BRUSSELS — Tintin came home to Belgium on Saturday for the world premiere of Steven Spielberg’s “The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn.” If the proverbial intrepid reporter was more than a cartoon and movie character, he would have been pushing and shoving amid all the other hometown reporters lining the red carpet.
Instead, Tintin and his creator, the late Herge, were the stars of the show, and Belgian Princess Astrid gave the occasion an old-world royal touch amid the movie nobility headed by Spielberg.
The movie is rolling out first across Europe and elsewhere before hitting the United States by the Christmas movie season.
“To highjack Tintin and bring it to America first, and then release it overseas second, would be something that would not have even occurred to us,” Spielberg said. “From the outset, the plan was to give Tintin back to the countries where Tintin was the most beloved.”
The director has been riding a wave of support from local critics.
“Action adventure and slapstick: Spielberg’s Tintin movie has it all,” was the headline Saturday in the De Morgen paper.
The director knows one sure way of finding out whether fans believe he respected the cultural legacy of Tintin. “When this thing opens, I will just have to see which country I am allowed back in,” he said.
The Associated Press
