Tintin Forums

I wish there were some dvds where the movies would show all of the comic. Like every thing in the comic would be in the movies.

I'm sorry, I'm not sure I understand what you are trying to say.

I think the Nelvana series was a pretty good attempt at it, but agree that they might have been a little more faithful to the text in places; still, it always happens that screen adaptations have to stray from the printed page in order to accommodate the diffrences in the media. Also some of the new bits they came up with (I think specifically of the newly-created sequence of the expedition in "Seven Crystal Balls") were very good, and appropriately "Hergian".

For example, Hergé delighted in physical comedy and slap-stick, which he could pace as he pleased, showing multiple movements in a single frame (Nestor dusting), or stretch out across a page (Haddock and the sticking-plaster). Other than resorting to "The Matrix"-style time distortion effects, that really wouldn't be the same.

Also, the script has to take into account how long the film should run, and that the narrative present things clearly to all (with a book you can always flip back if you forget something), which aren't always going to allow total fidelity.

So while I agree with you in general, I can also see the problems it might cause.

I think the thing to remember is that animated cartoons and comic strips, though related, are quite different mediums. They way they are created means they cannot contain the same information, or at least not in the same way.

Animations are restricted by time and comics are restricted more by space, and these factors end up dictating, to some degree, the way the story is told and presented.

It's nice, don't you think, that the animations are different - giving a fresh view of the story. Sometimes, if the animation deviated too much from Hergé's original flow, you can see how the book works so much better, and just how good a storyteller Hergé was.

Edit: jock123 - we posted at the same time - sorry if I've repeated some stuff you just said!

One other aspect which differs between the books and the cartoon is that the cartoon is more geared towards a younger audience. For example, in Crab With the Golden Claws, the cartoon version doesn't show Captain Haddock hitting Tintin over the head with the bottle of rum. Instead the pilot does, presumeably because the Captain is meant to be seen as a 'good guy' character and good guys cannot do this in children's adventures. Also, we don't actually SEE Tintin being hit with the bottle.

That’s a really good point, OJG. The books can be read to younger children, but that requires a parent, who can read as much or as little of the text as they want, and editorialize as they go along (“Oh dear! The Captain has hit Tintin with a bottle!! Naughty man! That wasn’t a good idea was it? You never hit anyone with a bottle, do you? No, you don’t. No you don’t. Never. No, not even if it’s a girl…” etc. etc.). The cartoons have to editorialise in such a way as to be able to reach the same audience, and keep older people (myself included) entertained. Nelvana did a pretty good job on this, I think.

Yeah, they did it really well. In situations such as the bottle incident and any others, they made the necessary changes without altering the story at all. The other obvious alterations they make are when they cut parts of the comic out to save time. This sometimes means minor details being changed in order to accommodate the cut. When they have done this though, they haven't affected the story in any way which is good.

Hi,
my name is thomas, i'm from Charleroi in Belgium.
In Belgium, many people speaking about the spielberg's movies and the rumor for the adapting comics are: The secret of the unicorn/rackham (for the first movie), Crystal/sun (for the second) and Tibet/lotus (for the thirde)

NB: sorry for my bad english, i'm a beginner in english.

Bonjour, Thomas, and welcome to the group!
Do you think if they make the movies as you say, that they will be more complete than the cartoons, or less? If you put two books in every film, my guess is that they will have to change quite a lot. Also, “Blue Lotus” and “Tibet” will be an odd pair, as they should start with “Cigars” – which would be another change.

Thanks jock123,
yes, that they (many) more complete than the cartoons. The adaptation = a little change but the principal story don't change! Moulinsart as a big control on the script! For "blue lotus" and "tibet", i don't know how the adaptation be are... Tchang is inside this stories. Maybe the key of the pair "tibet + lotus".