The Adventures of Tintin | |
---|---|
Genre | |
Created by | Hergé (characters) |
Developed by | Stéphane Bernasconi |
Voices of |
|
Theme music composer |
|
Composers |
|
Country of origin |
|
Original languages |
|
No. of seasons | 3 |
No. of episodes | 39 (13 in each season) |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Producer | Robert Rea |
Running time | 22 minutes (approx. per episode) |
Production companies | |
Original release | |
Network |
|
Release | 2 October 1991 28 September 1992 | –
The Adventures of Tintin is an animated television series co-produced and animated by French animation studio Ellipse Programme and Canadian studio Nelvana Limited. The series is based on the comic book series of the same name by Belgian cartoonist Hergé (French pronunciation: [ɛʁʒe]). [1] 39 half-hour episodes were produced over the course of three seasons, originally airing in France, Canada, and the United States between 1991 and 1992. [2]
The television series was directed by French director Stéphane Bernasconi, with Peter Hudecki as the Canadian unit director. Hudecki was the primary director but could not be credited due to co-production restrictions. It was produced by Ellipse (France) and Nelvana (Canada) on behalf of the Hergé Foundation. [3] The series' writers included Toby Mullally, Eric Rondeaux, Martin Brossolet, Amelie Aubert, Dennise Fordham, and Alex Boon. It was the second television adaptation of Hergé's books, following the Belgian animation company Belvision's Hergé's Adventures of Tintin.
The series used traditional animation techniques [4] and adheres closely to the original books, going so far as to transpose some frames from the original books directly to the screen. [5] In the episodes " Destination Moon" and " Explorers on the Moon", 3D animation was used for the Moon rocket—an unusual step in 1989. Each frame of the animation was then printed and recopied onto celluloid, hand painted in gouache, and then laid onto a painted background.
Artistically, the series chose a constant style, unlike in the books. In the books, the images had been drawn over the course of 47 years, during which Hergé's style developed considerably. However, later televised episodes, such as the "Moon" stories and " Tintin in America", clearly demonstrate the artists' development throughout the production of the television series. The series' original production language was English, but all visuals (road signs, posters, and settings) remained in French. Backgrounds in the show were more detailed and more cinematic shots were featured than in the original books.
Along with fans, critics have praised the series for being "generally faithful" to the originals, with compositions having been actually taken directly from the panels in the original comic books. [6]
Certain areas of the stories posed significant challenges for the producers who had to adapt features of the books to a younger and more modern audience. Nevertheless, this series was a much more faithful retelling of the books than the previous television adaptation. The frequent instances of violence, death, and the use of firearms were toned down or removed completely. The use of text as a major part of the plot, such as the use of newspaper articles or writing on the wall, was largely cut so these scenes would not have to be reanimated for every language in which Tintin was aired. The radio and television are both used more frequently in the TV series to make up for the omission.
Captain Haddock's penchant for whisky posed a problem for audience sensitivities. While the original books did not promote alcohol, they featured it heavily, with much humor based on drinking. However, in many countries where the producers hoped to sell the series, alcoholism was a sensitive issue. Therefore, international versions of the series had some alterations. " The Crab with the Golden Claws" is the only episode where Haddock's drinking is not significantly downplayed though it still played a pivotal role in several other episodes. In " Tintin in Tibet", Haddock is seen taking a sip from a flask of whisky to set up a scene in which Snowy, Tintin's dog, is tempted to lap up some spilled whisky and subsequently falls over a cliff. In " Tintin and the Picaros", Haddock is the only person taking wine with dinner, foreshadowing the use of Professor Calculus' tablets to "cure" the drunken Picaros. Haddock is also seen drinking in " The Calculus Affair" and " Explorers on the Moon", setting up the scene where he leaves the rocket in a drunken state. He does not hide the bottle in an astronomy book, as he does in the book, but keeps it in the refrigerator, making it less obvious for young viewers that it is alcohol.
Throughout the books, Snowy is frequently seen to be "talking". It is understood that his voice is only heard through the fourth wall, but this verbal commentary is completely absent in the television series.
