| Asterix and the Vikings | |
|---|---|
 French theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by |
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| Written by |
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| Based on | Asterix and the Normans byRené Goscinny Albert Uderzo |
| Produced by | Thomas Valentin |
| Starring | |
| Narrated by | Jeff Bennett |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Alexandre Azaria |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | SND |
Release date |
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Running time | 78 minutes |
| Countries | Denmark France |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $22.5 million[1] |
Asterix and the Vikings (released inFrench asAstérix et les Vikings andDanish asAsterix og Vikingerne) is a 2006 English-languageanimatedadventure film based on the French comic book seriesAsterix, written by Stefan Fjeldmark and Jean-Luc Gossens, and directed by Fjeldmark andJesper Møller. A loose adaptation of the story of thecomic albumAsterix and the Normans, written byRené Goscinny and illustrated byAlbert Uderzo, the plot follows Asterix and Obelix trying to train the nephew of their village's chief, only to find themselves rescuing him from a tribe of vikings who believe him to be a Champion of Fear.
Theensemble voice cast featuresRoger Carel andJacques Frantz as Asterix and Obelix, withPaul Giamatti andBrad Garrett headlining theEnglish dub. Unlike most Asterix films, the film was produced in English first[2] and the voice cast consisted of American actors. This adaptation introduced new characters,anachronistic references about modern technology, andcover versions of pop songs, such as "Get Down on It" byKool and the Gang, "Eye of the Tiger" bySurvivor and "Super Freak" byRick James.
A succession of raids leaves a tribe ofVikings without anyone to fight against them. The tribe's adviser, Cryptograf, concludes that their enemies have all fled, stating that "fear gives you wings". The Viking's chief, Timandahaf, misinterprets his adviser's words and declares they must find a "Champion of Fear", believing that if the tribe were to become great cowards, they'll be able to fly and become invincible. Cryptograf, secretly wishing to seize power from Timandahaf, goes along with it and declares that they'll find who they seek withinGaul. While en route, Timandahaf is shocked to learn that his daughter Abba snuck aboard disguised as a man, after he refused to take her with him. Despite being angry, he reluctantly keeps her among his crew.
Meanwhile, in the rebel village of the Gauls, the villagers welcome the arrival of chief Vitalstatistix's nephew Justforkix, who is to be trained to be a man. However, his nephew is more interested in chasing girls, using a bird to send messages to them, and is avegetarian, much to the shock of Obelix. Obelix and Asterix attempt to train him to be a warrior, but lack success because of his pacifist nature and his refusal to drink the village's magic potion, which gives the villagers their super-human strength. When the Vikings arrive near their village, Cryptograf explains to his incredibly stupid sonOlaf that he could claim Abba as his wife if he were to capture the Champion, thus putting him next in line as the tribe's chief, with his father secretly calling the shots.
When Olaf captures Justforkix, after witnessing his cowardice, Asterix and Obelix find themselves having to rescue him before his father visits their village. Travelling toNorway, the pair attempt to rescue Justforkix. However, he refuses to leave as he has fallen in love with Abba and she with him. When the vikings test Justforkix's flying skills by throwing him from a cliff, Cryptograf secretly rigs up a rope to him that causes him to be suspended in the foggy air. Tricked into believing he is the Champion, the Vikings rush to Olaf's wedding ceremony, leaving Justforkix to be rescued by Asterix and Obelix. Before they can take him back to Gaul, Justforkix secretly takes some magic potion, and swims back to the Viking's village.
Despite the risk, Justforkix rescues Abba, managing to fly by making an improvisedhang-glider from a ship's mast and sail. While Cryptograf and Olaf are shunned for their deception, the Vikings travel back to the Gauls' village to celebrate the wedding of Justforkix and Abba. When Cacofonix decides to sing during the ceremony, the Vikings finally experience real fear and make a run for it. When Asterix asks him what fear is good for, Getafix explains how real courage means overcoming fears.
| Character | Original Dub[3] | French Dub | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original Dub | French Dub | ||
| Justforkix | Goudurix | Sean Astin[3] | Lorànt Deutsch |
| Matt Pokora (singing, uncredited) | |||
| Obelix | Obélix | Brad Garrett[3] | Jacques Frantz |
| Asterix | Astérix | Paul Giamatti[3] | Roger Carel |
| Abba | Evan Rachel Wood[3] | Sara Forestier | |
| Olaf | Diedrich Bader[3] | Michel Vigné | |
| Unhygienix | Ordralfabétix | Bernard Métraux | |
| Dogmatix | Idéfix | Dee B. Baker[3] | Roger Carel |
| SMS Pigeon | SMS | Barbara Tissier | |
| Getafix | Panoramix | Jeff Bennett[3] | Vania Vilers |
| Narrator | Le narrateur | Pierre Tchernia | |
| Doublehelix | Océanonix | Corey Burton[3] | Luc Florian |
| Impedimenta | Bonemine | Grey DeLisle[3] | Marion Game |
| Fulliautomatix | Cétautomatix | John DeMita[3] | Pascal Renwick |
| Nescaf | Philippe Catoire | ||
| Timandahaf | Grossebaf | John DiMaggio[3] | Marc Alfos |
| Fotograf | Télégraf | Jack Fletcher[3] | Bruno Dubernat |
| Caraf | Patrick Borg | ||
| Cacofonix | Assuracetourix | Jess Harnell[3] | Bernard Alane |
| Vitalstatistix | Abraracourcix | Daran Norris[3] | Vincent Grass |
| Cryptograf | Greg Proops[3] | Pierre Palmade | |
| Dubbledekabus | Abribus | Dwight Schultz[3] | Roland Timsit |
| Vikea | Vikéa | April Winchell[3] | Brigitte Virtudes |
| Geriatrix | Agecanonix | Philip Proctor | Gérard Surugue |
| Viking Boys | Garçon vikings | Jill Talley | Jules Azem |
| Victor Naudet | |||
| Oleaginus | Olibrius | Jonathan Nichols (Olibrius) | Stéphane Fourreau |
| Pirate Lookout | Baba | David Rasner | Med Hondo |
| Gauls | Les gaulois | Philip Proctor | Stevens Thuilier |
| Jonathan Nichols | Estelle Simon | ||
Critical reaction toAsterix and the Vikings was generally mixed, with much praise on the animation and voice acting, but with criticisms on the film's script.