Wikipedia

The Adventures of Tintin (TV series)

Not to be confused with Hergé's Adventures of Tintin.

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. Beginning in 1992, the series was syndicated to various other countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Poland, Brazil and Indonesia.[2]

The Adventures of Tintin
Genre
Based onCharacters
by Hergé
Developed byStéphane Bernasconi
Voices of
Theme music composer
  • Ray Parker
  • Tom Szczesniak
Composers
  • Ray Parker
  • Jim Morgan
  • Tom Szczesniak
Country of origin
  • France
  • Belgium
  • Canada
Original languages
  • French
  • English
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes39 (13 in each season)
Production
Executive producers
ProducerRobert Rea
Running time22 minutes (approx. per episode)
Production companies
Original release
Network
Release2 October 1991 (1991-10-02) –
28 September 1992 (1992-09-28)

History

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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.

Production

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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", 3-D animation was used for the moon rocket — an unusual step in 1991. 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.

Reception

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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]

Hergé's cameo appearances

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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]

Music

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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.

Releases

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Online platforms

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Since its remastering into 1080p widescreen high definition, Amazon Prime and Netflix have both made the series available in certain territories.

Home video

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In 2012, Shout Factory released all 3 seasons of the show on DVD.

Voice artists

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English (The Adventures of Tintin)

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Additional voices were provided by:

French (Les Aventures de Tintin)

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  • Thierry Wermuth as Tintin
  • Susan Roman as Milou
  • Christian Pelissier as Capitaine Haddock
  • Henri Labussiere as Professeur Tryphon Tournesol
  • Yves Barsacq as Dupont, Wronzoff, Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine, Mohammed Ben Kalish Ezab, Ridgewell, Wang Jen-Ghié, le colonel Alvarez, le professeur Philémon Siclone, le docteur Rotule, le Grand Précieux, Calys, Kronick, Gino the photographer, additional voices
  • Jean-Pierre Moulin as Dupond, le maharadjah de Rawhajpoutalah, Muskar XII, Chaubet, Boris, Sanders, Philippulus le prophète, Manolo, le photographe japonais, Bohlwinkel, Miller, Walther (voix 1), Jean-Loup de la Batellerie, additional voices
  • Michel Ruhl as Nestor, le professeur Hornet, Walther (voix 2), additional voices
  • Marie Vincent as Bianca Castafiore
  • Michel Gudin as le général Alcazar
  • Serge Sauvion as Rastapopoulos
  • Marc Moro as Allan Thompson, Maxime Loiseau, le colonel Jorgen, le colonel Sponsz, Ranko, Pedro, Al Capone, Dawson, Ramon Bada, Bab El Ehr, Hippolyte Calys, Hippolyte Bergamotte, Chiquito, Huascar, Barnabé, Pablo, Hans Boehm, Paolo Colombani, Gino the pilot, Yamato, le général Haranochi, Ivan, Zlop, Himmerszeck, Ragdalam, Isidore Boullu, Matéo, additional voices
  • Michel Tureau as Müller, Szut, Bobby Smiles, Rackham le Rouge, Mitsuhirato, Baxter, Igor Wagner, Gustave Loiseau, Aristide Filoselle, Nestor Halambique, Alfred Halambique, Marc Charlet, Tharkey, Kavitch, le docteur Krollspell, Tom, lieutenant Delcourt, Walter Rizotto, le fakir, le docteur Finney, Alfredo Topolino, Walter, additional voices
  • Henri Lambert as Frank Wolff, le Grand Inca, Sirov, le général Tapioca, Alonzo Perez, le professeur Cantonneau, Mac O'Connor, Foudre Bénie, Spalding, Stephan, Kurt, Mik Ezdanitoff, Herbert Dawes, additional voices
  • David Lesser as Tchang Tchong-Jen
  • Serge Lhorca as Oliveira da Figueira
  • Sophie Arthuys as Abdallah, Irma, le fils du maharadjah de Rawhajpoutalah
  • Patricia Legrand as Zorrino, Lobsang
  • Jean-Pierre Leroux as Bunji Kuraki, Omar Ben Salaad
  • Georges Berthomieu as Séraphin Lampion
  • William Coryn as Didi
  • Daniel Brémont as Laszlo Carreidas

Episodes

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Running order of the TV series as per original broadcast schedule.

