A Power Rangers Fan Film Is Kicking Up Controversy After AI Allegations Surface Online

1 month ago 20

John Dodge is an MTV Writer for CBR who specializes in movies, television, comics, and pop culture. He has a deep knowledge of franchises like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Marvel, and DC Comics, along with a passion for indie and horror titles. An expert on obscure productions from the ’80s and ’90s, John is known for his encyclopedic recall of cult classics like Beetleborgs.

The latest (semi)-official Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series fell apart as soon as it started due to the use of generative artificial intelligence.

As seen online, the official trailer and subsequent material for Ninja Kidz Presents: Ninja Kidz Power Rangers has already been made private on the Ninja Kidz YouTube channel, effectively locking out any new viewers from checking it out for themselves. While the teaser trailer is still available on various social media feeds (as seen below), the video is unavailable on YouTube, with many citing the overwhelmingly negative response to the series' alleged use of generative AI as the reason for the media being pulled.

The Ninja Kidz TV YouTube channel debuted back in early 2017, and in that time has ballooned in popularity to the point of currently boasting over 24 million subscribers. The channel bills itself as the producer of "family-friendly entertainment that features action-packed adventures, hilarious comedy, and energetic music videos." Viewers can find all manner of fan films on The Ninja Kidz TV YouTube channel, with young actors and athletes taking on roles ranging from the Justice League and DC Comics homages to the likes of Sonic the Hedgehog.

Among the channel's many fan films are numerous Power Rangers videos, which Ninja Kidz TV has been producing for at least seven years. While these fan films were always just that, the Ninja Kidz Presents: Ninja Kidz Power Rangers was developed as part of an official collaboration with Hasbro, the current owner of the Power Rangers franchise. As such, the Ninja Kidz Presents: Ninja Kidz Power Rangers had access to greater resources and a larger budget than the channel's usual productions, yet viewers quickly found seemingly countless instances of the use of generative AI in the teaser trailer. This led to widespread derision of the trailer on social media and, presumably, the trailer being made private on YouTube.

What's Next For the Power Rangers?

Karan Ashley as Aisha Campbell/Yellow Ranger, Johnny Yong Bosch as Adam Park/Black Ranger, Steve Cardenas as Rocky DeSantos/Red Ranger, Jason David Frank as Tommy Oliver/White Ranger, Amy Jo Johnson as Kimberly Hart/Pink Ranger and David Yost as Billy Cranston/Blue Ranger from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers The Movie (1995).

Currently, the Power Rangers franchise exists in a state of limbo that it has never previously faced. Following the conclusion of Power Rangers: Cosmic Fury, the mainline series that ran for 32 years was officially brought to a close. This, coupled with the cancellation of Netflix's planned Power Rangers universe of films and television shows, has left fans with no new Power Rangers productions to look forward to on the big or small screen for the first time in over three decades. Fortunately, BOOM! Studios has continued putting out new Power Rangers comics, albeit after ending their own eight-year epic that helped redefine the entire franchise.

Power Rangers titles can be streamed on Netflix, Pluto TV, and Tubi.