"The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn", Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson's live-action/animated feature film, hit Chinese theaters Nov. 15. It is a jaunt down memory lane for comic fans that grew up reading the series and one of the best cartoons Hollywood has produced this year.

Adapted from comic books by Belgian artist Georges Prosper Remi, better known by the pen name Hergé, "Tintin" came alive in this lavish 3D film with the help of technologies such as motion capture from Peter Jackson's Weta Digital.

The comic series is one of the most popular European comics of the 20th century, with translations published in more than 80 languages and more than 350 million copies sold thus far.

Remi, who created the Tintin series in the 1920s, gave Spielberg his blessing to adapt his works to film before his death in 1983. Michael Farr, author of "Tintin: The Complete Companion", said Hergé "thought Spielberg was the only person who could ever do Tintin justice". But Spielberg wasn’t happy with the then script in the 1980s and was busy with his production of "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." The rights returned to the Hergé Foundation until Spielberg revived his interest in 2001.

Script writers Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish based the film on three of the original tales: "The Crab with the Golden Claws," "The Secret of the Unicorn," and "Red Rackham's Treasure,” taking extensive artistic liberties to combine the three comics into a feature-length film script.

Since Tintin already knew and was a friend of Captain Haddock in the original "Unicorn" story, a big part of "Golden Claws" has to be added into the film script to introduce the role. And Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine, a small role in the original book, became a major villain in the new storyline.

This adaption requires courage. Many hardcore fans may not wholeheartedly accept it, and some will inevitably be angry with the adaption as some changes are too big to swallow. It's like watching a brand new twisted story.

As variety of classic scenes and characters such as Tintin's trademark dog named Snowy were saved and put on the screen, bringing back fond memories for fans and casual viewers, especially those who regard the brave young reporter as a childhood friend. Incompetent detective duo Thomson and Thompson are funny.

Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" and King Kong in a 2005 remake, managed to give another breathtaking performance as whisky-soaked Captain Haddock in "Tintin."

The tense plot is a typical treasure-hunt Hollywood production with very Indiana Jones-esque set and action sequences, but that's no surprise since the director is the one and only Spielberg. The CGI visual effects are stunningly good. Computer renderings of hair, seas, deserts, waves and sand are simply spectacular.

The adventure animation is no doubt captivating family entertainment. But it has had a modest beginning, making US$9.39 million at the box office in its first six days at Chinese theaters. Managers said they expect the buzz about the movie would spread and help it at the box office.

A China-related sequel may be in the making – Hergé's series includes two tales of the Middle Kingdom ("The Blue Lotus" / "Tintin in Tibet"), which are reportedly a part of plans for the Spielberg-Jackson trilogy. Can't wait.

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