Problems Facing the Tintin Movie

I love Tintin. Growing up with dyslexia meant that I always struggled with written words so discovering Tintin was revelation. The beautiful images and fast moving, boys-own style adventures made Tintin’s world real to me in a way that a book never could. Over the years I have revisited Tintin many times and got something new out of it each time but one of the things I’ve pick up is that Tintin isn’t written very well. Before I get ripped to shreds by rabid fans, I need to be clear about what is wrong with Herge’s writing and why this could result in some terrible films.

Tintin and Amazing Coincidences

I’ve got Secret of the Unicorn in front of me as an example. Tintin goes to the market where he meets Thomson and Thompson who are investigating a spate of thefts by pickpockets. Tintin spots the model Unicorn and decides to buy it for Captain Haddock. Just then not one, but two other people try to buy it. After fending off these other buyers, Tintin presents the ship to Captain Haddock who immediately recognises it as a model belonging to his ancestor. Adventures ensue as the other parties interested in the ship try and retrieve it and the clue it contains. Eventually the bad guys are arrested but two of the clues that were hidden inside the ship have been stolen. Fortunately these are recovered when Thomson & Thompson’s catch the pickpocket who had lifted the wallet carrying the clues.

This chain of coincidences stretches credibility. Its a large coincidence that Tintin would happen to buy a model ship sailed by Captain Haddock’s ancestor but one that can be swallowed. However that he buys it just before the two other interested parties also discover it purely by chance is stretching credibility. Add on the whole pick pocket angle and the coincidences become too large. Rather than build a credible, coherent plot, Herge’s has chosen to hang everything on a series of coincidences. This might be a deliberate and clever style of plot construction but it strikes me as bad or lazy writing that posses all sorts of problems for making a Tintin movie.

Tintin: The Next Harry Potter?

The Tintin movies are being made now because the first time, technology allows the film makers to create a real universe and not just an animated version of Herge’s art. This would not matter if it wasn’t for the success of the Harry Potter and the Narnia films. Studios have seen that creating a faithful, high quality adaptation of a children’s book can draw in lots of adults and not just those with kids. This poses the makers with two problems. Firstly they have to make a faithful adaptation of the books and secondly they have to make a good film that appeals to adults who aren’t not die-hard fans of the books. With the Harry Potter and Narnia films they achieved this but can it be done with Tintin?

I don’t think they can. What mainstream film’s plot is so dependent on coincidences as in The Secret of the Unicorn? None. Sure, in action sequences you see heros dive out of windows and just happen to land in a pile of boxes but that isn’t the same thing. Audiences accept that because it makes the film exciting and dynamic. Coincidences that drive the plot are something else entirely. This leaves the film makers two options. Change the plot and nature of Tintin (thus angering the fans) or just do a faithful adaptation (thus alienating the non-fans). Neither of these option will make a good film.

Once the film makers start altering Tintin to fit the big screen, as they must, I think the magic of Tintin will unravel. What makes the Tintin books so enjoyable is the farcical nature of the plots but I don’t think these will work on the big screen. Modern films, even children’s films, are relatively complex where as Tintin, despite the busy and detailed artwork, have a simplicity to them. To recreate the magic of Tintin on the big screen the makers of the Tintin movie have to get a square peg into a round whole. Jackson and Spielberg are great directors but this may be beyond even their talents.

Assorted Tintin Links

Official Tintin page. Its a horrbile flash interface but comes in multiple languages.

Wikipedia on Tintin and the Tintin Movie.

Tintinologist is great site covering all things Tintin. It has news, articles, forums, galleries of Tintin related photos and lots more.

Tintin Trivia Quiz

Tintin Webring

Tintin Movie on IMDB. No details yet.

Squidoo: Tintin Movie

Webjam: Tintin

Community Site: Boyreporter

Three Tintin Books to Become Movies

According to Variety, three books have been selected as the basis of the Tintin movies. But which three? The books were mostly written and set in the 1930′s to 1950′s and not many of them will update. Destination Moon and Explorers on the Moon seem pointless 40 years after Neil Armstrong first walked there. Many of the books have social or cultural aspects that are not popular nowadays such as The Blue Lotus which is heavily anti-Japanese and the Crab with the Golden Claws is about oil and the middle east. Other books just won’t work as popular films, e.g. The Castafiore Emerald in which nothing happens.

Here is my guesses at the three Tintin movies

• King Ottokar’s Sceptre – Has espionage, puzzles and Borduria, a Nazi-like country next door
• The Calculus Affair – Has all the main characters, secret technology, kidnapping features Borduria & Syldavia from King Ottokar’s Sceptre
• Tintin in Tibet – Features a strong storyline, daring feats, lucky escapes, and a child. My money is on Speilberg directing this one

The Technology Behind the Tintin Movie

Peter Jackson’s WETA Digital is the Oscar winning digital effects studio created by Peter Jackson for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Based in New Zealand that have reportedly already created a 20 minute show reel of how the Tintin movie might look.

Dreamworks is Steven Spielberg’s animation and production company and is probably most famous for the Shrek films. Expect the Tintin movie to be as visual rich as Shrek but with far more of the photorealistic detail found in the Lord of the Rings films.

Kathleen Kennedy – Producer of the Tintin Movies

Kathleen Kennedy is a long time colleague of Steven Spielberg having been producer or executive producer on at least half his films since ET. She was Oscar nominated for her work on Munich, Seabiscuit, The Sixth Sense, The Color Purple and E.T.. She hasn’t worked on pure CGI films though War of the Worlds and other Spielberg films have featured large amounts of CGI. Whether her production skills will transfer into the purely virtual film making required by the Tintin movies will have to be seen.

Kathleen Kennedy on IMDB