Paula Fleri-Soler finds out more about the Spanish animated hit Tad the Lost Explorer, as the second instalment in the franchise hits the big screen.
Released in 2012, Tad the Lost Explorer was a Spanish animated movie about a Spanish bricklayer who lives in Chicago. He gets mistaken for a celebrity archaeologist and dragged into a wild adventure that will test his bravery.
Part two of the saga will hit the big screen following the celebrated release of Las Aventuras de Tadeo Jones, its original title, which became the highest grossing Spanish animated film of all time with total revenues of close to €46 million. It went on to win three Goya Awards (the Spanish Oscars).
After Sara Lavrof (voiced by Michelle Jenner) discovers one of the three gold rings from King Midas’ necklace, proving that this ruler who turned everything he touched into gold really did exist, Tad (voiced by Oscar Barberán) travels to Las Vegas to join his friend at the exhibition where this incredible archaeological discovery will be revealed for the first time ever.
Tad and Sara’s happy reunion turns sour when villain Jack Rackham and his crew of bandits steal the jewel and kidnap the young archaeologist. They know full well that, whoever puts the three rings from King Midas’ necklace back together again, from then on will inherit his power and immense wealth.
Tad will have to be cleverer than ever before to save Sara and destroy Rackham’s wicked plan, as he travels halfway around the world, through Spain, Greece and Turkey. He is accompanied by his friends the Mummy, Belzoni the parrot, his dog Jeff and the latest cast of characters to join the adventure.
Right from the start I wanted this second part to feel like a big leap, instead of simply riding on the momentum from part one
Says Enrique Gato, one of the films director’s: “Taking the reins for my beloved Tad’s latest adventure is an act of utmost love and, accountability. Love, because it’s like taking a child by the hand with whom I’ve already shared 17 years. And responsibility, because you want to be absolutely certain that you won’t let him down as you map out his latest story. You want every minute on screen to count, every character you encounter to be memorable, every line to be meaningful.
“Right from the start I wanted this second part to feel like a big leap, instead of simply riding on the momentum from part one. Anyone who had gotten to know Tad must have had the sensation that he had grown up on all levels, well beyond that first adventure. And anyone who hadn’t met him yet should fall in love with him during those eighty minutes of footage.”
Adds co-director David Alonso: “We wanted to make the second instalment of Tad incredibly entertaining so that moviegoers would be surprised, and it could surpass its predecessor with each one of its artistic and technical features.
“Directors usually claim to make films that they themselves would enjoy as moviegoers, adds Alonso.
“I posed a double challenge: to satisfy the unforgiving film buff that I am and to thrill my former eight-year-old self, the one who grew up with films from the 1980s, which Tad really draws upon.
At the heart of the script for Tad the Lost Explorer: The Secret of King Midas, were all the ingredients of a great adventure film – a mystery hidden in a legend known to all, an odyssey around the world, picturesque locations, endearing characters and a touch of romance.
With that as a starting point, it was simply a matter of following the “bigger, better, funnier” motto to turn the second instalment of Tad into a feat of entertainment that would surprise moviegoers and surpass its predecessor with each one of its artistic and technical accomplishments.”
Tad the Lost Explorer – The Secret of King Midas also features the voices of Luis Posada as Mummy; Miguel Angel Jenner as Rackham, Adriana Ugarte as Tiffany and Jose Corbacho as Taxi Driver. The screenplay is by Jordi Gasull.