Toon Zone Talkback - The Official "Tintin" Movie News Thread

[Space Cadet]

This is the talkback thread for Universal Rejects $130M Budget for "Tintin" Feature Film (http://news.toonzone.net/article.php?ID=26147).

I hope they find a financial partner soon. Otherwise, the movie will be in development hell.

[I.D.Will19??]

I wanna see TinTin as much as the next person, but $130 mil seems a bit steep. Is it just for the first movie or the entire trilogy?

Since Spielberg is affiliated with Dreamworks, why not use some of that Shrek money to finance the movie(s).

Maybe Disney/Pixar might show some interest ;) ...

[Rick Jones]

I'd have thought this would be a sure sell in overseas markets

[Wonderwall]

I wanna see TinTin as much as the next person, but $130 mil seems a bit steep. Is it just for the first movie or the entire trilogy?

Most animated movies take about that much to make, so that would just be for the first movie, not an entire trilogy, if that was the price for the 3 movies they'd have already started filming.

[Mickialla]

I wanna see TinTin as much as the next person, but $130 mil seems a bit steep. Is it just for the first movie or the entire trilogy?

Since Spielberg is affiliated with Dreamworks, why not use some of that Shrek money to finance the movie(s).

Maybe Disney/Pixar might show some interest ;) ...

I think Pixar is focused on their own original ideas. But Dreamworks could probably do it, the Shrek series is based off of a book and their doing another movie, How to Train Your Dragon, which is also based on a book, so Tintin could happen with them.

This is Peter Jackson's project right, we can see why Universal was hesitant. Not criticizing Jackson's work, but he does use a lot of money.

[Jill Faye]

It might become a low budget movie like a Disney cheapquel.

[Joe]

Well, considering it's Spielberg and Jackson, who have deep roots in the industry, I say there's hope. Also, considering the two have strong personal attachmens to the subject material, they probably won't abandon it for a while and hold out. Though, it is interesting that such kingpins in Hollywood are running into this kind of problem.

However, the fact that Universal is rejecting it largely due to financial reasons and it's not the 100% surefire success they're hoping for has me concerned that a lot of potentially innovative large budget films will be sidelined for more pictures that don't try to do more than conform to studio formulas. Also, this caution may cause studios to keep filmmakers on a tighter leash and reject material they don't think audiences will be attracted to.

[Tobias]

Well, considering it's Spielberg and Jackson, who have deep roots in the industry, I say there's hope. Also, considering the two have strong personal attachmens to the subject material, they probably won't abandon it for a while and hold out. Though, it is interesting that such kingpins in Hollywood are running into this kind of problem.

However, the fact that Universal is rejecting it largely due to financial reasons and it's not the 100% surefire success they're hoping for has me concerned that a lot of potentially innovative large budget films will be sidelined for more pictures that don't try to do more than conform to studio formulas. Also, this caution may cause studios to keep filmmakers on a tighter leash and reject material they don't think audiences will be attracted to.

Sadly, there would only be one way this film would be greenlighted with such a huge budget:

Studio Exec: 130 million? Alright, Spielberg, you're approved. What do you think about Ashton Kutcher as Tintin?

Spielberg: Mentally deficiant studio exec say wha-?

Studio Exec: This'll be the perfect movie to partner Kutcher up with Dane Cook. Budget approved!

[Old Guy]

The economy is too messed up at the moment to spend $130 million on a Tintin movie.

[TheVileOne]

I got to be honest, $130 million for a Tintin movie sounds absurd.

We aren't talking about Lord of The Rings here :D .

[Tobias]

Edit: Misread the article. It said motion capture, not stop motion.

But still, I don't think Monster House (That was motion capture, wasn't it?) and The Polar Express cost that much, did they?

[Wonderwall]

I got to be honest, $130 million for a Tintin movie sounds absurd.

We aren't talking about Lord of The Rings here :D .

I don't know, maybe 130 million is too much, but Tin Tin does go up to some pretty exotic locales.


Edit: Misread the article. It said motion capture, not stop motion.

But still, I don't think Monster House (That was motion capture, wasn't it?) and The Polar Express cost that much, did they?

Monster House didn't cost this much no, but it wasn't an epic that Tin Tin would be. Polar Express though was ridiculously expensive, I think with production and distribution, the movie was over 200 million.

[TKnHappyNess]

A lot of movies can be made with a low budget and be good. Big budget movies don't neccessarily mean good movies.

[Wonderwall]

A lot of movies can be made with a low budget and be good. Big budget movies don't neccessarily mean good movies.

Yea but when was the last time Jackson and Speilberg made a movie that didn't have a huge budget.

[TheVileOne]

Beowulf was also very expensive, like $150 million.

Spielberg's lowest budget movie in this decade was 2002's Catch Me If You Can which cost $50 million. Munich cost $70 million. The Terminal cost $60 million.

[tb4000]

See, the golden rule in the industry, for anyone, has always been, when Spielberg wants to team with you, you say yes. Always.

When someone turns Spielbergo down, you know something is seriously wrong.

[Old Guy]

I know everyone ignored me, but this news was released during the week when the stock market crashed. Don't you think Universal may be a little nervous about spending money on a franchise based on a character most people don't care about?