Smaller changes were made due to the necessity for simplification or audience requirements:
" The Crab with the Golden Claws"
" Flight 714"
Three of the Tintin books were not included in the animated series:
Hergé, the creator of Tintin, makes cameo appearances reminiscent of Stan Lee and Alfred Hitchcock in each episode of the cartoon series, as he often did in the original books. Most of the time, he is just a passing figure in the street, such as when he is a passerby checking his watch in "The Blue Lotus", a reporter in "The Broken Ear", or a technician in "Explorers on the Moon". His letterbox can be seen next to Tintin in "The Crab with the Golden Claws". He also appeared as a gangster in "Tintin in America" and an asylum inmate at the in "Cigars of the Pharaoh", along with his fellow artist and collaborator Edgar P. Jacobs. [7]
The underscore music and the main title theme for the series were written by Ray Parker and Tom Szczesniak, and recorded by engineer James Morgan. Excerpts from the score were released by Lé Studio Ellipse on CD and cassette in conjunction with Universal Music Group on the StudioCanal label. It is now out of print in both formats.
Since its remastering into 1080p widescreen high definition, Amazon Prime and Netflix have both made the series available in certain territories.
Additional voices were provided by:
Running order of the TV series as per original broadcast schedule.
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Storyboard by |
---|---|---|---|---|
1–2 | " The Crab with the Golden Claws" | Stéphane Bernasconi | J. D. Smith, Robert Rea and Christophe Poujol | Stéphane Bernasconi |
3–4 | " The Secret of the Unicorn" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Christophe Poujol | Bernard Deyries |
5 | " Red Rackham's Treasure" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Alex Boon | Francois Hemmen |
6–7 | " Cigars of the Pharaoh" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Aaron Barzman | Christian Choquet |
8–9 | " The Blue Lotus" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Laurel L. Russwurm and Robert Rea | Raymond Jafelice and Gilles Cazaux |
10–11 | " The Black Island" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Peter Meech | Christian Choquet and Bernard Deyries |
12–13 | " The Calculus Affair" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Toby Mullally and Eric Rondeaux | Pascal Morelli |
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Storyboard by |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | " The Shooting Star" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Peter Meech, J. D. Smith and Robert Rea | Raymond Jafelice, Stéphane Bernasconi and Franck Ekinci |
2–3 | " The Broken Ear" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Alex Boon, J. D. Smith and Robert Rea | Raymond Jafelice and Jean-Charles Finck |
4–5 | " King Ottokar's Sceptre" | Stéphane Bernasconi | E. Shipley Turner, Martin Brossollet and Robert Rea | Raymond Jafelice and Gilles Cazaux |
6–7 | " Tintin in Tibet" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Bruce Robb and Christophe Poujol | Raymond Jafelice, Franck Ekinci and Damien Millereau |
8–9 | " Tintin and the Picaros" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Bruce Robb and Amelie Aubert | Jean-Charles Finck |
10–11 | " Land of Black Gold" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Dennise Fordham and Eric Rondeaux | Raymond Jafelice, Damien Millereau and Philippe Fernandez |
12–13 | " Flight 714" | Stéphane Bernasconi | David P. Scherer and Eric Rondeaux | Raymond Jafelice, Philippe Fernandez, Damien Millereau |
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Storyboard by |
---|---|---|---|---|
1–2 | " The Red Sea Sharks" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Christophe Poujol | Jean-Charles Finck |
3–4 | " The Seven Crystal Balls" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Eric Rondeaux and Robert Rea | Damien Millereau |
5–6 | " Prisoners of the Sun" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Christophe Poujol | Frank Nissen |
7–8 | " The Castafiore Emerald" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Eric Rondeaux and Martin Brossollet | Gilles Cazaux |
9–10 | " Destination Moon" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Eric Rondeaux and Christophe Poujol | Damien Millereau |
11–12 | " Explorers on the Moon" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Christophe Poujol | Gilles Cazaux |
13 | " Tintin in America" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Eric Rondeaux and Robert Rea | Stéphane Bernasconi |
The Adventures of Tintin | |
---|---|
Genre | |
Created by | Hergé (characters) |
Developed by | Stéphane Bernasconi |
Voices of |
|
Theme music composer |
