Tintin Forums

Three years on, I've come to confirm that these are different to the other black-and-white serials such as the original Black Island (though these specific ones have already been mentioned):

Broken Ear: cut-out animation form; I've only seen the first episode (11 in total), but I think the reat is probably lost, or else Tintin.com would have a feature on it (unless somebody has a set of VHS tapes - camera with Hi-Fi television and all - of it...).


Silent movie, featuring a symphony orchestra. Produced in 1957. Possibly once broadcast in English.

King Ottokar's Sceptre: cut-out animation form; all episodes still exist, or at least a few of the tapes. Silent movie, featuring a symphony orchestra. Written, produced, discovered (by this I mean the specific reel from where I saw the screenshots of it) or animated by Karel Van Millegham and Anne-Marie Ullmann (can somebody help me on this?). Broadcast on the BBC in 1959.

They both use frames lifted from the books (and had Herge draw a few extras), and are termed as being part of Season 1 of the Belvision set.

10 years on since this thread began and still no signs of a DVD release.

It's really disappointing that the Belvision episodes are the only Tintin film or TV series to not get a DVD release.

I just hope whoever owns the rights makes a release someday, as I'd love to see the episodes in high quality.

As with many rare cartoon series that have gone unreleased, I just don't understand how companies like Moulinsart can keep taking down YouTube videos of these shows (which, to be clear, they SHOULD be taking down, as it is their property) but not seeing the amounts of view these cartoons are getting. And if they wonder why people keep reposting them that way, they should understand that people care about the show and would rather watch them on a commercially released DVD than that way in the first place. I just don't get it.

So many fans want a second Tintin feature film anyways, that you'd think releasing these cartoons right now would be a good time, since people obviously are interested in Tintin in general.

I think we've discussed this before, but it may not be within their ability to do so, for all sorts of contractual reasons.

People who post them on YouTube don't have to bother with rights, clearances, and terms of contracts, but commercial enterprises do, and they can be a nightmare, even where companies are keen to exploit material.

It also doesn't really act as a barometer of demand that can be said to accurately reflect whether the vast sums involved in mastering/ remastering the physical episodes, never mind producing and distributing discs is worth investing.

We don't know what the contracts with Spielberg and Ellipse-Nelvana stipulate either - there may be clauses with either, or both, over introducing further material into the domestic market. Broadcasters may not be interested, or even able to show them, and the decline in interest in physical media could easily be enough to derail a release.

Classic Doctor Who sells approximately 20,000 units of each release in the UK, and to a regular dedicated audience, which allows them to generate a small profit; even as a fan, I doubt that archive Tintin releases would come close to that.

We also don't know about any complications over the fact that the series was made as a co-production, with Télé-Hachette and Belvision involved, and also further input from Larry Harmon's company in the states; these may have rights which need to be taken into consideration.

I look forward to the day when they do become available, but I am definitely not holding my breath.

I have ordered the 1992 Adventures boxed set, thinking it was what I had watched as a child, remastered. I now know that what I watched was the Belvision series.

Can you tell me, do the characters in the 1992 series have American/Canadian accents? That would spoil it a little for me.

It's a great series - very well done - so why set out thinking you might be disappointed? Give it a watch, and then decide, and you might find that you really enjoy it!
The English-language cast is (largely, possibly completely) Canadian, so they use the accents they use, but just saying "yes" or "no" to your question will give no sense of degree or strength, especially as when they are offering a performance - the Thom(p)sons are to some degree presented as "English", going by their "Cockney"-ish voices.
Interestingly, the French-language cast are largely French (certainly the lead roles), rather than French Canadian (going by their birthplaces on IMDb); I don't know whether that sounds right to Francophone viewers, or whether it is distracting that they aren't Belgian? ;-)