| The Twelve Tasks of Asterix | |
|---|---|
 Original theatrical release poster | |
| Les Douze travaux d'Astérix | |
| Directed by | René Goscinny Albert Uderzo Pierre Watrin Henri Gruel |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Narrated by | Pierre Tchernia |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Gérard Calvi |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Gaumont Distribution |
Release dates |
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Running time | 82 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Box office | 9.4 million tickets[1] |
The Twelve Tasks of Asterix (French:Les Douze travaux d'Astérix) is a 1976 Frenchanimatedfeature film, written and directed byRené Goscinny andAlbert Uderzo, produced byDargaud Films andStudios Idéfix, and distributed byGaumont. It is thethird animated film based on theAsterix comic book series, while the first to feature an original story by Goscinny and Uderzo, the series' creators, and is the onlyAsterix film to be produced usingxerography animation techniques.
The film's plot revolves around Asterix and Obelix attempting to complete a series of tough challenges set by Julius Caesar, who seeks to prove they and their fellow villagers are not gods. The film starredRoger Carel, andJacques Morel; while the English cast includedSean Barrett, and Geoffrey Russell.
The Twelve Tasks of Asterix received mixed review regarding the tone of the story and frequent breaks in thefourth wall, but gained popularity over the years to later be considered one of the bestAsterix films, achieving the status of acult classic.[2][3] The story was later adapted into a comic book byMarcel Uderzo, Albert Uderzo's brother,[4] though was not widely distributed and was not incorporated into theAsterix series; an illustrated book of the film was more widely published in multiple languages than the comic adaptation.
Following constant defeats by the rebelGauls inArmorica, theRoman Senate slowly begin to believe they may begods, due to their apparent invincibility.Julius Caesar, openly disdainful of the suggestion, decides to test the village and meets with their chieftain,Vitalstatistix. Caesar declares that the Gauls must undertake a challenge, inspired bythe Twelve Labours ofHercules - in which their best warrior must complete a set of twelve new tasks that only gods could succeed in. Caesar states that is all the tasks are completed, he will hand over theRoman Empire to them; if they fail even just one task, the Gauls must surrender toRome. Agreeing to the terms, the village assignsAsterix andObelix to perform the tasks, with Caesar assigning Caius Tiddlus, a Roman man renowned for his honesty, to act as both their guide to the tasks and the challenges' referee.
In their first set of challenges, Asterix defeats Asbestos theGreek, champion of theancient Olympic Games, in a race, and Cilindric theGerman in ajudo match, by outsmarting his opponent, while Obelix defeats Verses thePersian, by managing tothrow a javelin further than him. In their next challenge, the pair find themselves crossing a lake to an island known as the "Isle of Pleasure", home to beautifulSirens, who they must resist. Although the Gauls nearly succumb to the women, Obelix comes to his senses when he learns that there are nowild boars for him to hunt and eat, allowing the pair to accomplish the challenge. The pair continue to have further success, with Asterix defeating Iris theEgyptian, by surviving turning his powerfulhypnotic power against him, while Obelix defeats Belgian cook Mannekenpix by consuming all of the meals he prepares - under the assumption they werehors d'oeuvres.
Following their success in enduring the "Cave of the Beast" in the next challenge, the pair find themselves told by Caius to acquire a permit document from "The Place that Sends you Mad", a multi-storeybureaucratic building. After finding it impossible because of the clinically unhelpful people who direct them elsewhere, Asterix beats them at their own game by requesting an imaginary permit and turning their behaviour against them, resulting in the building'sPrefect to unwittingly hand over what the Gauls came for. The pair continue to complete further challenges: crossing aravine filled with crocodiles by beating them up rather than using an invisible tightrope; answering a riddle by the Old Man of the Mountain, conducted in the form of a washing detergent advertisement; and enduring a night on a plain haunted by ghostly legionnaires, who Asterix scares away through furious complaints.
