What if the original pilot was released as an animated feature film around Xmas 1987?
 

Some franchises before having a TV series, both animated and non-animated, got it start through a movie. From M*A*S*H to many Disney films, various levels of successes were found. Now it comes to this question: What if instead of syndicating for a week on TV a few times, the original first five episodes were instead released as a feature film? Being around 105 minutes total for what is now known as "Season 1", it would have been a great length, long for an animated feature in fact, to kick start the Turtles in a different way, rather than waiting until 1990 to instead see live action on the big screen. While I suspect that the "risk factor" is what denied a release, they definately could have started the craze much sooner, especially with all the trailers/posters you see, and if the first wave of Playmates were pushed up a bit (or perhaps delay the movie to Spring 1988 instead of Christmas 1987). The G1 franchise could have really kickstarted their success with millions of extra dollars through box office revenues, and have increased media attention. I've read a topic on this board about "Why no animated feature film", and I may find that the best opportunity turned out to be the miniseries based on my findings. The animation quality is great, there is good movement from action to dialogue to jokes, and instead of being somewhat under the radar today as "Season 1", this could have been named simply "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and been the definitive movie. Now on the other hand, when the Turtles went live action to the big screen in 1990, it would have required a slight change to the title had this happened, maybe simply "TMNT" or "Ninja Turtles Live!" Of course, this would have been probably PG with some of the violence, but in that era before Internet and when VHS was still rather expensive, an animated TMNT movie in late 1987/early 1988 could have done quite well. And with second-run movie theathers still big back then, it easily could have gotten some more revenue through the spring and summer before having the proper TV Series begin in the fall of 1988.

I wonder how well it would've done in the theater though. At the time it was the original cartoon that introduced a large percentage of kids to the world of TMNT. Without any previous exposure, I question whether it would've done all that well in the theater.

So do I bc think that it would have not done that well and actaully hindered the TMNT franchise, bc kids want to watch tv and they cant afford to buy themselves tickets, I dont think parents would be so open to taking there children to go see Ninja Turtles wielding dangerous ninja weapons:ohwell:

Watching the five episodes in a movie - nothing cut at all - would be pretty cool, and it'd be easier to see the story connection.

But it wouldn't have been uncut. In theater they would've aired "The Epic Begins". - http://www.amazon.com/Teenage-Mutant...9233656&sr=8-1

Just like when the He-Man/She-Ra movie aired in the theater. The movie wasn't all five parts of "The Secret Of The Sword" uncut, it was edited.

If the "Turtles Forever" movie would've aired in theater, like it was originally supposed to, I think that it would've been uncut since it was a true movie. But the first five episodes of the original TMNT cartoon wasn't a movie, it was five episodes. Thus it most likely would've been cut.