The Made For T.V Movie

 I love cartoons and have watched many episodes of series on Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and the Disney Channel. Many shows on these channels, whether they be animated or live action, would have special episodes; they would be heavily advertised and would take up the whole run time, sometimes longer or span multiple episodes. I may have to discuss that someday, but today I was looking back on the made-for-TV movies, which not only sported the longer run times but were advertised as such, so why not talk about movies that never saw a big screen but I still hold plenty of nostalgia for. 

Many animated series had a movie that made it to the big screen, from SpongeBob to Recess and PowerPuff Girls. I even saw some of these big-screen epic adventures, but those can be discussed at a different time. I am purely focusing on the made-for-television movies. 

Many of these TV movies would take an hour of run time, which is the length of three episodes with commercials, throwing in commercials, taking an hour and a half to two hours to air. Some of my personal favorites have to be "Ego Trip", from Dexter's Laboratory, "The Steven Universe Movie", from the series it's named after, "Sumer Belongs To You" from Phineas and Ferb, and "Channel Chasers" from Fairly Odd Parents, just to name a few. Live action shows I followed had plenty of these as well, some even using a movie as a series finale or final episode.

These movies would often take what the series is known for and push everything to the extreme in terms of scope and stakes. If the final piece of media released for the series was a made-for-TV movie, then it is considered the finale of that series, giving said series an almost grand send-off. Such as "The Big Picture Show" for Ed, Edd, N Eddy, or "Trouble In Tokyo" for the 2003 version of Teen Titans.

Special episodes sometimes have the same longer run time but more often fill a shorter run time, break a plot into multiple parts, or cover a holiday. For example, all three of the "Jimmy Timmy Power Hour" episodes are just one-hour-long crossover episodes. Amazing crossover episodes that I will have to cover in another post someday, as my nostalgia for them is through the roof. The difference between a special and made-for-TV movie is a very thin and blurred line as an argument can be made for some to consider one or the other. Both would often be sold separately on DVD; some I owned, even owning "Ego Trip" on VHS.

I think back to the grand settings of some of these movies, and how they felt special even if they didn't make it to the big screen. Clearly, not all ideas can make it to a larger budget and wide release, with a cool kids', meal toy to match. The Codename Kids Next Door movie "Operation Z.E.R.O " is an epic adventure with amazing character moments and some solid humor. When I first watched it, I was glued to the TV until the credits rolled and would tune in to repeat viewings. 

These moments of a show I loved getting a big story where the creativity could really be showcased and remind me why I loved the series in question to begin with, are memories I hold dearly. The advertisements for them hyping me up for their release of, ensuring I tuned into that channel that night. Even if it was a repeated showing, sometimes it was so fun to sew again and experience. Not every one of these releases got a physical release so sometimes I would have to count on it being aired again. Every now and again, a modern series will get a new movie, but now it is made for streaming instead of television, no longer an event we count down to, but rather just placed on a streaming service. 

Most series have a story and play out that a movie is more of a surprise; they can still happen, and when they do, they can be a real treat when done well. Just like when they were back then. The moments where a show I loved would get an epic story that was self-contained, perhaps with a new, greater threat, or even returning threats. Whether it was to give the audience something different or send the series off, these were special. They were great even without ever needing a ticket to view or getting a DVD release.