[RonDrakenfan17]

I didn't even think this film was still in production. Wow.

[Ed Liu]

I wanna see TinTin as much as the next person, but $130 mil seems a bit steep. Is it just for the first movie or the entire trilogy?

The source article seemed to indicate that it was for just the first movie. Considering how much the average mocap movie has been costing, that's actually not too surprising. The article also noted that $30M has already been spent on development to this point, which is included in that $130M figure.

It still boggles my mind that Bill Plympton made Idiots & Angels for $125,000 when it seems Hollywood can't even get out of pre-production without adding two zeros to that number.


Well, considering it's Spielberg and Jackson, who have deep roots in the industry, I say there's hope.

Again, according to the source article, Spielberg's history in the industry is hurting as much as it's helping right now:


The director, along with his partner David Geffen, is getting ready to extricate himself from Paramount after a stormy 2 1/2 -year association.

As a result, Spielberg is having to go hat in hand to ask Paramount to finance all of "Tintin" at the same time he faces delicate negotiations regarding his and Geffen's split from the studio. Those talks, among other things, are likely to involve scores of projects that the director wants to take with him to his new home as well those he could produce at Paramount."

It's not like everybody everywhere loves Spielberg.


I know everyone ignored me, but this news was released during the week when the stock market crashed. Don't you think Universal may be a little nervous about spending money on a franchise based on a character most people don't care about?

The stock market crash (and the expected reduction in disposable income for things like going to the movies) no doubt played a factor in the decision, but probably a last-minute one. If anything, it might have been the straw that broke the camel's back -- during the high-flying era a year or two ago, they probably would have said yes.

Also, most Americans don't care about Tintin. He's huge in Europe and Asia, and a Tintin movie would probably make as much or more there as here. I'd think they could go to a Canal+ or some other European entertainment conglomerate, but I don't think any of them are in any position to make a $100M bet.

-- Ed

[Old Guy]

It's not like everybody everywhere loves Spielberg.

Love has nothing to do with it. Spielberg makes money and that's what matters at the end of the day. That being said...I can see how some in the industry may be starting to not care about Spielberg. The man is 62. He has a good decade of filmmaking left in him. So, I think studios are in the process of moving on to the next generation.

[Joe]

Paramount is very likely funding the full $130 million (http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-dreamworks20-2008sep20,0,3272250.story)


At the moment his top priority is to direct "Tintin," an animated 3-D movie based on the Belgian comic. Paramount, which owns the project, has made Spielberg and his collaborator, filmmaker Peter Jackson, a proposal to fund the $130-million production after Universal Pictures opted not to finance the picture with DreamWorks.

[Old Guy]

Sony and Paramount Team Up for Tintin

Source: Variety (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117995106.html?categoryid=13&cs=1)
November 1, 2008

Sony Pictures Entertainment and Paramount Pictures are in talks to co-finance the digital 3-D "Tintin," the Steven Spielberg/Peter Jackson series based on the Belgian "Tintin" comics, reports Variety.

After Universal backed out of partnering on the first installment, which Spielberg will direct, Paramount offered to fully back the first movie with a reduced backend at $135 million for the two gross participants. When the filmmakers held out for a better deal, a partner became a viable alternative.

Spielberg had hoped to be in production on Tintin (http://www.comingsoon.net/films.php?id=20445) by this fall. However, when financing fell apart at Universal on the eve of DreamWorks/Paramount divorce, he lost the participation of his lead actor Thomas Sangster. Nonetheless, the film is expected to be complete in time for a 2010 release. Jackson will direct the sequel.

In the deal currently being negotiated, Paramount is planning to distribute in North America and some other English-speaking territories, while Sony would handle the foreign release. However, "Tintin" would no longer have any association with DreamWorks.

The director of the third film in the planned trilogy was always up in the air and a script was never written. The deal under discussion appears to be for two films, however.

The movies will be animated with motion-capture technology.

[Tobias]

Spielberg might be better off going for someone like Freddy Highmore to play his lead now that the film's production's been pushed back.

[dth1971]

Well, at least some years ago the Arthur cartoon series spoofed TinTin as "ZutZut" in "FernFern and the Secret of Moose Mountain".

[Old Guy]

Casting News:



Ain't It Cool News (http://www.aintitcool.com/node/39665) has received word that Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (the Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz duo) have landed the roles of Thomson and Thompson in director Steven Spielberg and producer Peter Jackson's Tintin (http://www.comingsoon.net/films.php?id=20445).

The movie will be animated with motion-capture technology and star Andy Serkis as Tintin's friend Captain Haddock. Thomas Sangster was previously set to play Tintin but had to drop out because of scheduling conflicts. A new Tintin has not been announced.

DreamWorks' first "Tintin" feature, targeted for a 2010 release, will be based on two of the books, "The Secret of the Unicorn" and "Red Rackham's Treasure," written by Tintin creator Herge between 1942 and 1944.

The second film will be directed by Jackson.

[Baltofan]

I hope it will be the one with Tintin in South America, I saw it in the cinema years ago.

[Hiya Animation]

I'm really dreading these films to be honest as I'm a HUGE fan of the comics and the original designs.
A "photorealistic" motion-captured Tintin? What the hell Spielgberg?
It should be fully animated in traditional, hand-drawn, animation that sticks as close to the original designs as possible. The original character designs were purposely simple and that's what makes it charming.