|
Composers |
|
Country of origin |
|
Original languages |
|
No. of seasons | 3 |
No. of episodes | 39 (13 in each season) |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Producer | Robert Rea |
Running time | 22 minutes (approx. per episode) |
Production companies | |
Original release | |
Network |
|
Release | 2 October 1991 28 September 1992 | –
The Adventures of Tintin is an animated television series co-produced and animated by French animation studio Ellipse Programme and Canadian studio Nelvana Limited. The series is based on the comic book series of the same name by Belgian cartoonist Hergé (French pronunciation: [ɛʁʒe]). [1] 39 half-hour episodes were produced over the course of three seasons, originally airing in France, Canada, and the United States between 1991 and 1992. [2]
The television series was directed by French director Stéphane Bernasconi, with Peter Hudecki as the Canadian unit director. Hudecki was the primary director but could not be credited due to co-production restrictions. It was produced by Ellipse (France) and Nelvana (Canada) on behalf of the Hergé Foundation. [3] The series' writers included Toby Mullally, Eric Rondeaux, Martin Brossolet, Amelie Aubert, Dennise Fordham, and Alex Boon. It was the second television adaptation of Hergé's books, following the Belgian animation company Belvision's Hergé's Adventures of Tintin.
The series used traditional animation techniques [4] and adheres closely to the original books, going so far as to transpose some frames from the original books directly to the screen. [5] In the episodes " Destination Moon" and " Explorers on the Moon", 3D animation was used for the Moon rocket—an unusual step in 1989. Each frame of the animation was then printed and recopied onto celluloid, hand painted in gouache, and then laid onto a painted background.
Artistically, the series chose a constant style, unlike in the books. In the books, the images had been drawn over the course of 47 years, during which Hergé's style developed considerably. However, later televised episodes, such as the "Moon" stories and " Tintin in America", clearly demonstrate the artists' development throughout the production of the television series. The series' original production language was English, but all visuals (road signs, posters, and settings) remained in French. Backgrounds in the show were more detailed and more cinematic shots were featured than in the original books.
Along with fans, critics have praised the series for being "generally faithful" to the originals, with compositions having been actually taken directly from the panels in the original comic books. [6]
Certain areas of the stories posed significant challenges for the producers who had to adapt features of the books to a younger and more modern audience. Nevertheless, this series was a much more faithful retelling of the books than the previous television adaptation. The frequent instances of violence, death, and the use of firearms were toned down or removed completely. The use of text as a major part of the plot, such as the use of newspaper articles or writing on the wall, was largely cut so these scenes would not have to be reanimated for every language in which Tintin was aired. The radio and television are both used more frequently in the TV series to make up for the omission.
Captain Haddock's penchant for whisky posed a problem for audience sensitivities. While the original books did not promote alcohol, they featured it heavily, with much humor based on drinking. However, in many countries where the producers hoped to sell the series, alcoholism was a sensitive issue. Therefore, international versions of the series had some alterations. " The Crab with the Golden Claws" is the only episode where Haddock's drinking is not significantly downplayed though it still played a pivotal role in several other episodes. In " Tintin in Tibet", Haddock is seen taking a sip from a flask of whisky to set up a scene in which Snowy, Tintin's dog, is tempted to lap up some spilled whisky and subsequently falls over a cliff. In " Tintin and the Picaros", Haddock is the only person taking wine with dinner, foreshadowing the use of Professor Calculus' tablets to "cure" the drunken Picaros. Haddock is also seen drinking in " The Calculus Affair" and " Explorers on the Moon", setting up the scene where he leaves the rocket in a drunken state. He does not hide the bottle in an astronomy book, as he does in the book, but keeps it in the refrigerator, making it less obvious for young viewers that it is alcohol.
Throughout the books, Snowy is frequently seen to be "talking". It is understood that his voice is only heard through the fourth wall, but this verbal commentary is completely absent in the television series.
