

The animated film's existence came to light when a development trailer (narrated by a Don LaFontaine-esque voice) was discovered on January 29, 2015, by a member of the RangerBoard forums, a website devoted to the Power Rangers franchise.[2] Initially, fans were skeptical of the video's legitimacy, but it had been uploaded onto Vimeo on September 5, 2013, by a director working for the French animation studio ZAG. SAMG Animation, a Korean studio ZAG has partnered up with multiple times in the past, lists "Power Rangers 3D" on their website as a 2011 project they worked on in collaboration with ZAG.[3] A poster for Power Rangers can be seen in a Licensing Expo 2015 trailer for the duo's Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir animated series.[4][5] In 2014, Saban Brands announced a partnership with ZAG to create animated feature films, though Power Rangers wasn't mentioned.[6]

Shortly after its discovery, Saban Brands and Onyx Films pulled down nearly all copies of the film's trailer.[7][8][1] While the original video was uploaded in 1080p, only a much lower resolution version can still be found online.[9][10] In September 2024, posters for the film were listed for sale on eBay.[11] Shortly after, a variety of documents relating to the film were shared on 4chan.[12] This included direct files for the aforementioned posters, a Power Point presentation pitch, concept art and an alternate version of the ending clip of Trini removing her helmet with a different voice.[13]

Due to Saban's secrecy regarding the project, it's not known how far into development the film got before cancellation.

Gallery

Low-resolution copy of the teaser.

References