But noooo... instead of a Tinitin that looks like the original comic we get zombie mocap Tintin!

But hey, at least we can see Tintin's moles and pores in all their glory :rolleyes:

Errk.

[TheVileOne]

I kind of agree with Hiya because I'm still not digging what they did with stuff like Beowulf and Polar Express. Zombie is right.

[I.D.Will19??]

I'm really dreading these films to be honest as I'm a HUGE fan of the comics and the original designs.
A "photorealistic" motion-captured Tintin? What the hell Spielgberg?
It should be fully animated in traditional, hand-drawn, animation that sticks as close to the original designs as possible. The original character designs were purposely simple and that's what makes it charming.

But noooo... instead of a Tinitin that looks like the original comic we get zombie mocap Tintin!

But hey, at least we can see Tintin's moles and pores in all their glory :rolleyes:

Errk.

Would it have been cheaper? Then again, when was the last time a traditional, hand-drawn animated film was hugely-successful on the level of Kung-Fu Panda and WALL-E? Speilberg/Jackson probably think it's a better gamble to spend nine figures on 3-D film since they've been much more successful these past few years.

[TheVileOne]

Would it have been cheaper? Then again, when was the last time a traditional, hand-drawn animated film was hugely-successful on the level of Kung-Fu Panda and WALL-E? Speilberg/Jackson probably think it's a better gamble to spend nine figures on 3-D film since they've been much more successful these past few years.

The Simpsons Movie

SpongeBob Square Pants movie which cost like only $30 million.

Spending this much money on a Tintin movie, I got to be honest, sounds absolutely ridiculous. I doubt Tintin on HBO and Nickelodeon cost anywhere close to this much.

[Mesousa]

So, wil "Tintin" be classified as a stand alone film, or a "From the people who brought you Shrek/Madagascar/Kung Fu Panda" movie?

[Hiya Animation]

Would it have been cheaper?

Actually, yeah, it probably would've been.

Look at a film like Asterix and the Vikings (http://www.asterix.co.nz/movies/asterixandthevikings.htm) (another film based on a European comic series)... made for $26 million and the animation looks GORGEOUS. It's what a Tintin film should be. Fully animated in beautiful hand-drawn animation.

$26 million pretty damn cheap especially compared to a lot of the CGI films being made today (isn't CGI supposed to be the "quick, cheap, and easy" solution to animation??). If it's promoted well, it can make a lot of money.

[Old Guy]

Tintin begins production!!!



Los Angeles (E! Online) – Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson have really Bonded over Tintin.

Principal production on the first of a planned pair of 3-D motion-capture films featuring the intrepid Belgian reporter-sleuth has kicked off in Los Angeles, with Billy Eliot star Jamie Bell in the title role and Daniel Craig playing the nasty pirate Red Rackham, whose descendants have a beef with Tintin's pal, Capt. Haddock.

Also onboard The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn, due in theaters in 2011, are Brits Andy Serkis as Capt. Haddock, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as the Thompson twins, and Toby Jones as an as-yet unknown villain.

Spielberg is doing the directing honors this time out, with Jackson slated to helm the sequel. The über-producer-directors originally planned a trio of Tintin films, but whether there will be a third largely has to do with how well the first two perform at the box office.

There had been some doubt as to whether any Tintin film would be made after the original attached studio, Universal Pictures, was taken aback by the movie's estimated $100 million-plus budget. Spielberg ultimately secured cofinancing from Sony Pictures and Paramount in October.

Tintin first appeared in 1929 in a newspaper comic strip penned by Hergé, the pen name of artist Georges Remi. Twenty-three books based on the serialized Tintin comics have sold more than 200 million copies around the globe.

[Ed Liu]

Edited the thread title, since it seems to be the repository for all the Tintin-related News out there.

[Elven Moon]

I'm only vaguely familiar with Tintin, so I'm not sure how well anyone else in the US knows them. Hopefully this can do well regardless.

[Monterey Jack]

God, I hate all-mocap movies.

HATE THEM. :mad:

[Old Guy]

Steven Spielberg this week will quietly wrap 32 days of performance-capture lensing on "Tintin," then hand the project to producer Peter Jackson, who will focus on the film's special effects for the next 18 months.

Although the baton-pass is stealthy, "Tintin" is anything but a low-profile project. And that's just the first of many contradictions inherent with the film, which brings together two of cinema's visionaries.

The Tintin comicbook series about a globetrotting teenaged boy reporter, which originated 80 years ago in Belgium, is wildly popular in many countries around the world. In the U.S., however, the character is little-known, especially among children.

Spielberg and Jackson's respective camps have tried to keep a lid on the details of what is expected to become a three-film franchise while hyping the one-of-a-kind aspects of "Tintin's" motion-capture technology, which is being created by Jackson's New Zealand-based effects house Weta.

Just don't ask too many questions.

Spielberg's longtime spokesman Marvin Levy (http://www.variety.com/profiles/people/main/637991/Marvin%20Levy.html?dataSet=1), who welcomed a story on "The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn," said, "You have to see it to understand (the technology). It really can't be described."

