Hergé's Adventures of Tintin


Hergé's Adventures of Tintin is the first animated television series based on Hergé's popular comic book series, The Adventures of Tintin. The series was produced by Belvision Studios and first aired in 1957. After two books were adapted in black and white, eight books were then adapted in colour, each serialised into a set of five-minute episodes, with 103 episodes produced.

Changes from the books

Most stories in the television series varied widely from the original books, often changing whole plots.
In Black Island, Captain Haddock plays a leading role, while he was absent in the original comic book. Professor Calculus makes a cameo. Puschov accuses Tintin of robbing him, but in an airport. Tintin and Haddock hide in post office bags to get to Sussex, but Haddock gets in the wrong bag, and they are separated. Tintin later finds Haddock in England examining the plane. Dr. Müller is older and white-haired, and has a goatee. Ranko doesn't break his arm in this version, and even aids Tintin, Haddock and Snowy. This is the only story in the entire series that also exists in a black-and-white form, in animation mode.
In The Crab with the Golden Claws, Tintin sees Herbert Dawes being drowned and decides to investigate. In this version, Tintin and Haddock already know each other, whilst in the original book, it is their first meeting. Haddock is drugged with narcotics, rather than whiskey. Instead of opium, diamonds are smuggled in the tins. The main characters have slightly different exploits in the desert. They are attacked by a desert raider named Ahmed the Terrible, and later by the pilot of the seaplane. The ending has also been re-written.
In Star of Mystery , Professor Phostle is replaced with Professor Calculus. In line with this change, the phostlite is renamed "calculite". Professor Philippulus is Calculus' assistant, and he predicts the end of the world, but his predictions are wrong. Calculus accompanies Tintin on the meteorite, and the Peary captain and a crewman chase Tintin and Calculus on the meteorite, but are chased off by the giant spider. Captain Chester has been removed from the storyline, and Thomson and Thompson accompany them on the voyage, whereas in the book they only appeared in one panel.
In The Secret of the Unicorn, Barnaby and Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine are completely missing from the storyline. Marlinspike Hall has been renamed "Hudson Manor". Max Bird escapes in his car, but in this version, he is pursued by Tintin, Haddock, and Thomson and Thompson. They fight him on a pumpkin farmer's truck and pursue him with help from a pilot. Aristides Silk has been renamed "Herbert Knill".
In Red Rackham's Treasure, they already know Calculus, who is not hard of hearing. Max Bird follows them, and attacks Tintin underwater and is nearly killed by an octopus. Haddock is the one who meets a shark underwater instead of Tintin. There are natives on the desert island, who bear a strong resemblance to the Arumbayas from The Broken Ear. Thomson and Thompson are saved from losing their heads when Haddock pretends he is the Idol of Sir Francis Haddock speaking, similar to The Broken Ear. The group is captured by natives, but escape when a volcanic eruption sinks the Island. Max Bird meets them at the Marlinspike Hall after they find the treasure, but they overpower him.
In Objective Moon , the trip to the moon was all about rescuing Snowy, who was trapped in the test rocket. Captain Haddock's whiskey is replaced with coffee, and when he is pulled into orbit, he is not drunk, but his feet are hurting, so he takes his metal boots off. The tank is replaced with a hovering car called "the moon mobile". Professor Calculus, Haddock, and Thomson and Thompson explore the dark side of the moon in it but get trapped by a cave-in caused by a meteor shower. Snowy rescues them by giving them dynamite. Colonel Jorgen and Frank Wolff survive, and at the end, the rocket crashes in the mountains.
The Calculus Case was the most altered series, the changes amounting to a completely different story altogether. Jolyon Wagg was entirely removed, and Calculus' ultrasound weapon is called "Silly the Silent". Thomson and Thompson's roles have been expanded, and Haddock is captured with Calculus in "Darkol Prison". Alfredo Topolino and Colonel Sponsz have been renamed "Professor Bretzel" and "Colonel Brutel".
More generally, Tintin's home is located in New York, Captain Haddock does not have a penchant for whiskey, Professor Calculus does not have hearing problems, Thomson and Thompson are brothers and their moustaches are identical, and Snowy has a red collar.
The first episode, Objective Moon, makes reference to other earlier stories through Tintin reminiscing. It mentions Tintin in the Congo, The Crab with the Golden Claws and The Red Sea Sharks.

Broadcasts and releases

English

Season 1: Objective Moon
  1. Espionage
  2. Space Pirates
  3. The Big Departure
  4. Attention… Meteor!
  5. Drifting
  6. Man in Orbit
  7. Lunar Landing
  8. Explorers on the Moon
  9. Mystery on the Moon
  10. Lost
  11. Sabotage
  12. Moon Sickness
  13. Trapped
  14. Operation Rescue
  15. Buried
  16. Explosion
  17. Prisoners
  18. Destination Earth
  19. Dramatic turn of Events
  20. More Control
  21. Freefall
  22. Crash Landing
Season 2: The Crab with the Golden Claws
  1. Suspicions
  2. Mystery at Sea
  3. Mutiny on the Karaboudjan
  4. Escape
  5. Adrift at Sea
  6. Attack from the Air
  7. Crack-Up
  8. Thirst
  9. Raiders in the Desert
  10. Prisoners
  11. Desert Dilemma
  12. Duel in the Desert
  13. Mystery in Morocco
  14. Blind Alley
  15. Mystery Underground
  16. Return of the Karaboudjan
  17. Homeward Bound
Season 3: The Secret of the Unicorn
  1. Model Mystery
  2. Pirate Attack
  3. Battle of Red Rackham
  4. Kidnap
  5. Trapped
  6. Ambushed
  7. Battle of Hudson Manor
  8. The Crash
  9. Captured
  10. Duel on the Highway
Season 4: Red Rackham's Treasure
  1. Red Rackham's Treasure
  2. Killer Shark
  3. Jail Break
  4. Stowaway
  5. Shipwreck
  6. Jungle Jitters
  7. Head Hunters
  8. Gunfire
  9. Operation Rescue
  10. Shark Bait
  11. Duel in the Deep
  12. Demon of the Deep
  13. The Eagle's Cross
  14. Savage Surprise
  15. Vanishing Island
  16. Red Rackham's Riddle
  17. Treasure Chest
Season 5: The Star of Mystery
  1. Star of Mystery
  2. Star in the Night
  3. Doomsday
  4. Bombs Away
  5. Man Overboard
  6. Torpedoed
  7. Time Bomb
  8. Crash Landing
  9. Web of the Spider
  10. Marauding Monster
  11. Operation Rescue
Season 6: Black Island
  1. Forced Landing
  2. Miscarriage of Justice
  3. Escape
  4. Intrigue
  5. Mad Men
  6. Trapped
  7. Murderous Müller
  8. Inferno
  9. The Ghost of Black Island
  10. Fright in the Night
  11. The Beast of Black Island
  12. The Battle of Black Island
Season 7: The Calculus Case
  1. Frightening Lightning
  2. Z Rays
  3. Kidnapped
  4. Midnight Fright
  5. Steel Shark
  6. Tracked
  7. Operation Opera
  8. Bordurian Bullets
  9. Dead End
  10. Doomed
  11. The Big Blast
  12. Surprise in the Skies
  13. Tank Attack