List of films based on television programs

This a list of television programs that were later adapted into films.

Programs with films which are prequels, sequels or based upon the series

Episodes and pilots released as films

• 100 Things to Do Before High School
• 101 Dalmatians: The Series (101 Dalmatians Christmas)
• Adventures of Superman (feature film pilot episode, Superman and the Mole Men (1951))
• Aladdin (The Return of Jafar and Aladdin and the King of Thieves were the pilot and series finale to the series respectively)
• All Grown Up! (started off as a one-hour TV movie coinciding with Rugrats' 10th anniversary before being spun off into its own series)
• The Amazing Spider-Man
• American Dad! (short film pilot episode, Inside the CIA)
• The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry R.F.D. (TV movie reunion episode, Return to Mayberry (1986))
• Angela Anaconda (opening segment of Digimon: The Movie)
• As Told by Ginger
• Atlantis: Milo's Return (originally conceived as the pilot for a proposed series that was never realised)
• Avatar: The Last Airbender
• Battlestar Galactica (TV pilot edited into a big screen release)
• Belle's Magical World (originally conceived as the pilot for a proposed series that was never realised)
• Ben Casey (TV movie reunion episode, The Return of Ben Casey (1988)
• Big Time Rush
• Bonkers (short film special episode, Pedal to the Medal)
• Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV pilot released as a movie when no networks picked it up)
• Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins
• Cagney & Lacey
• Camp Lazlo (Where's Lazlo?)
• Cannon
• ChalkZone (The Big Blow-Up)
• Checkered Flag (straight-to-video, unsold TV pilot)
• Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (pilot was first aired as a TV movie under the title Rescue Rangers: To the Rescue)
• Code of Vengeance
• Codename: Kids Next Door (Operation I.N.T.E.R.V.I.E.W.S.)
• Columbo (TV movie pilot, Prescription: Murder)
• Cruel Intentions 2 (straight-to-video, failed TV pilot)
• Danny Phantom
• Darkwing Duck (Darkly Dawns the Duck)
• Dexter's Laboratory (short film special episode, Chicken Scratch)
• DuckTales
• The Fairly OddParents (School's Out! The Musical, Fairy Idol, Fairly OddBaby)
• Fantasy Island (pilot episode and its direct sequel Return to Fantasy Island were both aired as two-hour-long made-for-TV movies just two years before the regular series officially debuted)
• Fluppy Dogs (failed pilot for the third WDTA-produced Disney animated TV series)
• Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends (the multi-part pilot episode House of Bloo's, and the two other multi-part episodes Good Wilt Hunting and Destination: Imagination, were all aired as feature-length made-for-TV movies)
• Game of Thrones: The episodes "The Watchers on the Wall" and "The Children" were given a week-long IMAX release.
• Gargoyles (Gargoyles the Movie: The Heroes Awaken)
• Goof Troop (Goof Troop Christmas)
• Green Acres (TV movie reunion episode, Return to Green Acres (1990))
• The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (The Wrath of the Spider Queen, Underfist: Halloween Bash)
• Henry Danger
• Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
• Hey Arnold! (short film pilot episode, 24 Hours to Live)
• House of Mouse (Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse were television series finale direct-to-video animated film to the series and Mickey's House of Villains were pilot to the series respectively)
• iCarly
• The Incredible Hulk
• Ironside
• Jungle Cubs (Born to Be Wild)
• Kim Possible (A Sitch in Time)
• Knight Rider
• The Legend of Tarzan (some episodes were compiled into the direct-to-video animated film Tarzan & Jane)
• Lilo & Stitch: The Series (Stitch! The Movie and Leroy & Stitch were the pilot and series finale to the series respectively)
• The Lone Ranger
• The Love Boat (a trilogy of telefilms preceded the regular series by two years; the fourth and final film based on the show was made just 13 years later)
• Man from Atlantis
• The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (TV movie reunion episode, The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1983))
• Marcus Welby, M.D.
• McCloud
• Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series (Mighty Ducks the Movie: The First Face-Off)
• Mulholland Drive (failed TV pilot)
• My Life as a Teenage Robot (Escape from Cluster Prime)
• The Naked Brothers Band
• Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide (the series finale was aired as a TV movie under the title Ned's Declassified Field Trip)
• The New Adventures of Flash Gordon (Originally conceived and produced as an animated made-for-TV movie, under the title Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure of All, it was later reconfigured into an animated TV series. After the said TV cartoon show version of Flash Gordon ended in 1981, the originally intended feature-length animated film eventually made it to television, just one year later in 1982.)
• The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (Footage from the TV series and its specials were compiled into three direct-to-video animated films, Seasons of Giving, A Very Merry Pooh Year and Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie)
• The Night Stalker
• The Pink Panther (short film special episode, Driving Mr. Pink)
• Recess (Recess Trilogy DVD: Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street, Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade and Recess: All Growed Down, Taking the Fifth Grade was originally conceived as the basis for the seventh and final season of the TV series, but when Disney abruptly concluded the series with no proper ending, the story was hastily retooled into the series finale direct-to-video and made-for-TV film of said name)
• Rocket Power
• Sabrina: The Animated Series and Sabrina's Secret Life, Sabrina: Friends Forever
• The Saint
• Simon & Simon (TV movie pilot and reunion episode, Pirate's Key (1978) and In Trouble Again (1995), respectively)
• South Park (The three-part episode Imaginationland was later compiled into an animated direct-to-video film spin-off of said series under the title South Park Imaginationland: The Movie.)
• SpongeBob SquarePants (SpongeBob's Atlantis SquarePantis, SpongeBob's Truth or Square)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation: Six episodes were released in theaters to coincide with the high-definition release of the series on Blu-ray
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars
• Starsky & Hutch
• The Streets of San Francisco
• The Suite Life of Zack & Cody (The Suite Life Goes Hollywood)
• The Suite Life on Deck (Twister)
• TaleSpin (Plunder & Lightning)
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Turtles Forever)
• Thunderboat Row (unsold TV pilot)
• Timon & Pumbaa (Around the World with Timon & Pumbaa)
• Too Many Thieves (a re-edit of two episodes from The Trials of O'Brien)
• Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie (took place between Power Rangers Zeo and Power Rangers Turbo)
• Twin Peaks (TV pilot released as a film in Europe)
• Unfabulous
• The Untouchables (TV pilot edited into film for theatrical release as The Scarface Mob)
• Zoey 101

