George Remi, better known under his pen-name Hergé, created "Tintin in the Land of the Soviets" in 1929. The story was then serialized weekly in a well-known Belgian newspaper. That was the first time the world got to meet the multitalented reporter and his dog Snowy. But not the last. "The Adventures of Tintin" would become the most popular European comics of the 20th century. It came to be translated into 70 different languages with sales of more than 200 million copies.
Several attempts were made to transfer Tintin's adventures to the silver screen. About a dozen films were completed, but Hergé was largely dissatisfied with all of them. However, after seeing Steven Spielberg's modern matinee adventure "Raiders of the Lost Ark", Hergé thought he had found a director who could do justice to his plucky hero. Tragically, Hergé died of a sudden heart attack in 1983, just as a meeting with Steven Spielberg was arranged.
The director finally optioned the film rights to "The Adventure of Tintin" in 2002, but now from Hergé's widow Fanny Remi instead. Spielberg then began working with a combination of voice-acting, motion capture, and traditional computer animation. Just like in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" he had a lone hero at the center of the action. A brave guy caught up in a series of spectacular exploits in exotic locations, involving planes, trains and automobiles. Plus, as was the case in this story, ancient ships in peril on the high seas.
But there was a problem. Although Tintin had been hugely popular in Europe since the 1930s, the comic strip had never caught on in America. And regional flavors can be hard to sell to an audience that has yet to develop a taste for that particular product. Fortunately, though, Spielberg accomplished the task with flying colors. "The Adventures of Tintin" received positive reviews from critics and was also a commercial success, grossing over $375 million worldwide.
Several attempts were made to transfer Tintin's adventures to the silver screen. About a dozen films were completed, but Hergé was largely dissatisfied with all of them. However, after seeing Steven Spielberg's modern matinee adventure "Raiders of the Lost Ark", Hergé thought he had found a director who could do justice to his plucky hero. Tragically, Hergé died of a sudden heart attack in 1983, just as a meeting with Steven Spielberg was arranged.
The director finally optioned the film rights to "The Adventure of Tintin" in 2002, but now from Hergé's widow Fanny Remi instead. Spielberg then began working with a combination of voice-acting, motion capture, and traditional computer animation. Just like in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" he had a lone hero at the center of the action. A brave guy caught up in a series of spectacular exploits in exotic locations, involving planes, trains and automobiles. Plus, as was the case in this story, ancient ships in peril on the high seas.
But there was a problem. Although Tintin had been hugely popular in Europe since the 1930s, the comic strip had never caught on in America. And regional flavors can be hard to sell to an audience that has yet to develop a taste for that particular product. Fortunately, though, Spielberg accomplished the task with flying colors. "The Adventures of Tintin" received positive reviews from critics and was also a commercial success, grossing over $375 million worldwide.