The Castafiore Emerald

Tintin and his friends are hosting the flamboyant opera singer Bianca Castafiore at Marlinspike Hall for a few days. It's meant to be pleasant, but light tensions and comic mishaps ripple through the household as the diva's presence upends routines. When a precious emerald goes missing, suspicion settles on visitors and servants alike, prompting careful questioning and quiet searches. Tintin, keen-eyed and patient, starts piecing together small clues others dismiss. Captain Haddock bristles and complains, the professor is oblivious in his own way, and routines at the manor are disrupted. The story keeps its focus on mystery and character interactions, revealing motives through dialogue and observation without explaining every twist too soon. Humor and tension sit side by side.

This 1992 animated television film was directed by Stéphane Bernasconi, adapted from Hergé's characters, with contributions by Eric Rondeaux and Martin Brossollet. It features French voice actors Thierry Wermuth and Christian Pelissier alongside Henri Labussière, Michel Ruhl and Marie Vincent.

As a television movie it didn't have a traditional box office run, initially premiering on TV rather than in cinemas. Financial grosses are not applicable in the usual way, the production reaching audiences through broadcasts and later home releases worldwide.

Although this title is a quieter entry in Tintin's screen history, Bianca Castafiore's visit and the emerald mystery echo familiar comic rhythms fans expect. Lines and scenes from Castafiore episodes entered fandom discussions, and the film keeps Hergé's tone, influencing later animated adaptations and collectors' interest in Marlinspike Hall material.

Reception among viewers is mixed to positive, with a vote average around 6.9 reflecting appreciation for faithful characters and slower, dialogue-driven plotting. The movie highlights themes of reputation, misunderstanding, and social manners, using humor and investigative detail rather than high-stakes action to sustain interest and character interplay through steady pacing.