FIRST LOOK: "The Adventures of Tin Tin"

Paramount has released a clump of new images (see below) from "The Adventures of Tin Tin," the 3D motion capture project from Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson.

Spielberg has directing duties on the first installment in the "Tin Tin" franchise, based on the Belgian comicbook series about a globetrotting teenaged reporter.

Jamie Bell, Daniel Craig and Andy Serkis star.

Co-financed by Paramount and Sony Pictures, "Tin Tin" began its journey in 1983 when Spielberg and producer Kathleen Kennedy acquired bigscreen rights to the tome.

Project was delayed for several years until Spielberg completed a 32-day motion capture shoot in March of 2009 before handing off to producer Peter Jackson and his New Zealand effects house, Weta.

Using the same technology James Cameron employed in "Avatar," the first "Tin Tin" images suggest a similar look to Robert Zemeckis' motion-capture pic "The Polar Express" with the characters animated in geometric faces and bushy mustaches, only in front of a much broader and colorful landscape than "Polar Express." (Then again, these are merely four stills.)

"Tin Tin's" real test will be whether or not audiences latch on to the 80 year-old story. Aside from the 1991 television series, the adventure tome is widely unknown to younger auds and doesn't have the same anterior buzz the "Harry Potter" books provided. Then again, neither did hit franchises like "Toy Story" or "The Lord of the Rings."

The first "Tin Tin" feature, based on creator Georges Remi's No. 21 chapter in the series, was written by Edgar Wright, Steven Moffat and Joe Cornish. Though expected, Paramount has yet to order a second installment.

"The Adventures of Tin Tin" hits theaters Dec. 28, 2011.

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