There are many fazes to producing a great cartoon. First, the idea has to be borne. An artist or cartoonist is this case will dream up a character then draw it. Then it goes to the computer for animation. The animator will use various software to take the character through various stages, which will bring it to life, and then it must go through processes where it can be produced and put out to the viewer.

There is a certain amount of talent required for this job. There must be artistic talent where the artist as learned the fundamentals. Although the computer will do much of the work, the operator must tell it what to do, and then be able to judge whether the computer has done it right. In addition to this, the animator must have a good understanding of the various programs available and how they work.

Cartoons must have a purpose or a storyline. It is the interest in the storyline enhanced by the characters that make it successful. They must be fun and light hearted as this is what attracts people to them. It makes them laugh. Voiceovers in today’s media are important. In the case of major productions well known actors and actresses will be retained to do them. It adds creditability to the story and depending on how famous they are often serves as an attraction.

Cartoon animation has predominantly been dome in 2D and 3D formats. 2D was the forerunner and with the introduction of computers, it was not long before it progressed into 3D. They both play a major role in the industry. 3D has not replaced 2D, but it has enhanced it. The computer can be used for both types of formats and there is software that allows the capabilities to do this. The software is only the tool that the animator works with, as we said earlier that there still has to be a well-trained user to execute it. The world of animation is no doubt going to progress and continually get better as computers and software continue to excel in their technology.

Tintin merchandise is still very popular around the world. There are still over two million books sold annually worldwide. The total number of books sold since Remi created Tintin is estimated at 200 million books with four in ten homes in France owning at least one Tintin comic adventure. The common misconception is that Tintin is French but this is not true as he is actually Belgium like his creator Herge. He is considered a national treasure in his homeland. Tintin has been translated into over 60 languages and in China alone sales are in excess of 600,000 per year. There are many reasons for the popularity of Tintin merchandise. The ligne claire style has captured the imagination over people since the late 1940′s when Remi developed the style. It has influenced artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein who cited the ligne claire illustrations of Remi as the influence behind the pop-art scene. It is these simple clear lines of the drawings that seems to attract people to the book initially and then when they start to read the adventures themselves they become hooked.

The Tintin world and Tintin merchandise is going to see a revival in the coming years with a trilogy of Tintin movies to be released. The first one is scheduled for release in 2009. What all the fuss is about? Tintin is easy to like and a simple character that everyone can connect with and understand. Tintin reminds us of our innocent childhood. The Tintin name is not recognized in America due to the fact Mickey Mouse was introduced to the world just a few months before Tintin the Belgium boy detective was first seen in Europe in the early 1930′s. This will change when the film are released. Tintin is going to be popular around the world and may challenge Harry Potter in 2009. There are 23 Tintin albums in total and have been entertaining young boys and older people of all ages for over 70 years. The release of the films will hopefully increase the awareness of Tintin so he can proudly take stage where he belongs among the cartoon greats. The Tintin forums are already awash with gossip about who is to play the different characters and the rumour mill looks to run for a long time yet.