But he quickly nixed the idea of a visit to the set. "That wouldn't be feasible," he says.

The film's other producer, Kathleen Kennedy (http://javascript<b></b>:zodInfuser.FillDescriptions('Kathleen Kennedy');), is happy to talk about "Tintin," but admitted the world Spielberg and Jackson are creating is hard to describe.

"It's extremely difficult to explain to someone unless they are standing here next to me," Kennedy says from the Los Angeles set. "And usually then their reaction is, 'Oh my god.' "

Kennedy and Spielberg acquired the project in 1983 after Spielberg's interest in the project was piqued by critics' insistence that his "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (http://www.variety.com/profiles/Film/main/30121/Raiders%20of%20the%20Lost%20Ark.html?dataSet=1) harkened back to Tintin's escapades in exotic locations.

But the pair couldn't realistically begin developing the pic until about two years ago, when motion-capture technology finally caught up with the demands of the story. Spielberg received his introduction into the fledgling technology via his producing role on "Monster House." (http://javascript<b></b>:zodInfuser.FillDescriptions('&quot;Monster House.&quot;');) But Jackson, who joined Kennedy and Spielberg on the project in early 2007, is clearly a master of the form. Both the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "King Kong" (http://javascript<b></b>:zodInfuser.FillDescriptions('&quot;King Kong.&quot;');)elevated performance-capture to never-before-seen realism.

Jackson's role as mo-cap mentor to Spielberg, however, prompts the question: Who exactly is steering the "Tintin" ship?

Spielberg will receive sole directing credit on the first film, though even that distinction seems murky given that Jackson is doing the more time-consuming work, spending a year and a half creating the Tintin's world vs. Spielberg's one month on set. Jackson also traveled to Los Angeles for rehearsals and for the first week of shooting.

"It's hard to delineate between directing and producing on films like this," explains one project insider.

Kennedy insists that the transitions between the two creative talents are relatively seamless. "They are amazingly collaborative, even more so than Steven and George (Lucas were on the 'Raiders' films)."

And then, there are the two filmmakers' differing styles and thematic vibes: Spielberg is more character-oriented and relatively lean while Jackson revels in lavish visuals ... and running times.

The conventional wisdom has always been that Spielberg would direct his "Tintin" film, and Jackson would have his own. (It has long been reported that Jackson will helm the second chapter of three "Tintin" films.) There was even speculation that the two films would be shot back to back, much like Jackson's "Lord of the Rings." However, there is no second film in the immediate future or even a script for one at this point.

Paramount and Sony, the first film's co-financiers, have yet to greenlight a followup to the $120 million project and are waiting for a script before making a decision.

The first film, which was No. 11 in Georges "Herge" Remi's 24-book Tintin series, was written by Steven Moffat (http://www.variety.com/profiles/people/main/65863/Steven%20Moffat.html?dataSet=1), Edgar Wright (http://www.variety.com/profiles/people/main/1099775/Edgar%20Wright.html?dataSet=1) and Joe Cornish (http://www.variety.com/profiles/people/main/288603/Joe%20Cornish.html?dataSet=1).

Jackson is currently taking a stab at the second film and sketching out ideas, though he wouldn't necessarily take screenplay credit for that film and could possibly hand script duties back to Moffat, Wright and Cornish.

Even the casting of the first film suggests a strong Jackson influence: Beside the inclusion of "LOTR's" Andy Serkis (http://www.variety.com/profiles/people/main/45913/Andy%20Serkis.html?dataSet=1), the helmer made a personal call to enlist star Jamie Bell (http://www.variety.com/profiles/people/main/30811/Jamie%20Bell.html?dataSet=1), who played a supporting role in Jackson's "King Kong."

But Spielberg's camp insists he will have a firm handle on all aspects of the film, including its special effects. Jackson and Spielberg have rigged a video conferencing system by which Spielberg is able to see everything Jackson sees at the Weta facility in New Zealand.

Spielberg and Kennedy also are making their presence felt with the project's early marketing decisions.

Paramount, which will distribute the film in all English-speaking territories and Asia, has the bigger challenge, with much lower awareness of the property in these territories, particularly the United States.

But one Par top exec downplayed any perceived challenges.

"It's not like there was any awareness on 'Kung Fu Panda' either," the exec says. "We had to go out and introduce this property to the world."

Still, "Kung Fu Panda" (http://www.variety.com/profiles/Film/main/162066/Kung%20Fu%20Panda.html?dataSet=1) enjoyed a high-profile voice cast, with stars Angelina Jolie (http://www.variety.com/profiles/people/main/30702/Angelina%20Jolie.html?dataSet=1) and Jack Black (http://www.variety.com/profiles/people/main/31171/Jack%20Black.html?dataSet=1) tubthumping in the film's behalf. By contrast, the only household name in "Tintin's" cast is current James Bond (http://javascript<b></b>:zodInfuser.FillDescriptions('James Bond');) incarnation Daniel Craig (http://www.variety.com/profiles/people/main/33702/Daniel%20Craig.html?dataSet=1), who is notorious for eschewing press junkets.