Season 1

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No.TitleDirected byWritten byStoryboard by
1–2"The Crab with the Golden Claws"Stéphane BernasconiJ. D. Smith, Robert Rea and Christophe PoujolStéphane Bernasconi
3–4"The Secret of the Unicorn"Stéphane BernasconiChristophe PoujolBernard Deyries
5"Red Rackham's Treasure"Stéphane BernasconiAlex BoonFrancois Hemmen
6–7"Cigars of the Pharaoh"Stéphane BernasconiAaron BarzmanChristian Choquet
8–9"The Blue Lotus"Stéphane BernasconiLaurel L. Russwurm and Robert ReaRaymond Jafelice and Gilles Cazaux
10–11"The Black Island"Stéphane BernasconiPeter MeechChristian Choquet and Bernard Deyries
12–13"The Calculus Affair"Stéphane BernasconiToby Mullally and Eric RondeauxPascal Morelli

Season 2

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No.TitleDirected byWritten byStoryboard by
1"The Shooting Star"Stéphane BernasconiPeter Meech, J. D. Smith and Robert ReaRaymond Jafelice, Stéphane Bernasconi and Franck Ekinci
2–3"The Broken Ear"Stéphane BernasconiAlex Boon, J. D. Smith and Robert ReaRaymond Jafelice and Jean-Charles Finck
4–5"King Ottokar's Sceptre"Stéphane BernasconiE. Shipley Turner, Martin Brossollet and Robert ReaRaymond Jafelice and Gilles Cazaux
6–7"Tintin in Tibet"Stéphane BernasconiBruce Robb and Christophe PoujolRaymond Jafelice, Franck Ekinci and Damien Millereau
8–9"Tintin and the Picaros"Stéphane BernasconiBruce Robb and Amelie AubertJean-Charles Finck
10–11"Land of Black Gold"Stéphane BernasconiDennise Fordham and Eric RondeauxRaymond Jafelice, Damien Millereau and Philippe Fernandez
12–13"Flight 714"Stéphane BernasconiDavid P. Scherer and Eric RondeauxRaymond Jafelice, Philippe Fernandez, Damien Millereau

Season 3

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No.TitleDirected byWritten byStoryboard by
1–2"The Red Sea Sharks"Stéphane BernasconiChristophe PoujolJean-Charles Finck
3–4"The Seven Crystal Balls"Stéphane BernasconiEric Rondeaux and Robert ReaDamien Millereau
5–6"Prisoners of the Sun"Stéphane BernasconiChristophe PoujolFrank Nissen
7–8"The Castafiore Emerald"Stéphane BernasconiEric Rondeaux and Martin BrossolletGilles Cazaux
9–10"Destination Moon"Stéphane BernasconiEric Rondeaux and Christophe PoujolDamien Millereau
11–12"Explorers on the Moon"Stéphane BernasconiChristophe PoujolGilles Cazaux
13"Tintin in America"Stéphane BernasconiEric Rondeaux and Robert ReaStéphane Bernasconi

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Elsworth, Peter C. T. (24 December 1991). "Tintin Searches for a U.S. Audience". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 August 2010.
  2. ^ The Adventures of Tintin (Animation, Action, Adventure), Ellipse Animation, Nelvana, Fondation Hergé, 4 November 1991, retrieved 20 April 2022[better source needed]
  3. ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 428–429. ISBN 978-1538103739.
  4. ^ "Popular Belgian comic-strip character 'Tintin' to get mega-boost on U.S. cable TV". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 25 August 2010.
  5. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 851–852. ISBN 978-1-4766-6599-3.
  6. ^ Lofficier, Jean-Marc; Lofficier, Randy (2002). The Pocket Essential Tintin. Pocket Essentials. p. 90. ISBN 1-904048-17-X.
  7. ^ "Hergé's cameo appearances". Tintinologist.org. 27 March 2009. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
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