Adventures of Tintin Parent Guide

Comic artist Georges Prosper Remi, who wrote under the pen name Hergé, authored 23 books chronicling the exploits of a young journalist named Tintin. Now the redheaded reporter (voiced by Jamie Bell) jumps onto the big screen with the directorial input of Steven Spielberg.

The story begins when Tintin buys a model of a three-mast ship from a street vendor (voiced by Alex Hyde-White). Before he even gets to his flat, Tintin is approached by at least two men (voiced by Daniel Craig and Joe Starr) wanting to purchase the miniature. When one of them is gunned down at Tintin’s front door, the budding correspondent determines to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding the reproduction of the Unicorn.

What follows is a high seas caper that has Tintin searching for lost treasure with the inebriated Captain Haddock (voiced by Andy Serkis). Along the way audiences also encounter other well known characters from the book including the bumbling but amiable police inspector Thompson (voiced by Simon Pegg), his identical twin brother Thomson (voiced by Nick Frost), the opera singer Bianca Castafiore (voiced by Kim Stengel) and the nefarious Red Rackham (also voiced by Daniel Craig).

While the film will likely capture the attention of older children and teens, the frequent depiction of intense peril, hand-to-hand combat, weapon use and criminal activities may discourage parents from taking younger family members along. (Tintin is kidnapped, caged, shot at, tied up and hit over the head several times.) Captain Haddock’s love affair with the bottle is also problematic, especially when it clouds his ability to remember some important information imparted by his dying grandfather.

Fast-paced with hardly a moment to breathe, this galloping 3D animated whodunit proves to be lots of fun even if it lacks any real moral messages. The film’s best advice: buyer beware.

About author

Kerry Bennett

Kerry Bennett is interested in media from both a journalist and parent perspective. Along with authoring articles for several family-oriented publications, she has written for Parent Previews for over 15 years. As a parent herself, she believes parents play a powerful role in teaching media literacy in their homes.