Sony, which is handling all overseas regions outside Asia, will likely have an easier time selling the film ahead of its planned 2011 release because the comicbook, which has been translated into 50 languages, remains hugely popular in the territories Sony will handle, including non-English-speaking Europe and India.

If anyone can overcome the film's challenges and silence the questions, it's the combined superpower of Spielberg and Jackson. Still, this highly anticipated collaboration continues to beg more questions than it answers.

[Old Guy]

First photo:

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w144/RoadWarrior8104/Sub%20Album/Tintin.jpg

[Moto Pete]

http://news-briefs.ew.com/2009/05/tintin-release.html


RELEASE DATE
Dec. 23rd, 2011

[trance2009]

First few teaser images, though they're just extreme closeups to show how detailed the CG will look.

http://www.firstshowing.net/2010/10/29/empire-slowly-revealing-our-first-look-at-the-new-cgi-tintin/

[Matt Hazuda]

Bleeding Cool has been cobbling together the images (http://www.bleedingcool.com/2010/10/31/ive-been-pasting-spielbergs-tintin-on-top-of-herges-look-what-ive-made/).

Full reveal should happen on Monday.

[Matt Hazuda]

And it's Monday, so it's now up (http://www.empireonline.com/news/feed.asp?NID=29355)

http://www.empireonline.com/images/cover/large/2581.jpg

Anddddd we get more creepy, uncanny valley CG! :sweat:

There's 2 more pictures in the article. Captain Haddock really looks rather grizzled.

Story details are also available and it seems like there will be more details available when the magazine comes out later this week.

[Radical Raven]

Agh what!

...O.K., I'm trying not to overreact here, but those are everything I was hoping they wouldn't be. This is effecting me more then the visuals of Polar Express or Christmas Carol did, because I know what these characters are supposed to look (http://www.letintinmovie.com/wp-content/uploads/image/tintin+snowy.gif) like (http://www.letintinmovie.com/wp-content/uploads/image/haddock.jpg). This reminds me of those ultra-realistic cartoon characters Pixeloo made... except they're official. :shrug:

[CatChancey]

Nightmares of Captain Haddock. I have them.

Like most CGI, I'd have to see it in motion before making a call . . . but, holy cow, Haddock is horrifying. Maybe there taking his alcoholism to a whole new, dark level?

[Shirubie]

The Captain Haddock pic is based on a scene from the album "the crab with the golden claws" when Tintin first met him. In that scene, Haddock was actually drunk with whisky (I won't spoil why, for those who haven't read it), but he sobers up by the end of the story.

[straw_hat]

Oh God, I don't know what the heck Peter Jackson is talking about. I'd much prefer real actors then this if they didn't want to make it an animated film.

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

Thank goodness you guys are bashing this. I was half expecting some positive posts here because this can be a "glass half full" forum. That's why I love you guys. But sometimes you gotta throw down the hammer when something looks as bad as this.:D:evil:

[JasonFox]

I think it looks pretty cool, growing up in French families I read a lot of these in French and they have a lot of influence in my life.

I just never pictured Tin Tin going fully live-action so it looks fine to me.

[Dudley]

I was never big on Tintin, but I have to say this is all kids of stupid. They're be something in this movie that give them a reason not to have done this in live action (though it's often done to pull off camera angles that are hard to do in live-action), because I was hoping they'd just use the designs except animate them in CG, not...this.

[Radical Raven]

The Captain Haddock pic is based on a scene from the album "the crab with the golden claws" when Tintin first met him. In that scene, Haddock was actually drunk with whisky (I won't spoil why, for those who haven't read it), but he sobers up by the end of the story.

Ah! That "shipwreck" picture is from the same story, isn't it? I haven't read that story in a while (all I can find at the library is "Tintin in America" :shrug:), but I thought those scenes looked familiar.

...doesn't really explain why he looks so scary, though. Drunken Haddock is supposed to be funny!


I think it looks pretty cool, growing up in French families I read a lot of these in French and they have a lot of influence in my life.

I just never pictured Tin Tin going fully live-action so it looks fine to me.

Well, actually, Tintin has gone live-action before. Here's a picture with all of the major characters. (http://www.free-tintin.net/dessins/orange_g.jpg) I'm not going to lie, Tintin looks like a dork there, but I still prefer him to the weird, plastic figurine seen above.

[Spideyzilla]

I like it, it looks pretty cool. It's Speilberg and Jackson, I have the upmost faith in these guys. Not every one of their movies has been a masterpiece, but it's pretty close. Wait until we see a trailer. A lot of people bashed Avatar's visuals, remember. I don't think anyone disliked the visuals in that movie.

[Matt Hazuda]

More still from the movie (http://www.bleedingcool.com/2010/11/06/more-tintin-images-reveal-more-characters/) are out.

I don't mind the look of Thompson and Thomson too much, but it is just a still and not a close-up of them and their (probably) horrible uncanny valley look.

Does Tintin normally use a gun? I'm really only familiar with the series that aired on HBO and I can't recall him using one in that.

[trance2009]

He has wielded a gun in the comics when he absolutely has to, but he's not a fan of using them.

[CatChancey]

I wonder if they're going to add in a female protagonist. The comics were pretty much male-dominated. The only real female character in the comics (Bianca, who had a maid) isn't in the stories the movie is using, and the movie industry likes to have a female "role model" in most big releases.

