Amazing Achievement in Motion Capture and Animation

Rating: 9/10 (2 June 2015)

So they changed the dog's name to "Snowy" because the French name doesn't translate! Spielberg and Jackson are releasing a new "TinTin" in 2016 and I look forward to it. The animation backgrounds alone rival the best action scenes from any live-action film. The story is a bit repetitive, but the action never stops. It's a great family film for all but very small children and exceeds "Polar Express" which is a statement I thought I would never make. There is a lot of Spielberg influence and it will somewhat remind you of an Indiana Jones adventure. "TinTin" is a young French reporter, with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and adventure. Of course in this version, he speaks English. Tons of impossible stunts and explosions that work better when animated. So realistic except for the intentional "comic book" look to some of the characters (The Scotland Yard Detectives and Capt. Haddock have huge noses) that you forget it's animated. The dog is amazing and had to be "dropped in" fully animated next to the motion capture footage. This is "Premium Pixar" style computer animation, created by Peter Jackson's WETA Studios in Australia. Basically a classic globe-trotting "chase movie" kept almost bloodless because it is fully animated. So clean it's barely even "PG". However, the Capt. does have a drinking problem and it's a bit violent at times. Lots of broken glass from shattered rum bottles hitting people and huge sprays of bullets that tend to miss their mark. Very few "bad words" if any. Many plot twists that keep you guessing until almost the very end. Argh! It's all about buried treasure and family honor! If you like Disney's "Pirates" series you will like this as well, even though it is not live-action!