He has directed several successful mainstream films for the Walt Disney Studios, including; 3 Ninjas (1992), Cool Runnings (1993), While You Were Sleeping (1995), Phenomenon (1996), Instinct (1999), Disney's The Kid (2000), 2004's National Treasure, as well as its 2007 sequel National Treasure: Book of Secrets, and The Sorcerer's Apprentice.
Turteltaub produced the CBS television series, Jericho, and also directed the first three episodes, "Pilot", "Fallout", and "Four Horsemen".