Smaller changes were made due to the necessity for simplification or audience requirements:
" The Crab with the Golden Claws"
" Flight 714"
Three of the Tintin books were not included in the animated series:
Hergé, the creator of Tintin, makes cameo appearances reminiscent of Stan Lee and Alfred Hitchcock in each episode of the cartoon series, as he often did in the original books. Most of the time, he is just a passing figure in the street, such as when he is a passerby checking his watch in "The Blue Lotus", a reporter in "The Broken Ear", or a technician in "Explorers on the Moon". His letterbox can be seen next to Tintin in "The Crab with the Golden Claws". He also appeared as a gangster in "Tintin in America" and an asylum inmate at the in "Cigars of the Pharaoh", along with his fellow artist and collaborator Edgar P. Jacobs. [7]
The underscore music and the main title theme for the series were written by Ray Parker and Tom Szczesniak, and recorded by engineer James Morgan. Excerpts from the score were released by Lé Studio Ellipse on CD and cassette in conjunction with Universal Music Group on the StudioCanal label. It is now out of print in both formats.
Since its remastering into 1080p widescreen high definition, Amazon Prime and Netflix have both made the series available in certain territories.
Additional voices were provided by:
Running order of the TV series as per original broadcast schedule.
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Storyboard by |
---|---|---|---|---|
1–2 | " The Crab with the Golden Claws" | Stéphane Bernasconi | J. D. Smith, Robert Rea and Christophe Poujol | Stéphane Bernasconi |
3–4 | " The Secret of the Unicorn" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Christophe Poujol | Bernard Deyries |
5 | " Red Rackham's Treasure" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Alex Boon | Francois Hemmen |
6–7 | " Cigars of the Pharaoh" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Aaron Barzman | Christian Choquet |
8–9 | " The Blue Lotus" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Laurel L. Russwurm and Robert Rea | Raymond Jafelice and Gilles Cazaux |
10–11 | " The Black Island" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Peter Meech | Christian Choquet and Bernard Deyries |
12–13 | " The Calculus Affair" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Toby Mullally and Eric Rondeaux | Pascal Morelli |
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Storyboard by |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | " The Shooting Star" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Peter Meech, J. D. Smith and Robert Rea | Raymond Jafelice, Stéphane Bernasconi and Franck Ekinci |
2–3 | " The Broken Ear" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Alex Boon, J. D. Smith and Robert Rea | Raymond Jafelice and Jean-Charles Finck |
4–5 | " King Ottokar's Sceptre" | Stéphane Bernasconi | E. Shipley Turner, Martin Brossollet and Robert Rea | Raymond Jafelice and Gilles Cazaux |
6–7 | " Tintin in Tibet" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Bruce Robb and Christophe Poujol | Raymond Jafelice, Franck Ekinci and Damien Millereau |
8–9 | " Tintin and the Picaros" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Bruce Robb and Amelie Aubert | Jean-Charles Finck |
10–11 | " Land of Black Gold" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Dennise Fordham and Eric Rondeaux | Raymond Jafelice, Damien Millereau and Philippe Fernandez |
12–13 | " Flight 714" | Stéphane Bernasconi | David P. Scherer and Eric Rondeaux | Raymond Jafelice, Philippe Fernandez, Damien Millereau |
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Storyboard by |
---|---|---|---|---|
1–2 | " The Red Sea Sharks" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Christophe Poujol | Jean-Charles Finck |
3–4 | " The Seven Crystal Balls" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Eric Rondeaux and Robert Rea | Damien Millereau |
5–6 | " Prisoners of the Sun" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Christophe Poujol | Frank Nissen |
7–8 | " The Castafiore Emerald" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Eric Rondeaux and Martin Brossollet | Gilles Cazaux |
9–10 | " Destination Moon" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Eric Rondeaux and Christophe Poujol | Damien Millereau |
11–12 | " Explorers on the Moon" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Christophe Poujol | Gilles Cazaux |
13 | " Tintin in America" | Stéphane Bernasconi | Eric Rondeaux and Robert Rea | Stéphane Bernasconi |