[Radical Raven]

:shrug: The second one is just more of the same stuff we got in the beggining - eerie close-ups - but the other two sink even lower.The characters look like action figures.


I wonder if they're going to add in a female protagonist. The comics were pretty much male-dominated. The only real female character in the comics (Bianca, who had a maid) isn't in the stories the movie is using, and the movie industry likes to have a female "roll model" in most big releases.

Oh, I really hope not. Maybe I just haven't read enough of the stories, but I can't even imagine Tintin with a phoned-in love interest.

[trance2009]

Teaser is now online.

http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/2420/10167006.jpg

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/paramount/theadventuresoftintin/

[HG Revolution]

Teaser is now online.

http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/2420/10167006.jpg

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/paramount/theadventuresoftintin/

The teaser looked fine until they showed the damn face.

Is there still time to rerender this? Remove all those freaky pores and such and you might have a decent design there.

[Dudley]

The teaser looked fine until they showed the damn face.

Is there still time to rerender this? Remove all those freaky pores and such and you might have a decent design there.

If it's anything like Pixar films, it usually takes 7 hours to render one frame of CG animation.
So they probably won't.

But the question remains...why not make the film in live-action if you're trying to make it look so real?!

[R-Taco]

Copied from elsewhere:

I've got nothing against alternate forms of animation, but motion capture isn't animation. It involves no animators outside of clean-up work.

And if you're going to use photorealistic human models, why bother at all? Seriously, Steve, you're better than this.

[Daxdiv]

Wait... that's CGI? That looks way too real. I'm with everyone else, what's the point in making it in CGI if you wanted to make them more realistic?

[Monterey Jack]

Wait... that's CGI? That looks way too real. I'm with everyone else, what's the point in making it in CGI if you wanted to make them more realistic?

To quote another Spielberg movie, "Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could that they didn't stop to think if they should!"

[Shawn Hopkins]

Will Spielberg ever abandon this soulless, dead-puppet eyed "animation?" It just takes the magic out of whatever property he jams it on. Tintin deserves better.

[Animationerd]

To quote another Spielberg movie, "Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could that they didn't stop to think if they should!"
Actually, this fits the situation better: "Before you knew what you had, you pattened it, you packaged it, you slapped it on a lunchbox and now *slam* YOÜRE SELLING *slam* YOURE SELLING IT!

[Monterey Jack]

Will Spielberg ever abandon this soulless, dead-puppet eyed "animation?" It just takes the magic out of whatever property he jams it on. Tintin deserves better.

This is the ONLY movie Spielberg has made done entirely with mocap. That's Zemeckis you're thinking about (who hasn't made a "real" movie since Cast Away eleven years ago).


Actually, this fits the situation better: "Before you knew what you had, you pattened it, you packaged it, you slapped it on a lunchbox and now *slam* YOÜRE SELLING *slam* YOURE SELLING IT!

Also, "They've got hollow eyes, dead eyes, like a doll's eyes...they don't seem to be livin'..."

[Shawn Hopkins]

Oh yeah, oops.

[Astrolupine]

What surprised me the most was the great amount of darkness in the trailer, and entirely serious subject matter.

But don't worry, I, the big fan, loved it. Williams' score is wonderful, the characters' faces look decent enough (but where's Haddock) and there's certainly more action than I expected. As for Tintin's face? Well, it's still rather awkward, as it's normal-looking compared to the cartoony look of the others. I don't want to leap to 'dead eyes', but it's kinda odd. Never the less, I can live with it, and I still look forward greatly to this.

Also, I dig Bell's voice as Tintin.

[Den-Of-Earth]

This should be good since it's done by WETA who all know how to perfect CGI nowadays on film and this will be their second Motion Capture animation movie after Avatar.

With Spielberg, Wright and Jackson at the helm, you can't go wrong with all 3 filmmakers.

Who thinks this Mocap movie will be as good as Avatar? how come no one complains about the Na'Vi in Avatar when it comes to Mocap creations? are they belivable and not uncanny?

[Monterey Jack]

how come no one complains about the Na'Vi in Avatar when it comes to Mocap creations? are they belivable and not uncanny?

The Na'Vi have eyes that are large and stylized enough to avoid the "dead eyes" that plague the more "realistic" human characters in Zemeckis movies like Polar Express and Beowulf. Ditto Gollum in Lord Of The Rings. If you're making characters who look EXACTLY like human beings, then don't animate them, just cast actual actors and shoot them against CGI backdrops, a la Sin City or 300. If I'm watching a cartoon, I want to see characters who are, well, cartooney. :shrug:

http://thehiphopupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Avatar-Navi-image.jpg

http://drnorth.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/vlcsnap-139908.jpg

[Spideyzilla]

The Na'Vi have eyes that are large and stylized enough to avoid the "dead eyes" that plague the more "realistic" human characters in Zemeckis movies like Polar Express and Beowulf. Ditto Gollum in Lord Of The Rings. If you're making characters who look EXACTLY like human beings, then don't animate them, just cast actual actors and shoot them against CGI backdrops, a la Sin City or 300. If I'm watching a cartoon, I want to see characters who are, well, cartooney. :shrug:

http://thehiphopupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Avatar-Navi-image.jpg

http://drnorth.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/vlcsnap-139908.jpg

No kidding. You would swear that was an image of Grendel, not Beowulf.:sweat: No life there, folks.

