Tintin: The Prisoners of the Sun
Common Sense says
- NR
- 1969
- 74 minutes
Parents say
Kids say
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A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Tintin: The Prisoners of the Sun is a fun adventure, but includes some dated elements, including stereotypical depictions of indigenous people. Also, the gags revolving around Captain Haddock's boozing habits feel dated and problematic. Besides this, there is cartoonish violence throughout -- fighting with rifles, knives, and fists, and falling from cliffs, mountains, and ships. Still, like the other Tintin adventures, the twisting and engaging storyline is still quite enjoyable, four decades later.
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Tin again!
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What's the story?
Tintin, the Thompsons, Captain Haddock, and Snowy must go to Peru, where Professor Calculus and other professors have been taken prisoner. They try to rescue him from a ship, but learn that he is in the "Temple of the Sun," where he is to be executed for wearing an Incan artifact as a bracelet. It is up to Tintin and his friends to find the Temple of the Sun, and endure a series of battles with the weather, the mountains, crocodiles, and a condor, before the final battle and the last chance to save Calculus and the other professors from seemingly certain doom.
Is it any good?
TINTIN: THE PRISONERS OF THE SUN is a fun installment of the popular animated series and the classic Herge children's books. That is, as long as you can somehow overlook some of the more egregious stereotyping going on with the Incans. In terms of both animation quality and storytelling, this is firmly rooted in the mid-20th century, and if you can enjoy that on its own terms, it's quite enjoyable.
The trials and tribulations Tintin and his friends must endure in order to rescue Professor Calculus are unrelenting. And like most animation from that time, the fact that none of it is particularly realistic makes it that much more enjoyable. We know Tintin -- like James Bond -- is going to get out of these seemingly inescapable scrapes -- but how he does it is where the entertainment lies.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about when this movie was made. How does this 1969 movie compare to animated stories from today?
What do you think is the general appeal of Tintin, all these years later?
How are Incans portrayed in this movie? What stereotypes of indigenous people are depicted here? How have the way certain people are portrayed changed over time?
Movie details
- On DVD or streaming: January 1, 1969
- Cast: Claude Bertrand, Lucie Dolene, Phillipe Ogouz
- Director: Eddie Lateste
- Studio: Belvision
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Topics: Adventures, Book Characters
- Run time: 74 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: September 20, 2019
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