When’s the last time you watched an animated series with your kids and had to explain a coup d’etat to them? That’s what I ended up doing while watching the third and final season of “The Adventures of Tintin” with mine. Hey, they have to learn about hostile government takeovers sometime, right? Better they learn it from me than out on the streets.
As I mentioned in my review of season one, this 1992 animated series isn’t a bad place to get an introduction to Tintin, or get further exposure to him after last year’s big budget film. The stories in season three are all multi-parters, except “Tintin in America,” and they broaden the scope of the character’s adventures, taking him to South America, the moon, and the Red Sea, among other exotic locales.
I’m not an expert on Herge’s Tintin comics, but it seemed they became more ambitious in scope through the 1940s and 1950s, and that’s reflected here. While there’s plenty of goofy physical humor for kids to laugh at, adults will find moments they can appreciate too, especially since Herge was known for his meticulous research.
As with past releases in this series, there are no bonus features, which is a bummer. Since this is the final collection, it would have been nice to have something, even a series of interview with Tintin experts.