[TheVileOne]

I'm calling it out right now. Tintin is going to be a failure. It looks like the same problem as the Zemeckis movies.

WETA have done great work but even they aren't going to solve the uncanny value issue here. Here is what annoys me. Why not just make a traditionally animated movie with some really high tech or CG backdrop animation or just make a completely CG movie? Why this MoCap business?

Also no one is going to see a Tintin movie just because Spielberg or Jackson directed it.

[Chaos Yoshi Mage]

Also no one is going to see a Tintin movie just because Spielberg or Jackson directed it.

I am, well, Steven Moffet and Edgar Wright writing the film helps, as does John Williams scoring it. This is like a dream team of awesome people in the movie industry. I'm super unfamiliar with Tintin (All I know is that it's a European comic from back in the day) and hate mo-cap (Well, I liked it in Avatar).

[TheVileOne]

I am, well, Steven Moffet and Edgar Wright writing the film helps, as does John Williams scoring it. This is like a dream team of awesome people in the movie industry. I'm super unfamiliar with Tintin (All I know is that it's a European comic from back in the day) and hate mo-cap (Well, I liked it in Avatar).

That's what they said about AI, Spielberg directing a story written by Stanley Kubrick, starring Academy Award nominee Haley Joel Osment. With a score by John Williams of course ;) .

Just saying man, Spielberg has done plenty of flops. Indiana Jones 4 was one of the worst movies Spielberg has ever done.

This isn't the same as Avatar really. It's 100% CG animated/live mo-cap movie. Those have a habit of bombing. It's not like Zemeckis' films didn't have huge talent attached either because they did . . . and a majority of them still failed :evil: .

Time and time again audiences have universally stated they don't like these movies and how they look. I don't know how Spielberg, Jackson, and WETA arrogantly believe they can solve this problem when Zemeckis hasn't been able to when he has been equally as arrogant. Now Gollum was something special no question. Lighting in a bottle, movie magic, call it what you want, he worked. What they are doing with these movies doesn't really work though.

I'm also at a loss why Spielberg wants to do a Tintin story when he mainly wants to do "dark" and cynical movies as of late. He tried to go back to his old style with Indy 4 and it clearly looked like his heart wasn't in it.

[Chaos Yoshi Mage]

That's what they said about AI, Spielberg directing a story written by Stanley Kubrick, starring Academy Award nominee Haley Joel Osment. With a score by John Williams of course ;) .

Just saying man, Spielberg has done plenty of flops. Indiana Jones 4 was one of the worst movies Spielberg has ever done.

This isn't the same as Avatar really. It's 100% CG animated/live mo-cap movie. Those have a habit of bombing. It's not like Zemeckis' films didn't have huge talent attached either because they did . . . and a majority of them still failed :evil: .

Time and time again audiences have universally stated they don't like these movies and how they look. I don't know how Spielberg, Jackson, and WETA arrogantly believe they can solve this problem when Zemeckis hasn't been able to when he has been equally as arrogant. Now Gollum was something special no question. Lighting in a bottle, movie magic, call it what you want, he worked. What they are doing with these movies doesn't really work though.

I'm also at a loss why Spielberg wants to do a Tintin story when he mainly wants to do "dark" and cynical movies as of late. He tried to go back to his old style with Indy 4 and it clearly looked like his heart wasn't in it.

A.I., what was A.I. That movie never happened...yep...

I actually like Indy 4, I know I'm in the minority, but I don't think it was nearly as bad as everyone says it is. Better movie than Temple of Doom, IMO. Sure it was silly and had way too much CG, but I can enjoy it even alongside the other films.

Yeah, Avatar isn't the same, I'm not a motion-capture fan barring a few exceptions (Avatar, Gollum, video games). I just couldn't get into Beowulf because of it and haven't watched any of Zemekis's other mo-cap movies and some of his earlier movies are among my favorite films of all time.

I don't know if the writing, music, directing, etc. can save this movie from being another mo-cap disaster, but I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt until I see it myself.

[Spaceman]

OK, first off, I liked Indy IV. And A.I. And The Terminal. He also did two of the best films of the past decade with Minority Report and Munich. The whole reasoning that "Spielberg is losing it" is completely untrue as far as I'm concerned.

Zemeckis didn't convince me of mocap's potential, but I'm willing to give Spielberg and Jackson the shot. And even if they don't, I'm still confident it'll be a fairly good film in terms of directing and writing. I haven't watched any recent Doctor Who productions, but Steven Moffat seems to be much more highly-regarded than David Koepp (the writer of Indy 4/WotW/Lost World).

And why does it bother you that Spielberg alternates between light and dark projects? He's been doing that since the 90's where he bounced back-and-forth from Jurassic Park flicks to historical dramas. That's one of the reasons I admire him as a filmmaker and storyteller.

[TheVileOne]

He's not really alternating. It bothers me because Indy 4 was so terrible and it was clear he didn't really want to make the movie because it was so lazy compared to previous Indiana Jones efforts. It bothers me because he says this is the "dark" period of his career so I wonder why he even bothers making Indy 4 and now Tintin.

