One detail I forgot to mention from that article I covered in my last post is that Spielberg mentioned that, with a bit of luck, Tintin 2 might be done by 2014.

A lot of us don’t think that’s very likely…they haven’t even started shooting yet, and the first film took about five years to make. However, they were starting from scratch then…Certainly there are millions of things to be done for Tintin 2, but at least as far as designing characters like Tintin, Snowy and Haddock goes, they don’t have quite as much work to do. I have no idea how much time that could really save them though…but every minute counts.

If it does come out in 2014 it would face some competition. While much of the info online is often just one step up from a rumor, in the ”family film” category it looks like Tintin 2 will go up against ”Mr Peabody and Sherman” and “How to train you dragon 2,”  as well as of course whatever Pixar comes out with. Part will depend on when Tintin 2 comes out. Other big movies coming out are a sequel to this year’s ”The Amazing Spiderman” and, also a Weta project, ”Avatar 2.” That last one is scheduled for December, so if Tintin 2 plans to come out in the winter it might have a bit of a  hard time winning audiences, if Avatar 2 makes even half the money as the original.

Of course this is far from definite. Honestly, as much as I want to see Jackson and Spielberg rewarded for their hard work, I could care less about how the movie is received compared to how much I care about the effort they put into making the film. Let them focus on making it as good as they possibly can…even if it takes forever. I’m looking forward to seeing a movie that is even better than the first.

By the way, John Williams didn’t get his Academy Award this year for Tintin or War Horse. But he has won other awards recently, and even if he hadn’t I would still congratulate him for a wonderful job. The only music I had before the Tintin movie came out to associate with Tintin was the music from the television show, which got really annoying after a while. I’m looking forward to seeing the section on the Blu-ray disc covering John William’s score.

Very good find Britto! An important piece of news has been hiding on a French site the past few days and, while I admit I do occasionally check google.fr, I almost certainly would have missed it. While in Paris for the release of ”War Horse”, Spielberg did an interview with ”Figaro”. The big ”scoop” the article was trying to push was what Spielberg thought of the Tintin movie’s ”failure” in the USA. The movie was no mega flop, but within the USA it was certainly no hit either. Spielberg said he didn’t want to blame anybody, and that he thinks the the movies bad reception in the USA was due mainly to the decision to use performance capture rather than a problem with the movie itself. Mainly, and I think I’d agree with him most here, he said that what people most rejected were the television commercials. They didn’t give them enough of a chance to go and see Tintin in the cinemas. I personally believe that, even though they used performance capture, the movie would have done much better if they had advertised it better. An American friend of mine told me all he saw related to the Tintin movie most of the time he watched TV this winter were short TV spots that didn’t tell him very much about the movie and left him wondering ”who’s Tintin?” I bet a lot of people saw the motion capture and thought the film was an expensive animated movie for kids. They needed more than occasional TV spots…they needed giant billboards, advertisements everywhere you looked, they needed to play the second trailer more on TV, a good line of action figures and other toys to get kids and families interested. The movie didn’t even get McDonald’s toys in the US. I also suspect that part of the movie’s failure to make as much as they hoped was because it came out right alongside Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (I couldn’t turn a corner in the US without seeing an ad for this one), Happy Feet 2 and The Muppets, all of which stole away a large part of the families going to the movies over the holidays. And anybody who wanted to see action and adventure was going to see Mission Impossible 4 in 3D. When given the choice between going to pay and see something new, especially when it’s been poorly marketed, and something old they are familiar with and know they like, American’s will choose the latter. It makes sense. Nonetheless I’m interested in seeing how many DVDs the movie sells, and I think that with a bit more luck and more work to let the USA know who Tintin is, Tintin 2 could be a really big hit. Regardless of American interest in Tintin, the film still made 76 million dollars in the US and about 300 million dollars worldwide. Spielberg reminded those in the interview that the film only cost about 142 million dollars to make, so he’s really pretty happy with how well the film did and a sequel is certainly underway.

However the most interesting part of the interview for me was the end, where they ask whether or not Calculus will ”finally show up in the film.” Spielberg answered yes, because he shows up in Red Rackham’s Treasure and they plan to pick up the second movie around where the first one left off. Then he told them that as of yet they still don’t know what books they will be combining in the new movie, and that Peter will be looking more into that this year…If this is true it’s quite something! Elsewhere they’ve told us that a script is already being written, so I really doubt that they are as clueless as Spielberg told Figaro. In any case, it does suggest that the beginning of Red Rackham’s treasure will make it into the next movie. And if what Spielberg told us before is true and the movie is ”more than one book, but less than two books”, all we’re missing is the name of one album. We’ll see…I’m interested in finding out whether or not Calculus’ shark submarine will make it into the film. If not, I wonder why Calculus will be interested in meeting Tintin…

Source: http://blog.lefigaro.fr/bd/2012/02/spielberg-parle-du-prochain-ti.html

On a side note, I got Williams’ Tintin 1 soundtrack and have been listening to it over and over…It has grown on me a lot, and I sincerely hope that Williams wins an Oscar this Sunday for his superb work.

