Because Moulinsart has historically been reluctant to re-issue these films globally (often citing the low quality compared to Hergé’s vision), the market has been flooded with unofficial "fan-made" DVDs. These are often DVD-Rs with poorly printed covers scanned from VHS sources. A genuine Tintin Belvision DVD will feature the original Belvision logo, French language packaging, and specific studio catalog numbers (such as TF1 Vidéo or StudioCanal releases).
Title: Tintin: The Belvision Collection – The Classic Animated Adventures
Step back into the golden age of animation with Tintin: The Belvision Collection. Before the CGI spectacle of the Spielberg movie, and distinct from the 90s Nickelodeon series, these were the animated adventures that captivated a generation.
Produced by Belvision Studios in the late 1950s and 1960s, this collection features the earliest screen adaptations of Hergé’s iconic graphic novels. Faithful to the original source material, these episodes bring the comics to life panel-by-panel with a unique, stylized charm.
This DVD set features adaptations of beloved titles including:
Relive the globe-trotting adventures of the intrepid reporter, his faithful dog Snowy, and the grumpy Captain Haddock. A must-have for collectors and a nostalgic trip for fans who grew up watching these classic hand-drawn adventures. tintin belvision dvd
As of recent years, the scarcity of the Tintin Belvision DVD has led to a digital renaissance. While physical collectors still hunt the plastic, rights holders have slowly released restored versions to streaming.
| Region | Publisher | Notable Features | |--------|-----------|------------------| | France/Belgium | StudioCanal / Belvision Vidéo | Original French audio; some editions include interviews with animators | | UK | Clear Vision Ltd. (early 2000s) | English dubbing by British actors; budget packaging | | Australia | MRA Entertainment (2004) | English & French audio; region 4 | | Japan | Columbia Music Entertainment (2005) | Japanese dub; high-quality packaging | | Canada | Imavision (2006) | Bilingual (French/English); some releases include episode selection |
The most coveted item for collectors is the French Intégrale Belvision (The Complete Belvision) 4-DVD box set. Released in the early 2000s, this set is the definitive Tintin Belvision DVD experience. Here is what it contains:
Warning: These DVDs are encoded in PAL (Region 2) . North American collectors will need a multi-region DVD player. The packaging is entirely in French—no English subtitles are available on the official pressings. You are buying this for the art, not the accessibility.
Yes, but with caveats.
Do not buy the Tintin Belvision DVD expecting a faithful adaptation of The Secret of the Unicorn. Do not buy it if you dislike pixelation or 12-frames-per-second animation. Do not buy it if you require English subtitles.
Do buy it if you are a serious animation historian. Do buy it if you want to see Hergé’s "clear line" melted down and recast as energetic, messy, 1960s Saturday morning television.
Before the 1990s animated series (often called the “Ellipse/Nelvana” series) or the recent feature films, there was Belvision. In the late 1950s, Hergé granted the Belgian animation studio Belvision (affiliated with the Franco-Belgian media company Le Lombard) the rights to adapt his work.
However, these were not direct adaptations. Unlike the later faithful versions, the Belvision productions were often loose adaptations of the source material. The studio produced eight feature-length films and a 60-episode daily serial, Les Aventures de Tintin, d'après Hergé.
The most notable titles from this era include: As of recent years, the scarcity of the
However, the core "Belvision look" is defined by its unique, sometimes psychedelic, color palettes and character designs that occasionally stray far from Hergé’s "ligne claire." Captain Haddock often has a wild, manic look; the Professor Calculus (Tournesol) is more comical; and the pacing is jarringly modern for the era.
Several DVD versions exist worldwide (Belgium, France, UK, Australia, Japan). The most comprehensive English-friendly releases come from Madman Entertainment (Australia) and early Universal Pictures UK releases.
Madman Entertainment (Region 4, Australia) – The definitive release for collectors:
European Editions (France/Belgium – Region 2):
UK DVD (Universal, early 2000s):