[Spideyzilla]

Just saying man, Spielberg has done plenty of flops. Indiana Jones 4 was one of the worst movies Spielberg has ever done.

Close to one billion dollars? That is not a flop. Besides, I thought it was a good movie. Not as good as the first Indy or the third one, but a MILLION times better than Temple of Doom. And I will see Tintin, because of what these people have done. One brief trailer is not going to do anything if the script and actors are good. And maybe this will be something that can only be done in Mo-Cap. You have not seen Tintin yet and are laughing it off. The fact is that with so many talented people working on this movie, it certainly seems likely that their talent will rub off. I have high expectations for this, I thought the trailer looked really cool.

[TheVileOne]

Close to one billion dollars? That is not a flop. Besides, I thought it was a good movie. Not as good as the first Indy or the third one, but a MILLION times better than Temple of Doom. And I will see Tintin, because of what these people have done. One brief trailer is not going to do anything if the script and actors are good. And maybe this will be something that can only be done in Mo-Cap. You have not seen Tintin yet and are laughing it off. The fact is that with so many talented people working on this movie, it certainly seems likely that their talent will rub off. I have high expectations for this, I thought the trailer looked really cool.

Indy wasn't a flop but Spielberg has done flops even in the last 10 years. And Indy 4 was terrible :sad: .

Tintin does have good talent attached but even promising looking movies with A+ talent can also turn out poorly.

I am not sure what you mean. What is so special or unique about Tintin that it can only be done via live mocap? I'm not laughing it off at all. I'm simply predicting it will bomb. The animation looks like the Zemeckis movies which have yielded poor results.

[Spideyzilla]

Indy wasn't a flop but Spielberg has done flops even in the last 10 years. And Indy 4 was terrible :sad: .

Tintin does have good talent attached but even promising looking movies with A+ talent can also turn out poorly.

I am not sure what you mean. What is so special or unique about Tintin that it can only be done via live mocap? I'm not laughing it off at all. I'm simply predicting it will bomb. The animation looks like the Zemeckis movies which have yielded poor results.

What I'm saying is to wait and see. We have not seen enough yet to say that mo-cap is the worst option for this movie.

[John Pannozzi]

I hope this doesn't bomb, since it could not only hurt Speilberg's reputation, but Peter Jackson and Edgar Wright's reputations, too, and then we might not see Wright do Ant-Man or (this is a stretch) the remastered Blu-ray releases of Bad Taste, Meet the Feebles and Braindead (a.k.a. Dead-Alive).

[Elven Moon]

I almost forgot this movie was coming out! I mean, I knew it was in planning but I figured it would mysteriously disappear... oh, I don't know what I mean :sweat:

Anyway, I didn't realize it was coming out so soon! December, huh? Good or bad, I'm going to try to see it.

[Dragnatek]

I need some cheeze because there sure is a lot of whine in this topic.

Ha ha just kidding.

I understand why people are worried and fearing the worst. I'm not a fan of the whole motion capped animation that tries to be photo realistic but the characters seem like zombies.

But really I'm hoping it will be better here after all it's not the same people doing the mo caping that studio is dead.

Now it's all a matter of opinion, I happened to like Indy 4 despite it's faults and I think it was a better movie then Temple of Doom. Don't agree with me fine it's called an opinion.

[TheVileOne]

I almost forgot this movie was coming out! I mean, I knew it was in planning but I figured it would mysteriously disappear... oh, I don't know what I mean :sweat:

Anyway, I didn't realize it was coming out so soon! December, huh? Good or bad, I'm going to try to see it.

I actually know what you mean. This was a big project that was announced a while ago and suddenly it's like we hadn't seen nor heard almost any of it for quite some time. And only now they are getting around to finally promoting it.

[Hiya Animation]

The Na'Vi have eyes that are large and stylized enough to avoid the "dead eyes" that plague the more "realistic" human characters in Zemeckis movies like Polar Express and Beowulf. Ditto Gollum in Lord Of The Rings.

What made Avatar and Gollum work was the fact that WETA let the animators go in and "plus" the motion capture to make it better instead of the director forcing them to take what the mocap gave them and clean it up ala-Beowulf.

James Cameron doesn't want to admit it, but the animators had much more to do with the final performances in Avatar then he wants to admit to the public.

In the case of Gollum, much of the mocap was used as just a reference. If the mocap didn't work as a base for the action, they threw it away and started from scractch, keyframing it.

[R-Taco]

Plus, Avatar & LotR weren't using realistic human characters. This movie maybe be ever-so-slightly stylized, but not enough to avoid the uncanny valley (and the question of "Why not just use live actors?").

[Spideyzilla]

Here's a new trailer: http://www.movieweb.com/news/second-the-adventures-of-tintin-secret-of-the-unicorn-international-trailer

[Astrolupine]

I hope that was the final trailer, plenty was shown.

And here I am, the one most positive about the film, once again stating my approval: the music is once again wonderful, the action is good, Bell and Serkis are making for a good double act, the comedy isn't forgotten and the melding between Claws and Unicorn looks very intriguing.

Still highly stoked for this, bloody love the comics.