Asterix and the Big Fight (film)

Gaumont Film Company

Industry	Film production and distribution
Founded	January 1, 1895 (1895-01-01)
Headquarters	France
Products	Films, including animated films
Website	www.gaumont.fr

Asterix and the Big Fight (original French title: Astérix et le coup du menhir) is a 1989 French animated movie directed by Philippe Grimond, marking his first time as director, with production led by Yannick Piel. This film represents the sixth animated rendition of the Asterix comic book series. It combines storylines from both Asterix and the Big Fight and Asterix and the Soothsayer, predominantly drawing from the latter despite carrying the English title of the former. The narrative revolves around Getafix suffering from accidental madness and memory loss caused by Obelix, compelling Asterix to find a remedy while their village falls under the influence of a deceitful soothsayer collaborating with the Romans.

An English-language novelization named Operation Getafix was published, presumably to prevent confusion with the original comic, though it generated ambiguity regarding the film's official title.

Plot summary

The Romans plan to capture the druid Getafix in order to strip a rebellious Gaulish settlement of its magic potion that grants extraordinary strength. During an attempted rescue, Obelix unintentionally strikes Getafix with a menhir, resulting in his amnesia and insanity. In this turmoil, Prolix, a fraudulent soothsayer, manipulates villagers into accepting his false prophecies in exchange for food, drink, and eventually gold.

Recognizing that without Getafix’s potion the Romans will take advantage of their weakness, Asterix and Chief Vitalstatistix encourage him to concoct an alternative brew. However, his experimental mixtures produce unexpected outcomes, including one that causes a Roman spy to float away and report back. The Romans apprehend Prolix but, believing in his powers, use him to intimidate the villagers.

Prolix foretells disaster unless the village is abandoned; consequently, most inhabitants flee to an island except for Asterix, Obelix, Dogmatix, and Getafix. When Romans seize control of the village, Getafix prepares a powerful potion that restores his mental clarity and expels the invaders by fulfilling Prolix’s prophecy. He then creates the original magic potion again, prompting villagers to challenge Prolix’s false predictions by attacking the Roman camp. During this confrontation led by village women, Prolix’s fraud is uncovered; he is knocked unconscious by another menhir from Obelix and loses his sanity. After their defeat, the Roman centurion is demoted and tasked with repairing damages; Prolix is banished while the floating legionary escapes as peace returns.

Cast

Character			Original Dub	U.K. Version (1990)	U.S. Version (1995)
Original Dub	U.K. Version (1990)	U.S. Version (1995)
Astérix	Asterix		Roger Carel	Bill Oddie	Henry Winkler
Idéfix	Dogmatix		Roger Carel
Obélix	Obelix		Pierre Tornade	Bernard Bresslaw	Rosey Grier
Panoramix	Getafix	Vitamix	Henri Labussière	Peter Hawkins	Danny Mann
L'optione	Crysus	Optione	Patrick Préjean	Michael Elphick	Danny Mann (uncredited)
Prolix			Julien Guiomar	Ron Moody	Bill Martin
Abraracourcix	Vitalstatistix	Chief Bombastix	Henri Poirier	Douglas Blackwell	Greg Burson
Assurancetourix	Cacofonix	Franksinatrix	Edgar Givry (speaking) Jean-Jacques Cramier (singing)	Tim Brooke-Taylor	Greg Burson (uncredited)
Le décurion	Ardeco	Sergeant Noodles	Gérard Croce	Andrew Sachs
Bonemine	Impedimenta	Bonnemine	Marie-Anne Chazel	Sheila Hancock	Lucille Bliss
Le centurion	General Caous	Bossa Nova	Roger Lumont	Brian Blessed	Ed Gilbert
Mme Agecanonix	Mrs. Geriatrix		Jeanine Forney	Kathryn Hurlbutt	Mona Marshall
Le narrateur	Narrator		N/A		Tony Jay
Agecanonix	Geriatrix		Paul Bisciglia	Ian Thompson	Danny Mann (uncredited)
Cétautomatix	Fulliautomatix		Jean-Claude de Goros	Sean Barrett	Bill Martin (uncredited)
Caius Blocus	Bulbus Crocus		Jean-Claude Robbe	Geoffrey Mathews
Ordralfabétix	Unhygienix	Fishstix	Gérard Croce	Kerry Shale	"Ed Gilbert" (uncredited)

Additional Voices

• U.K. Edition (1990): Elizabeth Proud, Geoffrey Matthews, Ian Thompson, Kathryn Hurlbutt, Kerry Shale, Sean Barrett

Release notes

The initial English-language dub of Asterix and the Big Fight included notable performers such as Bill Oddie, Bernard Bresslaw, Brian Blessed, and Ron Moody, and saw extensive circulation throughout the United Kingdom. However, the UK DVD Box Set featured a different dub produced in the United States, starring Henry Winkler as Asterix, Rosey Grier as Obelix, and Lucille Bliss as Bonemine. This American dub was originally created for a U.S. release that ultimately did not occur, before being obtained by the French distributor Gaumont for inclusion on the DVD.

Among enthusiasts, the American dub is frequently regarded as less favorable due to modifications in the script, changes to character names—such as renaming Getafix to "Vitamix" and Vitalstatistix to "Chief Bombastix"—and a general simplification aimed at appealing to a younger audience. Additionally, Roman characters are voiced with exaggerated Italian comedic accents, and a narrator (Tony Jay) is added to clarify the storyline. The terminology also differs, with "wizard" replacing druid and "vitamin potion" substituting for magic potion.

External links

• Asterix and the Big Fight at Asterix NZ