The underlying theme of the film is the way that Hergé's private life affected his work; for example, Bianca Castafiore is a subconscious (or perhaps conscious) reflection of Georges' first wife, Germaine, and the way that Captain Haddock responds to her reflects the way Georges often felt towards his wife.

The subject of religion is also discussed, including Georges' gradual disillusioned view of the Catholic church, and the opposition he came up against due to Wolff's sacrifice in Explorers on the Moon.

Technically, the film employed a choice of graphic effects to "re-animate" video footage of Hergé speaking, to match up with the audio being played (from the interviews conducted with Sadoul).

Panels from the albums were also animated to allow movement through them, the plane crash from Tintin in Tibet and the Shanghai street scene from The Blue Lotus both being used in such a manner.

Interviews are reconstructed using actors, but the viewer never sees their faces; hands and arms are used, holding the albums, flicking through them, drinking tea and the like.