The Blue Lotus is a two-part episode of The Adventures of Tintin, produced by Ellipse-Nelvana, based on the book of the same name by Hergé.
Changes from the Book[]
The episode starts with the Maharaja's son playing with Snowy. The fakir's part is completely absent in the episode. Mitsuhirato's assistant, Mr. Lee, is shown to be a double agent in the service of the Sons of the Dragon, and it is he who replaces the Rajaijah Juice with a harmless substitute and delivers the real poison to his employer Wang Chen-Yee. In the book, this was done by another agent. Gibbons is not shown at all, and Dawson's role is much reduced that he is only shown as the police commissioner who calls in Thompson and Thomson and does not appear to be in league with Mitsuhirato at first. (This is to create a subsequent continuity error in The Red Sea Sharks, as Tintin mentions having a "run-in" with Dawson despite not encountering him in this adaptation of the story.) General Haranochi's role is also reduced.
In the book, Chang's parents were killed in the flood, but in the TV episode, Chang is already an orphan and his orphanage got washed away by the flood. At the end of the story, Rastapopoulos tries to flee through the Blue Lotus club when the other villains are apprehended but is himself caught by Thompson and Thomson. In the book Tintin finding Professor Fang Hsi-ying is only mentioned in the newspapers but in the TV episode, Tintin and Chang find him while searching for Rastapopoulos. In the book, Rastapopoulos was apprehended along with Mitsuhirato. Also, this episode, unlike the book, doesn't reveal Mitsuhirato's fate. The final scene (where Tintin is on the ship returning to Europe) is also altered as Mrs. Wang is also present to wave goodbye to Tintin whereas she was not in the original comic.
Voice cast[]
- Colin O'Meara - Tintin
- Susan Roman - Snowy
- John Stocker - Detective Thompson
- Dan Hennessey - Detective Thomson
- Julie Lemieux - Chang
- Denis Akiyama - Mitsuhirato
- Chris Wiggins - Wang Chen-Yee
- Ho Chow - Mr. Lee
- Elizabeth Dufresne - Mrs. Wang
Trivia[]
- The scene where Tintin witnessed Mitsuhirato destroying a section of the railway line was based on the Mukden Incident, a staged attempted destruction of the Japanese Southern Manchuria Railway, carried out by Lieutenant Suemori Komoto of the Japanese 29th Infantry Regiment Independent Garrison Unit near Mukden on the night of the 18th September 1931.
- While the explosion had failed to destroy the section of the railway line (as a passing train from Changchun had drove over the damaged section without difficulty, arriving at Mukden 10 minutes after the explosives were detonated), this incident was used as a pretext for the Japanese Invasion of Manchuria by the Kwantung Army on the 19th September 1931, and the later establishment of the Japanese Puppet State of Manchukuo on the 18th February 1932. The publishing of the Lytton Report on the 2nd October 1932 condemned Japan and stated that the Japanese invasion was considered as an act of aggression. In response to the report, during a General Assembly at the League of Nations in Genva in February 1933, the Japanese ambassador, Yōsuke Matsuoka gave a speech, claiming the Invasion of Manchuria was carried out as an act of self-defense for Japan and then walked out of the General Assembly followed by the entire Japanese delegation. On the 27th March 1933, Japan had officially withdrawn from the League of Nations.
Production errors[]
- In part 1, when Snowy and the Prince are playing on the steppingstones, Snowy's paws at some points seem to be landing in midair even before he runs off the end.
- In part 1, before Mitsuhirato turns away from the window, his moustache is white.
- During two scenes from part 1, Didi has a different voice compared to the rest of the story before and after.
- In part 2, the assassin photographer's moustache disappears when Chang pounces on him.
- In part 2, in an aerial shot of the warehouse, the speaking characters do not move their lips.
- In part 2, when Tintin emerges from inside the oil drum, his sleeve seems to come out through the side of the drum.
- In some scenes, Tintin's white shirt collar is miscoloured.