The Secret of the Unicorn: Part 1 (11 Nov. 1991)

Tintin gets more than he bargained for when he buys a model of a sailing ship that Capt. Haddock is unexpectedly familiar with and others will kill to get.

Director:

Stéphane Bernasconi

Writers:

J.D. Smith (adaptation), Christophe Poujol (adaptation),

Stars:

Colin O'Meara, Thierry Wermuth, David Fox

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Colin O'Meara	...	Tintin (voice)
Thierry Wermuth	...	Tintin (voice)
David Fox	...	Captain Haddock (voice)
Christian Pellissier	...	Le capitaine Haddock (voice) (as Christian Pelissier)
Henri Labussière	...	Le professeur Tournesol (voice) (credit only)
Wayne Robson	...	Professor Calculus (voice) (credit only)
Yves Barsacq	...	Dupont (voice)
John Stocker	...	Thompson (voice)
Dan Hennessey	...	Thomson (voice)
Jean-Pierre Moulin	...	Dupond (voice)
Susan Roman	...	Snowy (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Denis Akiyama	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Robert Cait	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Graeme Campbell	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Liz Dufresne	...	Additional Voices (voice) (as Elizabeth Dufresne)

Storyline

Tintin buys an old model ship at a flea market as a present for his friend, Captain Haddock, but when the Captain starts telling him about the exploits of a famous ancestor and several other men have their eyes on the model and will do anything to have it for their own, our hero learns it's no ordinary ship.

---

Plot Keywords:

market | model ship | flea market | present | break in | 

---

Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Crime | Family | Mystery

---

Details

Release Date:

11 November 1991 (USA)

Company Credits

Did You Know?

Goofs

Sir Francis Haddock said he was in the service of King Charles I in 1676. If he was in the English navy at that time, then Charles II would have been the English king. Charles I was beheaded in 1649, after which England entered into a republican period. Charles II became king upon the restoration of the monarchy in 1660.

---

Connections

Version of The Adventures of Tintin: The Crab with the Golden Claws: Part 1 (1991)

User Reviews

Tintin stumbles upon a old sea tale of great wealth.

Tintin buys an old model ship for Captain Haddock, but two men try to hassle him out of it with money. He repeatedly declines their offers. After the mask breaks on it, unknowingly to Tintin a bit of paper falls under the cupboard. When he shows it to Haddock, he takes him back to his place to show a picture of his ancestor, Sir Francis Haddock and the ship behind him is the very same one "The Unicorn". When they return to his apartment, the model ship is gone. Accusing one of those men of stealing it, he visits one of them after they gave him his personal card. He finds out he has the exactly same model, but obviously it's a different one as it isn't broken. Heading back home, he finds his house messed up and while cleaning it up he finds the mysterious paper, which could lead them to Sir Francis Haddock's lost treasure. Now he just has to get his hands on the pieces of paper in the other two models, before those who wrecked his apartment get them before him.

Herge's "The Secret of the Unicorn" is the eleventh story to come from the comic albums of "The Adventures of Tintin", and would be the third and fourth (in 2 parts) episodes of season 1. This would be the first half of the story too, which would be concluded in the follow up "Red Rackham's Treasure". Since I watched it in one full episode, I'll provide my review for both parts on this page.

The story for this premise is quite multi-layered and densely populated with neat twists, tight mystery and a comical sub-plot involving the Detective's Thompsons' clumsy shenanigans in trying to nab a crafty pick-pocketing wallet thief. This element has a nice touch of irony within it and eventually it crosses paths with the central story. We get to learn a bit about Haddock's ancestor and background too. Obviously Haddock is the main focus here, and he always steals the limelight with his steamed up antics and exuberant personality. He's on fire with his cursing for this adventure! "To be precise…". The narrow-minded and downright clueless Thompsons make for a great time as well. The well written exchanges between the characters worked nicely and the lingo provided has flair and freshness to it. There's nothing predictable about it. This one also provides us with the first appearance of the butler Lester, who would go on to be Haddock's butler at the Marlinspike Hall Estate. This is a highly riveting and unforgettable tale in the series, which has a great mixture of elements working in its favour.