Thursday, December 22, 2011

The Adventures of Tin Tin

The hype on The Adventures of Tin Tin is mainly to do with its celebrity director, (Steven Spielberg) producer, (Peter Jackson) and the fact the England seems to generally love the adventure-seeking cartoon. But since the character is so well known in international markets, there is a lack of introduction for us yanks who don’t know anything about it. The film follows Tin Tin (Jamie Bell,) a reporter, who pursues a mystery after buying a model ship containing a clue to hidden treasure. Along with his dog Snowy and the dim-witted drunk Captain Haddock, (Andy Serkis) Tin Tin uncovers the result of a legendary fight between pirates that brings them all around the world.

For the first twenty minutes or so, I was under the impression that the title character is a child. This really made for some odd situations in my mind, but once I figured it out that this guy is apparently an adult reporter, it made more sense. His veritable lack of a family or a paycheck is overlooked when he vanishes for weeks without a trace. But I guess since it started out with him trying to “get a news story,” nobody would come looking for him. None of this is essential to the plot, but the advertising making it seem like a true action adventure for kids and adults makes me ask questions that are overlooked by the lack of development in tune with children’s animation.

But before you write the film off, realize that The Adventures of Tin Tin is one of the most epic animated features I’ve ever seen. The motion capture animation succeeds where other films of this type have failed. The voice acting is outstanding, with Serkis being the best in the business. To approach the film as an animated film, it is exceptional. What’s the likelihood that US families will flock to this unknown family-friendly treasure hunter? Not great. (8.5 out of 10)

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