Asterix Entre os Bretões

Of all those wonderful adventures of our brave Celtic friends Asterix and Obelix, I believe this one is the VERY best: it depicts all the... little peculiarities of the British in a hilariously funny way - a feast for the French authors, of course! At the time the 'Asterix' comics were created, there still were quite a lot of post-war animosities between the various European peoples; and so each one of those cartoons (some of them were adapted for the screen later, as animated films or 'real' movies or both) kept picking on the strange characteristics of some other people - the British, the Germans, the Swiss, the Vikings - , but without becoming malevolent or insulting - the only thing was, of course, that the Gauls were ALWAYS the strongest, the bravest, the most fearless, and the most stubborn ones...

Well, in this case, Asterix comes to the aid of his British cousin (which shows the Celtic relationship between the two peoples!) against the Romans - and along the way, Asterix and Obelix meet with about ALL the British 'traditions': tea-time (even during battles), driving on the wrong side of the road, drinking warm bear and eating stewed boar with peppermint sauce (what a SHOCK for Obelix!)...

In short, this FABULOUS animated movie will be a wonderful enjoyment for the kids - but also GREAT entertainment for the grown-ups, who understand the more subtle sides of all the humor it contains; a simply PERFECT family film!

This is an excellent adaptation of the Asterix comic of the same name. Its true to the book, and very fun. Some of the voices are a bit awkward trying to fit the words into the translation. Great for kids and adults both.

I am guessing that these other comments refer to the 'dubbed', English version of the film. I saw the original french language version, many years ago while in France on holiday. In their version the English characters speak french, with wonderfully over the top English accents. It lent a great sense of the English/French relationship and I think got a lot closer to the Gosciny-Uderzo feel for the story and characters. If you ever get a chance to see the french version it's a whole different experience.

I am guessing that these other comments refer to the 'dubbed', English version of the film. I saw the original french language version, many years ago while in France on holiday. In their version the English characters speak french, with wonderfully over the top English accents. It lent a great sense of the English/French relationship and I think got a lot closer to the Gosciny-Uderzo feel for the story and characters. If you ever get a chance to see the french version it's a whole different experience.

The overall plot of this animated version of Astérix chez les Bretons is faithful to that of the book. As the latter is perhaps the best of all the Astérix volumes, this film could fare badly in the comparison. But whereas most of the Astérix films lose much in the transition to a dumbed-down, vaguely Hollywoodesque cartoon that I suppose is meant to appeal to children, Asterix in Britain manages to retain much of what made the original (written and drawn) version great. I haven't yet listened to any of the dubbed versions of the film, but the French is particularly clever in using native English speakers to play the roles of the Bretons.

Before the British can ask themselves what the Romans can possibly do for them they are not too terribly pleased with the bothersome invasion. Anticlimax, cousin of Asterix, sneaks off to Gaul for help. Getafix makes a barrel of magic potion and Asterix, Obelix and Dogmatix courier it back to Britain. Many, many beaten, bruised, and broken Romans make the mistake of getting in their way.

The jokes and visual humor just don't stop. You'll be grinning from ear-to-ear when watching Asterix in Britain. The animation has such a detailed quality to it that the film nearly rivals vintage Disney. The music too, is also lovely. A score CD was produced in France, but it's long out of print. Bill Oddie is the voice of the little warrior this time around, while amusing English stereotypes fill out the rest of cast.

A favorite of mine since I was a kid, I first saw Asterix in Britain on BBC2 one Xmas morning. I nearly wore out the tape I recorded it on. My advice, buy the DVD. Even for kids raised on CGI it's a winner.