In less than one month Tintin will be on DVD and Blu-ray (actually, nowadays ¨Blu-ray and DVD” would be more proper), and the press release has come out giving us all the details as to what will be on it. I was a bit worried at one point because there were a lot of “making of” videos online, and I wanted some new stuff to be on the DVDs. Of course, I needn’t have worried. From “SuperHeroHype”:

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN three-disc Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD combo pack and two-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo pack include over 90 minutes of special features that take viewers behind-the-scenes with Spielberg and Jackson to discover how the filmmakers brought the characters to life, learn about Tintin’s origins, delve into the design and animation processes, explore the creation of Tintin’s faithful dog, Snowy, and much more. The film will also be available as a single-disc DVD. All Blu-ray and DVD releases available for purchase will be enabled with UltraViolet, a new way to collect, access and enjoy movies. With UltraViolet, consumers can add movies to their digital collection in the cloud, and then stream or download them – reliably and securely – to a variety of devices.

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN Blu-ray is presented in 1080p high definition with English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description, and with English, English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. The DVD in the combo pack is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with English 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description, and with English, French and Spanish subtitles. The disc breakdown is as follows:

Blu-ray
-Feature film in high definition
-Toasting Tintin: Part 1
-The Journey of Tintin
-The World of Tintin
-The Who’s Who of Tintin
-Tintin: Conceptual Design
-Tintin: In the Volume
-Snowy: From Beginning to End
-Animating Tintin
-Tintin: The Score
-Collecting Tintin
-Toasting Tintin: Part 2

DVD
Feature film in standard definition

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD combo pack includes all of the above, plus a Blu-ray 3D presented in 1080p high definition with English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description, and with English, English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. The Blu-ray 3D includes the feature film presented in high definition and 3D.

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN Single-Disc DVD

The single-disc DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with English 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description, and with English, French and Spanish subtitles. The disc includes the feature film in standard definition, plus The Journey of Tintin and Snowy: From Beginning to End.

Ninety minutes of extra features!!! I am SO buying this! Not sure what it plans on saying about Tintin’s origins…It’ll probably just cover the album’s history, not make up a background for Tintin. I’m looking forward to this a lot…I have always loved watching special features, and motion capture films and animation films (or however you want to call them) often have some of the most fascinating special features, in my opinion.  We even get a section on John William’s score!

Source:http://www.superherohype.com/news/articles/169603-the-adventures-of-tintin-hitting-blu-ray-and-dvd-on-march-13

In a recent interview with Total Film, Spielberg and Jackson revealed some information regarding the sequel to ”Tintin,” . . . which is really not much information at all.

“Peter [Jackson]’s doing it. I wanted to do it, but Peter has to because we made a deal. I said, ‘I’ll direct the first one, you direct the second one.’

“And Peter, of course, is going to do it right after he finishes photography on The Hobbit. He’ll go right into the 31, 21 days of performance capture.

“We’re not telling the world what books we’re basing the second movie on yet.”

But didn’t producer Kathleen Kennedy say it’s going to be The Calculus Affair?

“We haven’t decided that yet. She’s throwing a monkey wrench into your story! It could be that. I like The Calculus Affair. So it could be.

“We have completed a story outline now. We have a writer on it. I’m just not declaring what it is. It will be more than one book, but no more than two.”

Why wouldn’t he go right to Tintin 2? It only takes a month or less on set to shoot!I see the wisdom of their choice of not revealing the stories just yet…Apparently it’s not Prisoners of the Sun, and it may or may not be the moon books (a long time ago that was considered as a better Tintin 3). That leaves no more two part stories, which means another combination of stories that is bound to receive mixed reactions. I was amazed at how well the two they blended last time worked, and especially after recently having read Horowitz’s ”The House of Silk”, I am firmly confident that he can write an adventurous story while respecting to the best degree Tintin’s original albums. So long as people understand they will not BE the original albums, the movie should be very enjoyable, like the first one was. However, if they wait too much longer I think I am going to explode. I have made little effort in concealing the fact that my vote definitely goes to The Calculus Affair. But what story would it go with? Maybe just the a small section of Red Rackham’s treasure to introduce Calculus, or do they plan on grafting in more than just that from one album into another? Jackson, I would really appreciate it if you don’t wait TOO long to reveal the albums to the world.

Source:http://www.totalfilm.com/news/steven-spielberg-talks-tintin-2

After four years of politics, the Belgian Supreme Court has finally come to the conclusion that Tintin in the Congo is not to be banned. While the content in the book would certainly have been deemed racist had a cartoonist published a similar work today, the tribunal has said that the Belgian law against racism can not apply to Tintin in the Congo unless it is clearly shown in the work that the intent of the author was to discriminate. ”Taken in the context of the 1930s,”said advocate M L’Hedim,”it is clear that Hergé had no such intent.” Allen Berenboom represented Casterman and Moulinsart in the case. ”It’s a sound decision and common sense. A work must be taken in context and compared with the information and stereotypes of the time.”

