The Adventures of Tintin

At the website www.darkhorizons.com I found the feature on The Adventures of Tintin to be a good example of an internet website building buzz for an upcoming movie. In the article, one of the writers for the website actually was able to meet with the producers of the movie, Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg. He writes a positive article about his experiences and expectations for the film.

Tintin is based on a 1930's French comic series, so the name already has a built in fanbase, as Tintin is still a hugely popular comic book that sells over 2 million copies a year. This can also have potential negative effects however, as fans of the original comic want to see the movie treat the source material with respect, and not go off in its own "Americanized" version of the comic. The writer of the article, being a fan of the original comic, writes from this perspective, as someone who was worried about the direct the movie would take, along with the motion capture medium chosen. He comes away largely satisfied with what he has seen. The comments on the article express relief from other of the comic's fans that someone who understands the trepidation at a beloved book being made into a movie appears to be getting the proper treatment.

In another interesting note along the 'nothing is ever new' line, Steven Spielberg discovered the comic series after he read reviews comparing his own film Raiders of the Lost Ark (filmed 50 years after the first Tintin strip) movie to the comic. Here is the trailer for the movie, and while I had heard of the movie, I wasn't really sure what it was about. After reading the article and seeing the trailer, I am now certain I will see the movie within the first few days of release.