Title: Asterix and the Vikings French Title: Asterix et les Vikings Current Status: Available on DVD Directors: Stefan Fjeldmark and Jesper Møller Screenplay by: Stefan Fjeldmark, Jesper Møller and Jean-Luc Goossens Made by: M6 and A.Film Running Time: 78 minutes Based on the Book: Asterix and the Normans Budget: US $26 million (most expensive European cartoon ever)

With the last Asterix Cartoon movie released in 1994, and the live-action movies a big hit over the past couple of years, it seemed that we'd seen the last of the Asterix Animated films. M6, a French television network, had wanted to create an Asterix TV series, but Uderzo refused. He did however agree to a new Asterix cartoon film, but was hesitant about who would produce it. When he saw A.Film's "Help Help! I'm a Fish" he decided that these were the people who could do it.

Since A.Film was a Danish company, it made sense that the movie would be based on Asterix and the Normans.

Co-Director Stefan Fjeldmark described the aims of the film:

• Animation: With the popularity of computer animated movies and Disney no longer doing handdrawn animated movies, it is a little unusual for a big budget 2D film like this. It was however important that Asterix and the Vikings be made in this way. "We are producing it fully animated, hand drawn, good old "2D". We do use a little 3D as well, but only for stuff like boats etc., where previously one would use models. (By the way: this will be the first Asterix feature where the lines of the characters actually look like Uderzo's original lines. So the clean-up people are prematurely gray-haired...)

  Uderzo set the animators the following challenge "Do you think our characters could possibly become actors?".

In the book Asterix and the Normans a group of fearless Viking Warriors travels to Asterix's village in a quest to discover the meaning of fear, as they had heard that fear gives you wings. Unfortunately, it just so happened that the Gaulish Village fear only one thing, that the sky may fall on their heads, and the Vikings are out of luck. That is until they encounter Vitalstatistix's cowardly young nephew, Justforkix who Asterix and Obelix are teaching how to be a man.

This is where the film deviates from the book, specifically developing " the Nordic aspects of the storyline". The Vikings abduct Justforkix and bring him back to their homeland. Asterix and Obelix must travel to the icy Norway to rescue him, with almost half the movie taking place here.

For the movie, the Normans have been changed to the Vikings which is more dramatic and iconic.

These characters were created just for the movie and did not appear in the original book Asterix and the Normans.

	Abba is a fiesty Vikingette who longs to join her Daddy Timandahaf and his men on raids but is forbidden because she is a girl -"being a girl sucks". She disguises herself as a man and sneaks on board anyway
	Vikea is Timandahaf's homely wife. She presents her husband with a list of items she wants him to pick up from Gaul. As if presenting on an informerical, he asks for "a full selection of economical and stylish tables, desks, bookcases...". In the book, a Viking woman appears for one frame on page 11 and is credited as being the basis for the character.
	Cryptograf is the Viking fortune teller. Unfortunately, he can't tell the future (just like Prolix in Asterix and the Soothsayer). Using the metaphor "fear lends them wings" leads him into trouble when Timandahaf takes it literally. He has aspirations for his son Olaf to marry the Chief's daughter Abba so we will be able to rule the Viking clan through his son.
	I would say Olaf has as much brains as a rock, but that would be offensive to the Rock. Dim-witted to the extreme, he does whatever his father tells him to. You wouldn't want this Viking running after you!
	Doublehelix, Justforkix's father and Vitalstatistix's brother is mentioned in Asterix and the Normans but never seen. In the movie he comes to the village to check up on Justforkix. In the movie we learn he is ahero of the battle of Gergovia and the battle of Parisium.
	Justforkix is given in the movie a homing pigeon called SMS as a pet. SMS stands for Self Message Servisix. As Justforkix explains, "I send sms to all my babes". She saves the day for Justforkix many times in the film.

Returning characters from Asterix and the Normans are: Asterix, Obelix, Dogmatix, Getafix, Vitalstatistix, Cacofonix, Fulliautomatix, , Timandahalf, Nescaf, Oleaginus

Characters from the original book not appearing in the film are: Postaldrix, the Centurion, Polytechnix, Selfservix

Well known villagers Geriatrix, Mrs Geriatrix, Impedimenta and Unhygenix appear in the film but did not appear in the original book as most had not yet been created. Influenza from Asterix and Caesar's Gift and the dog from Asterix and the Great Crossing have cameos.

The english version has been cast with some big name American actors.