Congo, the world and the way people think have changed a lot since Tintin in the Congo was published. If you’re new to Tintin, just know that this one adventure, only the second Hergé ever did, is filled with stereotypes from the time that show the Congolese people to be very, very simple people. But every adventure after this is better, especially after The Blue Lotus. I do not believe Hergé had any harsh feelings whatsoever towards the people in the Congo, and while Tintin bosses them around and teaches them very very basic stuff, he does take their side and help them solve their problems with a white gangster-type criminal and a tribal-type witch doctor. Don’t buy into any of these articles online written just to sound like big news that say Tintin is racist (and by the way, he’s not Nazi either…).

If you have a child who just HAS TO HAS TO HAS TO HAVE every Tintin book and you are still afraid it will have a negative influence on him (which I seriously doubt), just explain to your kid that Hergé, and people in Belgium back then, were very misinformed when it came to both what was going on in the Congo and what the people were like. Teach them, if they don’t already know it from TV or school of just the fact that they are good, normal kids, that every human being, regardless of skin color, is equally human and to be treated on an equal level. Maybe even go out and donate a kilo of rice (or a large sum of money) to a non-profit organization or missionary, or something like that. I know of a missionary family down there, and from what I’ve heard about what the Congo is like today, they really could use all the help they can get.

Source: http://www.liberation.fr/culture/01012389189-la-justice-belge-refuse-d-interdire-la-vente-de-tintin-au-congo

Sorry guys, Tintin got even more awards than I mentioned in my last post. Thanks for pointing that out! Tintin also won the satellite award for best animated feature and has received numerous critics prizes as well such as NY Online or Toronto, to name but a few. To see a full list of the films awards, both those it has won and those that it has been nominated for, check out this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Tintin_(film)#Accolades

There are a ton! I counted ten awards there that it has definitely won, and others that seem likely to be awarded as well. There are another ten ”pending” and 17 different nominations!

It won’t be winning the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, but that sure hasn’t stopped ”Tintin” from being quite busy winning awards lately. This Saturday it took home the Annie award for Best Animated Effects, which I think is WELL deserved, and also the award for Best music in a feature production. It recently got nominated for a similar music related Oscar award as well. I liked the soundtrack of the movie, especially certain sections, but I am surprised it has gotten so much attention from the awards, other than the fact that John Williams composed it. I haven’t seen most other movies that came out this past year to compare soundtracks, but I agree with Chris that I do wish there were some kind of a catchy theme that we were left humming months after seeing the movie. However, it was splendidly done, and I congratulate it for the award. At another event it was awarded a Lumiere statuette for Best Animated 3D Feature by the International 3D society. Added to the awards it already has, that leaves Tintin with quite a few accolades! With awards for best music, best 3D, best special effects and twice awarded best animated feature, the film has really covered all the bases. It’s kind of fun to think how that’s one award for every year this blog has existed up until the year Tintin came out in theaters. I’m really glad that after all these years, it’s winning awards. Congratulations, Tintin! I’ve very happy for you! I can’t wait to buy you on Blu-ray…

Sources:http://blog.bcdb.com/tintin-wins-award-animated-3d-feature-2928/ http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00047590.html

This is old news, but since it won’t be long for the next season of ”The Amazing Race” to be aired on TV, I thought anybody who might have missed this episode would like to see it. In case anybody doesn’t know, ”The Amazing Race” is a different kind of reality TV show in which 11 teams of two (brothers, dating, couple, etc) travel around the entire world in a race for one million dollars. The show is divided into 12 legs, with numerous fun, but normally difficult, activities teams must do before they can move on and one pit stop at the end of each leg. In most legs, the last team to each pit stop is eliminated from the race.
When the season is running, episodes come on every Sunday night on CBS. If you live in the USA you can watch the already aired episodes on CBS.com until the next season airs. If not, you can either make your computer think it lives in the USA using some program out there, or you could just watch it on some other site, like this one:

http://www.vureel.com/video/33712/TheAmazingRaceS19E11HDTVXviD-LOL

If you want to find a different site, Google ”watch The Amazing Race Season 19 episode 11”.

What does this have to do with Tintin? One of the pit stops in the most recent season was in Brussels, and in order to figure out the country teams had to go to next they had to go to the part of Brussels where Hergé painted the frame from ´´The Calculus Affair´´ with Haddock and Tintin running down a fire escape on the side of a wall (I’ve been there myself, it’s a must see if you´re in Brussels). Next to the wall was a man dressed as Tintin. Each team at the beginning of the race was given two costumes that look exactly like the Thom(p)son’s outfits, complete with bowler hats, mustaches and canes. The teams than had to walk around Brussels in the early hours of the morning trying to figure out who they were! In typical American fashion, not one of them had a clue until they asked somebody. Once they found out, they had to find Tintin and tell him to receive their next clue.

All this is at the very beginning of the episode, so even if you don’t want to watch the whole thing you could watch the first 15-20 minutes to see the Tintin part. It’s quite fun to watch, especially because we see everything from an Asian Thompson to a Thompson with a beard! It’s hard to watch it though without thinking ”man, had I been on the show I would have known EXACTLY what to do!”

One final word of warning: this is the next to the last episode, so if you were hoping to watch season 19, you’ll kind of spoil it for you. But a new season is coming…