Asterix and Obelix eventually find themselves inRome, alongside their fellow villagers, for their final task. Brought to theCircus Maximus, the Gauls fight againstgladiators, whom they beat, and defeat various animals sent against them by turning the arena into a modern-daycircus. Having succeeded in every task, Caesar agrees that they are gods, giving the Gauls control of the Roman Empire. Caesar retires to live a quiet and peaceful life withCleopatra, while Caius is rewarded for his service and retires to the Isle of Pleasure. As the village celebrates their success, Asterix answers Obelix's question of them reallyconquering Rome by pointing out that everything that happened to themwas a mere cartoon, in whichanything is possible. Obelix takes advantage of this andteleports himself and his wild boar meat to the Isle of Pleasure by the Siren High Priestress to enjoy himself.
| Character | Original | English Dub[5][6] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original | English Dub | ||
| Astérix | Asterix | Roger Carel | Sean Barrett (uncredited)[5][6] |
| Assurancetourix | Cacofonix | Bernard Lavalette | Geoffrey Russell (uncredited)[5][6] |
| Pierre Trabaud (uncredited) | |||
| Idéfix | Dogmatix | Roger Carel (uncredited) | |
| Caius Pupus | Caius Tiddlius | Roger Carel | Sean Barrett (uncredited) |
| Sénateur romain #2 | Roman Senator #2 | Lawrence Riesner | Geoffrey Russell (uncredited) |
| Obélix | Obelix | Jacques Morel | Michael Kilgarriff (uncredited)[5][6] |
| Grande prêtresse | Chief Priestess of the Isle of Pleasure | Micheline Dax | Christina Greatrex (uncredited)[5][6] |
| Cléopâtre | Cleopatra | Gennie Nevinson (uncredited) | |
| Mme Agecanonix | Mrs. Geriatrix | Nicole Jonesco | Christina Greatrex (uncredited)[6] |
| Le vénérable du sommet | Old Man of the Mountains | Gérard Hernandez | Paul Bacon (uncredited)[5][6] |
| Jules César | Julius Caesar | Jean Martinelli | Alexander John (uncredited)[5][6] |
| Jupiter | Zeus | ||
| Abraracourcix | Vitalstatistix | Pierre Tornade | Paul Bacon (uncredited)[5][6] |
| Panoramix | Getafix | Henri Virlojeux | Geoffrey Russell (uncredited)[5][6] |
| Iris | Iris the Hypnotizer | Paul Bacon (uncredited)[5][6] | |
| Cétautomatix | Fulliautomatix | Georges Atlas | Sean Barrett (uncredited) |
| Hermès | Hermes | Bernard Lavalette | George Baker (uncredited) |
| Fantôme de la plaine des trépassés | Roman Ghost | Georges Atlas | Sean Barrett (uncredited) |
| Bureaucrate #5 | Bureaucrat #5 | Caroline Cler | Ysanne Churchman (uncredited) |
| Bureaucrate #2 | Bureaucrat #2 | Claude Dasset | George Baker (uncredited) |
| Bureaucrate #1 | Bureaucrat #1 | Henri Labussière | Alexander John (uncredited) |
| Bureaucrate #4 | Bureaucrat #4 | Odette Laure | Paddy Turner (uncredited) |
| Le préfet | The Prefect | Bernard Lavalette | George Baker (uncredited) |
| Cylindrique le Germain | Cylindric | Roger Lumont | Sean Barrett (uncredited) |
| Sénateur romain #1 | Roman Senator #1 | Pascal Mazzotti | Paul Bacon (uncredited) |
| Le centurion #1 | The Centurion #1 | Henri Poirier | |
| Mannekenpix | Mannikinpix | Stéphane Steeman | Sean Barrett (uncredited) |
| Vénus | Aphrodite | Monique Thubert | Paddy Turner (uncredited) |
| Bonemine | Impedimenta | Nicole Vervil | Ysanne Churchman (uncredited) |
| Le narrateur | Narrator | Pierre Tchernia (uncredited) | John Ringham (uncredited) |
| Le chef des indiens | Indian Chief | Georges Atlas | Paul Bacon (uncredited) |
| Prêtresses | Priestesses | Mary Mongourdin | Paddy Turner (uncredited) |
| Barbara Mitchell (uncredited) | |||
| Bureaucrate #3 | Bureaucrat #3 | Nicole Jonesco | Gennie Nevinson (uncredited) |
| Bureaucrate #6 | Bureaucrat #6 | Gisèle Grimm | Christina Greatrex (uncredited) |
| Junon | Hera | Nicole Jonesco | Christina Greatrex (uncredited) |
| Mars | Ares | Georges Atlas | Paul Bacon (uncredited) |
| Entraîneur de gladiateurs | Gladiator Trainer | Claude Dasset | Sean Barrett (uncredited) |
| Geôlier | Jailer | Lawrence Riesner | |
In the United Kingdom, it was watched by 400,000 viewers on television during the first half of 2005, making it the fifth most-watched foreign-language film on UK television during that period.[7]
It is announced in 2025 that this adventure will be the subject of a live-action adaptation, directed byJonathan Cohen and produced byStudioCanal.
