The legendary director discusses The Adventures of Tintin  and his return to family films

The comic book series The Adventures of Tintin by Belgian artist Hergé is hugely popular in much of the world, but not particularly well known in the U.S. That will all change on December 21, when a film adaptation directed by Steven Spielberg hits theaters. To recognize his return to family-friendly filmmaking after years of making more adult-oriented films, the legendary filmmaker spoke with a group of parenting magazines, including Minnesota Parent. Here’s a taste of that conversation.

Q: Many of your movies are about everyday kids who do extraordinary things when it’s necessary. Why are you drawn to these types of stories?

Steven Spielberg: I’ve always been drawn, ever since my own childhood, to the empowerment of young people. I just think it’s so powerful when a young person suddenly has to take the circumstances he finds himself [in] into [his] own control to become a hero.

So it’s really interesting to me that lot of my movies have been about young kids who [have] had these kind of things happen to them and they get to rise above the conditions we put them under to achieve something kind of you know, wonderful. I think that’s where it happens with Tintin and that’s what happens in [upcoming movie] War Horse.

It really looks exciting.

It’s probably one of the best experiences in terms of just having pure fun as a filmmaker I ever had. Not since E.T. have I enjoyed myself as much as I enjoyed myself making Tintin.

How did being a father and a grandfather fuel your desire to make this movie in particular?

As a parent, with a film like Tintin I’m very aware of, you know, the ages of the kids [who] are going to want to see this film. So … I tried to be responsible not to put any potty humor in a film like this and yet, still keep things mature enough that the kids will feel that we’re not talking down to them. It’s very difficult to make a movie as much fun for adults as it is for kids. I wanted to make a movie that moms and dads and kids could also see and they could measure it from all of their own experiences.

What it was like working with producer Peter Jackson on this project?

Peter and I are certainly two different people. We share a common sense of humor. And I’m the—I’m the energetic kind of, you know, caffeinated director, even though I don’t drink caffeine. And Peter is much more laid back and much more laconic and in a sense, that kind of contrast and energy caused us to have such a great friendship during the making of Tintin. I haven’t had a partner like this since George Lucas.

This is your first 3D movie. Why did you choose try it for Tintin?

The 3D is very appropriate for Tintin because it’s this grand adventure, it goes a hundred miles an hour. I think that 3D is just another tool, a very large tool kit that filmmakers have available to them. And it was my first 3D movie but the movie is just as good on 2D as it is on 3D. I’m not arguing for parents to just take the kids to 2D movies but I really believe that 3D was a very sweet enhancement—but it doesn’t make the movie. The movie makes the movie.

Tintin has been described as Indiana Jones for kids in a few reviews. Is that an accurate statement?

The only similarity between Tintin and Indiana Jones is it’s a non-stop action-adventure story but the characters of Tintin and the characters of Indiana Jones are so different, that they’re two different spirits entirely.

How did the experience of making Tintin compare to your other movies?

Well I have more control over Tintin than I had over any of my other films. Because this is animation, I can do things over again to get them to be better or to get them to meet my, you know, original vision of what they should look like. I can just go back in and do those works again.

What do you think is the main appeal of the Tintin stories?

Well the appeal I think is, this contrast between Tintin, who is a very tenacious, you know, fearless and stops at nothing to get a good story and often puts himself in his own stories because he gets into a lot of trouble, he’s chasing the bad guys, trying to uncover hidden secrets, unearth hidden treasures.

Tintin is really a quite straight-laced character but he’s so surrounded by eccentric bizarre characters … And yet, everybody has tremendous dimensions and they’re funny and they’re eccentric and they’re bizarre and that contrast alone makes the Tintin adventures really unique.