Tintin and the Picaros is a two-part episode of The Adventures of Tintin, produced by Ellipse-Nelvana, based on the book of the same name by Hergé.
Changes from the Book[]
In the book, Hergé presents a less naive Tintin who refuses to go with Captain Haddock and Professor Calculus to rescue Bianca Castafiore and the Thompsons, knowing it is a trap. He only joins them later, after his conscience gets the better of him. Many fans felt it was out of character for Tintin to refuse to travel to South America.
In the TV episode however, Tintin is all in favour for rescuing his friends and goes with Haddock and Calculus early in the adventure. Furthermore, in the original book, Tintin wore what resembled jeans throughout the book, which was in contrast with the plus-fours he had always worn previously, which return in the episode for visual consistency between other episodes. The encounter with Ridgewell and the Arumbayas is also removed as is the moment when Haddock's first name is revealed. Pablo's fate remains undetermined as well.
Voice cast[]
- Colin O'Meara - Tintin
- Susan Roman - Snowy
- David Fox - Captain Haddock
- Wayne Robson - Professor Calculus
- John Stocker - Detective Thompson
- Dan Hennessey - Detective Thomson
- Vernon Chapman - Nestor (cameo)
- Maureen Forrester - Bianca Castafiore
- Elizabeth Dufresne - Peggy Alcazar
Production Errors[]
- In part one, Igor Wagner's moustache is not coloured in black.
- Despite the fact that this is the first time the characters, let alone the audience have met Pablo in the television series as he did not appear in adaptation of The Broken Ear, Tintin seems to automatically recognise him even though he only introduces himself as Manolo's replacement without mentioning his name.
- In the original book, Haddock's fondness for alcohol goes away thanks to the pills invented by Calculus that make such beverages unbearable to drink. In later episodes of the television series however, Haddock is still shown to drink alcohol anyways. Though, it can be assumed that in the television series' continuity, the effects of the pills against fondness for alcohol eventually wear off overtime rather than being permanent.