丁丁（杰米·贝尔 Jamie Bell 配音）和白雪的故事可以说是影响了不止一代人。在史蒂文·斯皮尔伯格和彼得·杰克逊的努力下，丁丁的故事终于被搬上了大银幕。这一次，丁丁因为一艘古老的船模，而开始了一次惊险的历险。这艘名为独角兽号的模型船，隐藏着一个海盗和财宝的故事。为了解开这个流传了几个世纪的秘密，丁丁和白雪一起不断寻找线索，找寻真相。在航海家阿道克船长（安迪·瑟金斯 Andy Serkis 饰）、笨手笨脚的侦探搭档杜庞（西蒙·佩吉 Simon Pegg 配音）与杜邦（尼克·弗罗斯特 Nick Frost 配音）以及白雪的帮助下，丁丁游历了半个地球，与恶棍萨卡林（丹尼尔·克雷格 Daniel Craig 配音）斗智斗勇。最终，丁丁终于找到了独角兽号隐藏的秘密，以及那一则古老的诅咒…… 在第84届奥斯卡金像奖中，丁丁历险记获得了最佳配乐的提名。
After having a caricature drawn of himself by a local artist, Tintin (Jamie Bell) wanders through the town square. As he does so, he sees a miniature ship in a glass case, being sold by a local merchant. The miniature ship is called The Unicorn, and the merchant tells Tintin it was procured from an old sailor's estate sale.
Tintin buys the ship for a pound, but just as he takes possession of it, a large man with an American accent appears, wanting to buy the boat. He offers to pay Tintin double what he paid for it, but Tintin refuses. The man appears shaken, and rushes off, telling Tintin to 'get out while you still can.'
Just as he leaves, a thin man with a pointed beard shows up, and also attempts to purchase the miniature ship. He tells Tintin that the ship was purchased from the nearby Marlinspike Hall, which he has come into acquiring, and wishes to purchase the ship to return it to its former home. Even though he tells Tintin to "name his price," the young man again refuses, and walks off. As he leaves, the thin man asks the merchant if he knows who the young man is. "Everyone knows who he is," says the merchant. "That's Tintin."
Returning to his apartment, Tintin's curiosity around the miniature ship is piqued, and he attempts to find a magnifying glass to examine it. However, a siamese cat enters the apartment, causing his dog Snowy to chase it around the room. During the chase, Snowy accidentally knocks the ship onto the floor, breaking its masts. As Tintin picks it up, he doesn't see a small metal cylinder fall out of the mast hole, and roll under the nearby table.
Wanting more information, the two visit a maritime museum, where Tintin learns that the ship sank at sea, carrying rum and tobacco, but it was assumed that the ship (captained by Sir Francis Haddock), may have had a secret cargo aboard. It also makes note that after the loss of his ship, the captain believed that his family bloodline was now cursed.
Returning to his apartment, Tintin is shocked to find that the model ship is gone! Assuming that it may have been taken by the thin man at the town square, Tintin sneaks into Marlinspike Hall. In a glass case, he finds a ship, but is knocked unconscious. When he comes to, he finds the thin man, and a butler. Tintin requests the return of his property, but is soon surprised to find that though the miniature ship is of The Unicorn, it is a different model, unbroken like his ship.
As he is escorted out, the butler tells Tintin that he should make sure to check for 'all the pieces' of the ship he had.
Returning to his apartment, Tintin is further shocked to find his place ransacked! Searching near the dresser where he placed the ship, he finds the metal cylinder underneath. He soon finds that it contains a scroll, with a message, and strange markings.
As he puts the strange paper in his wallet, he hears his landlady Mrs Finch downstairs, arguing with a man who wants to come inside. Tintin comes downstairs, and through the chained front door, he finds that it was the American who wanted to buy the ship earlier in the day. The man seems more nervous than before, claiming that someone is killing others for information. When Tintin asks who, bullets rip through the door, and the man falls into the foyer, bleeding. Tintin rushes out into the street, just in time to see a blue sedan speeding away.
Returning to the foyer, he finds the man unmoving, but a newspaper nearby has bloody fingerprints highlighting various letters.
The next day, Tintin talks with the investigators of the murder, Thompson and Thomson. They claim the man is named Barnaby Dawes, and was working for the FBI. Tintin also tells of the newspaper he found, and that the letters highlighted seem to spell out "Karaboudjan."
As the two investigators take leave, they caution Tintin about a pickpocket that's been going around, and after they take leave of Tintin's apartment, they have a small run-in with the pickpocket. He also bumps into Tintin, and the young man panics when he realizes that the strange paper he had is now gone! Thompson and Thomson vow to get his wallet back.
