(for people that only want to watch the pilot, it starts at min 1:43:48)
The full pilot for an American live-action Sailor Moon TV show—conceived and scrapped in the 1990s—has finally made its way to the public. Former Bandai America president Frank Ward gave permission to lost media documentary YouTuber Ray Mona to publish the footage obtained from The Library of Congress.
The pilot is included near the end of a two-part documentary series about the production story behind this unaired piece of television; the footage starts at 1:43:48.
The idea for an Americanized Sailor Moon began in 1993, but Bandai ultimately scrapped it in favor of an English dub based on the original animated footage by Toei Animation. (This would become the DiC Entertainment dub—infamous for its own content changes and script liberties.) The proposed American show would have blended live-action footage by Power Rangers producers Renaissance Atlantic and brand new animation by the North American studio Toon Makers. The team aimed to premiere the show in 1994 on FOX, potentially in the same block as Power Rangers.
The show, known colloquially online as Saban Moon after Power Rangers producer Haim Saban, has a cult status among diehard American Sailor Moon fans; a music video made from a series of cuts from the 17-minute pilot was privately shown at an event at Anime Expo, but was taped by a member in the audience and then leaked online. Only now is the footage available for public viewing in its entirety.
The documentary revealed that Toon Makers producers Raymond Iacovacci, Rocky Solotoff, and Steven Wilzbach cast the five live-action stars for the show and re-used sets from American sitcom Saved by the Bell. The cast included Stephanie Dicker as Sailor Moon (Victoria), Melinda "Mindy" Cowan as Sailor Mercury (Blue), Danny "Dani" DeLacey as Sailor Mars (Dana), Tami-Adrian George as Sailor Jupiter (Lita), and Melendy Britt as the voice of Luna (a white cat) and Adrienne Barbeau as Queen Beryl and Queen Serenity. The actress who portrayed Sailor Venus (Carrie) has not been confirmed.