Many other series have released pilots or edited multi-part episodes as films overseas, including The Greatest American Hero and The X-Files.

Programs re-edited and released as feature-length films

• The Adventures of Pinocchio
• The Adventures of Robin Hood
• Adventures of Superman
• Amazing Stories
• Ashita no Joe
• Ashita no Joe 2
• Astro Boy
• Battlestar Galactica
• The Best Intentions
• Emil i Lönneberga
• Nya hyss av Emil i Lönneberga
• Emil and the Piglet
• Fist of the North Star (also 1986's Fist of the North Star with more violence)
• Freckled Max and the Spooks
• Galactica 1980
• Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz
• Guns of Diablo (a re-edit of the last episode of The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters)
• I Deal in Danger (a re-edit of Blue Light's first four television episodes)
• I Love Lucy
• La Isla misteriosa y el capitán Nemo
• Journey to the Unknown
• The Lawbreakers (a re-edit of The Asphalt Jungle episode "The Lady and the Lawyer")
• The Man from U.N.C.L.E
• The Master
• Mighty Atom
• Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory
• Mobile Suit Gundam (the final part of the trilogy received a significant amount of new footage)
• Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (re-edited for release in 2005 as a trilogy with new footage)
• Revenge of the Humanoids (a re-edit of some episodes from Once Upon a Time... Space)
• Pippi Longstocking
• Pippi Goes on Board
• Pistols 'n' Petticoats (released theatrically as The Far Out West using selected episodes as "archive footage")
• Puella Magi Madoka Magica Part 1: Beginnings and Puella Magi Madoka Magica Part 2: Eternal (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)
• Rocky Jones, Space Ranger
• Science Ninja Team Gatchaman
• The Secret of the Sword (a re-edit of the She-Ra: Princess of Power's first five television episodes)
• Star Wars: Droids
• Star Wars: Ewoks
• Star Wolf
• Stingray
• Tarzan
• Thunderbirds
• Ultraman (a re-edit of episodes 1, 8, 26 and 27 from the original show)
• Zorro

See also

• List of films based on British television series
• List of films based on British sitcoms
• List of television programs based on films
• List of films based on cartoons

This film, television or video-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it with reliably sourced additions.

External links

• Cinematical Seven: TV Spies That Made Terrible Movies
• Cinematical Seven: TV Continued on the Big Screen