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20 years later, and it's still Morphin Time!
With over 800 episodes airing across 150 countries, there’s no denying that the Power Rangers franchise has inspired and empowered multiple generations of fans. In particular, though, it was the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series that started the revolution that would quickly become a staple in many a childhood (including my own).
It’s been almost 20 years since the original show made its debut on Fox Kids, thanks to the show’s developmental pioneer Haim Saban. In honor of that, Comic-Con held a 20th anniversary panel featuring some of old the cast and crew to talk about their experiences working on the show and how it has impacted their own lives over the years. Panelists included Saban Brands president Elie Dekel, MMPR producer-writer Tony Oliver, Walter Jones (the original Black Ranger), Paul Schrier (Bulk), Alex Heartman (the latest Red Ranger in Power Rangers Samurai).
Reflecting on old times, Jones noted that one of the things that made the show work so well back then was the chemistry among the cast. For him, it was their collective working relationship that allowed the show to go on as long as it did.
As Dekel recalled, in addition to the actors, it wasn’t really until the 1990s that a series like MMPR could really click with younger audiences. Saban had struggled for nearly ten years to bring Japan's Super Sentai to the states, adapting the show into what we now know as the Power Rangers. Fortunately, the combination of up-and-coming actors along with the particular climate of the entertainment industry served as a perfect platform for bringing the re-imagined series to life.
It was around the time that Schrier was ready to give his own input that a certain “heckler” spoke out from the audience: none other than Jason Narvy, who played Skull to Schrier’s Bulk. The audience erupted as Narvy made his way on stage. The actor basked in the welcome applause, engaging in a physical slapstick bit with his old partner Schrier, which caused even more uproar from the crowd. Their casual back and forth offered plenty of comic relief throughout the panel.
While the initial fan reception of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was nothing short of “morphinomenal” in 1993, the panel did take note of its dedicated fan base, which has proved to be incredibly loyal over the years. Oliver mentioned that it wasn't until he saw the ongoing chatrooms and message boards still actively discussing the show that he realized now was the best time for releasing the series on DVD for a whole new generation.
Closing out the panel, the audience was shown an updated sizzle reel featuring footage from the new DVDs -- backed by the show’s classic opening theme, of course. And from the clips we saw, Power Rangers has never looked better in DVD quality (speaking as someone who's well worn out his old VHS copies). The 19-disc set (available now) not only collects all 155 episodes of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Alien Rangers, but also includes numerous archival features and retrospective featurettes.
As for the future of the franchise -- which has just finished airing new episodes of Power Rangers Samurai on Nickelodeon -- Dekel assured the giddy audience, "There is no end in site." And as Heartman confirmed with me backstage, the next iteration of the show is already underway.
With over 800 episodes airing across 150 countries, there’s no denying that the Power Rangers franchise has inspired and empowered multiple generations of fans. In particular, though, it was the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series that started the revolution that would quickly become a staple in many a childhood (including my own).
It’s been almost 20 years since the original show made its debut on Fox Kids, thanks to the show’s developmental pioneer Haim Saban. In honor of that, Comic-Con held a 20th anniversary panel featuring some of old the cast and crew to talk about their experiences working on the show and how it has impacted their own lives over the years. Panelists included Saban Brands president Elie Dekel, MMPR producer-writer Tony Oliver, Walter Jones (the original Black Ranger), Paul Schrier (Bulk), Alex Heartman (the latest Red Ranger in Power Rangers Samurai).
Reflecting on old times, Jones noted that one of the things that made the show work so well back then was the chemistry among the cast. For him, it was their collective working relationship that allowed the show to go on as long as it did.
As Dekel recalled, in addition to the actors, it wasn’t really until the 1990s that a series like MMPR could really click with younger audiences. Saban had struggled for nearly ten years to bring Japan's Super Sentai to the states, adapting the show into what we now know as the Power Rangers. Fortunately, the combination of up-and-coming actors along with the particular climate of the entertainment industry served as a perfect platform for bringing the re-imagined series to life.
It was around the time that Schrier was ready to give his own input that a certain “heckler” spoke out from the audience: none other than Jason Narvy, who played Skull to Schrier’s Bulk. The audience erupted as Narvy made his way on stage. The actor basked in the welcome applause, engaging in a physical slapstick bit with his old partner Schrier, which caused even more uproar from the crowd. Their casual back and forth offered plenty of comic relief throughout the panel.
While the initial fan reception of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was nothing short of “morphinomenal” in 1993, the panel did take note of its dedicated fan base, which has proved to be incredibly loyal over the years. Oliver mentioned that it wasn't until he saw the ongoing chatrooms and message boards still actively discussing the show that he realized now was the best time for releasing the series on DVD for a whole new generation.
Closing out the panel, the audience was shown an updated sizzle reel featuring footage from the new DVDs -- backed by the show’s classic opening theme, of course. And from the clips we saw, Power Rangers has never looked better in DVD quality (speaking as someone who's well worn out his old VHS copies). The 19-disc set (available now) not only collects all 155 episodes of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Alien Rangers, but also includes numerous archival features and retrospective featurettes.
As for the future of the franchise -- which has just finished airing new episodes of Power Rangers Samurai on Nickelodeon -- Dekel assured the giddy audience, "There is no end in site." And as Heartman confirmed with me backstage, the next iteration of the show is already underway.
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