I’ve known the big screen adaptation of The Adventures of Tintin is coming. They just announced recently it’s going to be done near Christmas 2011! The title they chose was “The Secret of the Unicorn”. It’s actually a combination of three of the Tintin comic book stories into one: The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn, and Red Rackham’s Treasure. I’m guessing they’ve chosen them because those stories contain the introduction of Captain Haddock, Professor Calculus, and the memorable Marlinspike mansion.
When I was 8 years old, I had difficulty following the story lines. Maybe it was due to the language translation. Perhaps it was a cultural thing, as this is a European/Western – and I’m Asian. Asian comics were mostly influenced by Japan with their manga comics.
But, I loved Tintin comics mainly for the mystery and the epic story lines. The stories were also bold for kids.1 Back in Indonesia, drugs were not a widespread problem, so reading about it in Golden Claw was “educational”. Also, Captain Haddock’s excessive drinking problem was familiar, as a member of my family had the same issue. Back then, kids were less spoiled and grew up faster.
Then there was the fantastic voyage under the sea in Red Rackham’s Treasure got me glued to the wonderful drawings by Hergé. From a sample picture, I could see the details and they were not overwhelming. I also remembered trying to draw the shark-shaped submarine. I’m no artist, so it wasn’t even close to look like the one in the comic book.
Wikipedia and IMDB has an extensive info on the upcoming Tintin animated movie. The movie’s voice talents are made up of mostly British talents like Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, and Jamie Bell. Since this is a Peter Jackson movie, the incomparable Andy “Gollum” Serkis also stars. Serkis is a veteran computer graphics actor, as well as an incredible voice actor. So he’s a shoe-in for this movie.
It’s unclear who’s going to play Professor Calculus. The professor is pivotal in the story line for Red Rackham’s Treasure. I’ll be very surprised if they decided to leave him out, as he’s a major character in Tintin’s comic books. I have to realize this is a Hollywood production, so they’ll definitely take “artistic” license, and modify the stories to fit into a 2-hour movie. Either way, they need to clear up this confusion.
Meanwhile, the long wait continues…
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
- Target audience age 9-12 [↩]
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It looks as if the first film will only involve parts of The Crab with the Golden Claws and Secret of the Unicorn. So obviously Prof Calculus is not needed.
It is also unclear if Peter Jackson will be make Red Rackham’s Treasure as the second film.
Hey Chris,
I did wonder how they were going to cram 3 stories into 1. Now it makes more sense for them to leave out Prof Calculus out of the movie.
Thanks for info. By the way, you have a great website!
Hi Rudy,
I’ve never heard of the Tintin series, but based on your post, I’ll look forward to the movie. Sounds like it should be good. Thanks for the heads up! Steve
Hey Steve,
Tintin is a European comic book. It’s mainly popular there and in Asia. Not many people like it here in the US. Same with the Asterix comic books.
Glad to have exposed you with this goodness. 🙂
This is going to be massive. Tintin was a hugely popular character in New Zealand when I was growing up.
I too have not ever read any of the books, but did hear about the name. I wonder what age group this will target – young kids or teenagers? I do look forward to it since there has been so much buzz about the movie!