Tad, The Lost Explorer

Tad, the Lost Explorer
Spanish theatrical release poster
Directed by	Enrique Gato
Produced by	Álvaro Augustín Ghislain Barrois Nicolás Matji Ezequiel Nieto Edmon Roch César Vargas
Screenplay by	Javier Barreira Gorka Magallón Ignacio del Moral Jordi Gasull Neil Landau
Story by	Enrique Gato
Based on	Tadeo Jones by Enrique Gato
Starring	Kerry Shale Ariel Winter Bruce Mackinnon Mac McDonald Liza Ross Cheech Marin Adam Jones
Music by	Zacarías M. de la Riva
Edited by	Alexander Adams
Production company	Telecinco Cinema El Toro Pictures Lightbox Entertainment Ikiru Films Telefónica Studios Media Networks AXN Canal Plus TVC Mediaset España Comunicación
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	5 June 2012 (2012-06-05) (Annecy International Animated Film Festival) 31 August 2012 (2012-08-31) (Spain)
Running time	92 minutes
Country	Spain
Language	Spanish
Budget	€8 million
Box office	€45 million ($60.8 million)

Tad, the Lost Explorer (Spanish: Las aventuras de Tadeo Jones) is a 2012 Spanish 3D computer-animated adventure comedy film directed by Enrique Gato. The film is the outgrowth of Gato's 2004 short film, Tadeo Jones and its sequel Tadeo Jones and the Basement of Doom. It was written by Javier Barreira, Gorka Magallón, Ignacio del Moral, Jordi Gasull and Neil Landau. The film's music was composed by Zacarías M. de la Riva. The English cast features voices of Kerry Shale, Ariel Winter, Bruce Mackinnon, Mac McDonald, Liza Ross, Cheech Marin and Adam Jones. The film was produced by Telecinco Cinema, El Toro Picture, Lightbox Entertainment, Ikiru Films, Telefónica Producciones, and Media Networks, with the participation of AXN, Canal Plus and TVC.

The film premiered at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival on 5 June 2012 and was theatrically released on 31 August 2012 in Spain by Paramount Pictures. It was nominated for 5 Goya Awards, winning 3 for Best Animated Film, Best New Director and Best Adapted Screenplay at the 27th Goya Awards. The film received negative reviews from American critics and it earned €45 million on a €8 million budget. A sequel, titled Tad Jones: The Hero Returns, will be released in 2017.

Tad Stones (voiced in English by Kerry Shale) is a bricklayer from Spain who lives in Chicago, working on the construction of the city's subway. Ever since he was five years old, he has dreamed of being a professional archaeologist. After being fired from his job as a bricklayer for daydreaming and for his dog urinating on the construction foreman, Tad visits his friend Professor Humbert (voiced by Mac McDonald), asking for the professor's help in investigating an apparently vintage bottle of Coca-Cola Tad found on the construction site. The professor receives a letter from his friend Professor Lavrof summoning him to Peru to re-unite his half of a stone "key" that will unlock the legendary Incan city of Paititi. Arriving at the airport, Professor Humbert suffers an accident after taking the wrong pills and is taken to the hospital. Meanwhile, a member of the nefarious firm Odysseus Inc. is spying on them and sends the photo to the other members who are in the Sechura Desert.