If you’re a person of a certain age, the news of a Mighty Morphin Power Rangers movie might sound ridiculously wonderful. Netflix hopes that’s the case, at least, because the streamer is releasing a reunion special called Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always that, if the trailer is any indication, will confuse/terrify actual children, but give their parents a strong dose of nostalgia.
Rita Repulsa is back, baby, and she’s voiced by the same voice actor, Barbara Goodson! (Sadly, Machiko Soga, the Japanese actor who first played Rita passed away, so that’s why Rita is now a robot, I guess.) Rita’s got a new body, but it looks like she’ll be nothing but trouble for the significantly older Power Rangers, most-but-not-all of whom came back for the special.
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Here’s Netflix’s official synopsis:
Thirty years after the wise and powerful Zordon formed the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the team comes face to face with a familiar threat from the past. In the midst of a global crisis, they are called on once again to be the heroes the world needs. This 30th Anniversary Special is inspired by the legendary mantra from the franchise “Once a Ranger, Always a Ranger,” meaning once you become part of the Ranger family, you are always welcome back.
The special sees the return of the original Blue and Black Rangers, David Yost and Walter Jones. It will also see the second iterations of the Red, Yellow, Black, and Pink Rangers played by Steve Cardenas, Karan Ashley, Johnny Yong Bosch, and Catherine Sutherland. Alpha 5 is back and once again voiced by Richard Horvitz. The special also introduces Charlie Kersh as the daughter of the original Yellow Ranger, Trini, since the actor who played Trini, Thuy Trang, passed away in a car accident in 2001. The original Green Ranger, played by Jason David Frank, sadly cannot make an appearance as the actor reportedly died by suicide last year. One presumes that this special will honor him in some way, though it looks like we’ll have to wait for it to hit Netflix to find out how.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always premieres on Netflix on April 19, 2023.
