Power Rangers was a staple of television for 30 years, and over the course of that timeframe, the franchise also expanded to the realms of comics, video games, board games, and feature films. There is one realm that the franchise has never expanded to, despite the demand from fans, and that is the realm of animation. Fans have wanted an animated Power Rangers for a long time, and what makes that even more frustrating is that we were this close to an animated Power Rangers movie from the very studio that would go on to make Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir a massive hit, and it looked fantastic.
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In 2015, Saban still owned the Power Rangers franchise, and there hadn’t been a Power Rangers movie in quite some time. There also hadn’t been an animated Power Rangers project of any kind to that point, but thanks to leaked footage, posters, and concept art, it came to light that Saban had been working with ZAGG Animation Studios (Miraculous) to create an animated Power Rangers movie (via Ranger_Esp), which was titled Power Rangers: Origins. As you can see below, ZAGG captured the same sort of high-energy animation style and character designs that Miraculous has become known for, but it was ultimately cancelled, with work moving to the 2017 live-action reboot.
What Was Power Rangers Origins?
There’s not a lot of official details on Power Rangers: Origins, but leaked concept art, clips, and posters give a sense of what the studio was going for (Legacy of Nerd). The film follows the original five Rangers, and while the costume designs are largely the iconic ones from the original series, the multiple diamond pattern is changed to just one solitary white diamond on the chest and white armor pieces on the shoulders. It creates a much cleaner look while still being unmistakably Mighty Morphin.
The gloves, boots, and helmets pretty much remain the same, though there is a sleekness to the costumes and the character designs overall. We also get a look at Zordon and Alpha 5, and the character posters leap off the page.
Concept art also reveals the first look at the Dinozords, and they received a sleek redesign as well. Smoother lines and vibrant colors pop, and the Mastodon and Triceratops seem to be the most overhauled of the group. We also get a look at the Megazord, and amongst the various versions, we see a more slender Megazord that’s a bit taller, as well as a stockier Megazord with bigger boots and a beaming power sword.
To this day, the franchise has yet to make a jump to animation, but it would be amazing to see that finally happen at some point during Power Rangers‘ Hasbro era. That seems to have a better chance at happening now that Hasbro isn’t going to directly adapt Sentai for future seasons and doesn’t have to answer to anyone else about pursuing animation, but only time will tell.
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