	Character actor Paul Giamatti (Sideways) will be voicing Asterix
	Brad Garrett from TV's "Everyone Loves Raymond" is the voice of Obelix.
	Sean Astin (Samwise Gamgee from Lord of the Rings) is to play the cowardly Justforkix
	Teen actress Evan Rachel Wood (Thirteen) is playing the Vikingette Abba, a new character created for the film and Justforkix's love interest.
	Voice actor John DiMaggio (Bender from Futurama) is the Viking Chief Timandahaf.
	Greg Proops, a regular on the American improv show "Whose line is it anyway?" is to voice the Viking Elder Cryptograf

Wussycat tells me more of the cast are:

Maciek sends in this thoughtful review: "As It already known the movie is packed with new characters which take a big part in the film. Justforkix gets kidnapped and taken to the land of Vikings, falls in love with Timandahaf’s daughter Abba. There is a new villain Cryptograf, the Viking’s ‘wizard’ (at first he seem to be very similar to Prolix [from Asterix and the Soothsayer] but as the movie went on, he got much more original) who plots to get Abba to marry his son Olaf (not very bright but a very strong Viking, who is bored most of the time) This may sound like something far more different from the original album but it all works pretty well.

New jokes are hilarious (some of which are very pop-culture) and the movie's creators add some Asterix stuff which didn’t appeared in the original album (Fish fights, villager's attacking a Roman camp, Asterix and Obelix sinking the Pirates' ship). The plot moves on very fast. Asterix and Obelix's trip to the land of Viking has some similarities to the “Great Crossing” and “Asterix and the Goths” (in one scene the duo dress up as Vikings “Asteraf” and “Obelaf” and Obelix can’t stop laughing, which is very similar to the scene when they dress up as Romans in the “Goths” story)

Personally I was afraid before the movie, that they will cut down on violence and non PC-stuff (like showing Vikings drinking from human skulls or other stereotypes) but the movie is in fact much more politically incorrect then the original book! There is even one very dark moment when Olaf is trying to kill Justforkix. Abba jumps on Olaf to save him, but Olaf throw her and she hits a rock. It was a very brutal sequence but it made the moment very thrilling.

From a technical point of view the movie is fantastic – the colors are very nice, character's designs are exact as in the comics and animation is wonderful (there is one goof, where you can notice the bottle of Magic potion on Asterix belt minutes before he get it from Getafix). Music is fine and climatic. There are some modern songs but it didn't feel over the top. Voices fit to the characters. At some point menhirs are referred simply as “stones” and “Lutetia” is referenced as “Parisia" but it doesn’t bother.

Too bad the creator's of the movie concentrate on the new ideas too much leaving the old stuff in the shadow. There are many good moments from the book (like the fight on the beach which gets interrupted by the Romans or Cacofonix's trip to Lutetia) which aren’t use in the movie. It’s a shame because of many jokes worth showing on the screen.

Unlike in the book, there is no explanation about the Vikings not knowing fear. In the opening scene Timandahaf and his warriors, attack a village and it appears to be empty. The angry Vikings go back home and make a gathering. They have no idea why people are never there when they attack. Cryptograf appears and explains “fear lends them wings”. “What did you say Cryptograf ?” Timandahaf replies – “This thing Fear give them the power to fly?”. And so Timdanahaf says he will give any thing to the one who will capture the champion of fear who will teach his warriors how to fly… Its ok. but they realy should have made a bigger introduction because this part seems to be less convincing in the movie as it was in the book.

The heroes are all in character but Justforkix felt to be the main hero for the second half of the picture. They were trying to make Asterix as interesting they can, but he was simply the straight guy and didn’t do much except from being the voice of the reason. Obelix was done wonderfully and shows some of his mature side. Cacofonix doesn't get a big part like in book. The whole trip to Lutetia part is cut-out from the plot and the sequence about his singing making the Vikings feel afraid for the first time is cut very short. Its a shame, since it's one of few Asterix stories where Cacofonix gets to be a star, but in the film, he just appears for few gags (I like the fact they show him getting beaten by varius villagers, not just by Fulliautomatix).

Anyway the movie turned out great. It’s funny, well written and you can tell that the creators are big fans of the book. Actually if you don’t know Asterix already you won’t get many things in this movie since they didn’t made any introduction (for example the fact Obelix fell into the magic potion isn’t mentioned in the movie). The credits are a nice touch because they include some comic book-like pictures showing some scenes from the future life of Justforkix and some other characters. The pictures are very nice, very funny and in the Uderzo style. There is one very “adult” joke which kid’s won’t get, but still it feels to be in the spirit of Asterix books…

If you have and would like to write a review like myself and Maciek or have any comments you'd like to make about the film, please contact me!