The Twelve Tasks of Asterix

The Twelve Tasks of Asterix

Company type	Animated feature film
Industry	Film animation
Founded	1976
Founder	René Goscinny, Albert Uderzo
Headquarters	France
Products	Animated film

The Twelve Tasks of Asterix (French: Les Douze travaux d'Astérix) is a 1976 French animated feature directed and scripted by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. Produced by Dargaud Films alongside Studios Idéfix, it was distributed through Gaumont. This film represents the third animated adaptation of the Asterix comics and marks the first instance where the original creators, Goscinny and Uderzo, developed an exclusive storyline for the screen. It stands out as the sole Asterix movie employing xerography in its animation process.

The narrative centers on Asterix and Obelix undertaking a series of formidable challenges imposed by Julius Caesar, who aims to demonstrate that neither they nor their village possess divine status. The film features voice performances by Roger Carel and Jacques Morel, while the English dub includes Sean Barrett and Geoffrey Russell.

Although initial reception was mixed—largely due to its tone and frequent breaking of the fourth wall—The Twelve Tasks of Asterix eventually earned a cult following and is frequently hailed as one of the finest Asterix films. The storyline was adapted into a comic book by Marcel Uderzo, Albert Uderzo’s brother; however, this adaptation saw limited circulation and was not incorporated into the main Asterix canon. A more broadly distributed illustrated book version was published in multiple languages.

Plot

Following continuous defeats inflicted by the rebellious Gauls in Armorica, suspicions arise within the Roman Senate that these Gauls might be deities because of their seeming invulnerability. Doubtful, Julius Caesar challenges the village leader, Vitalstatistix, proposing a trial modeled after the Twelve Labours: their finest warrior must accomplish twelve feats deemed impossible for humans. Should they succeed, they will gain dominion over the Roman Empire, but failure will result in submission to Rome. The village selects Asterix and Obelix to undertake these tasks, with Caesar appointing Caius Tiddlus, a Roman famed for his integrity, to act as guide and overseer.

In the initial contests, Asterix surpasses Asbestos, an Olympic champion from Greece, and outwits Cilindric, a German expert in judo, while Obelix triumphs over Verses the Persian in a javelin competition. They then confront temptations on the "Isle of Pleasure," where Obelix regains his resolve upon noticing the absence of any wild boars. Additional victories include Asterix defeating Iris, an Egyptian hypnotist, and Obelix overcoming Belgian chef Mannekenpix by consuming all his prepared dishes.

After braving the "Cave of the Beast," they must obtain authorization from "The Place that Sends you Mad," a labyrinthine bureaucracy. When officials refuse assistance, Asterix cleverly requests a fictitious permit, inadvertently prompting the building's Prefect to grant what they require unknowingly. Subsequent tasks involve crossing a crocodile-infested ravine through combat rather than stealth, solving a riddle disguised as a detergent advertisement posed by the Old Man of the Mountain, and enduring a night haunted by ghostly legionnaires whom Asterix dispels with complaints.

For their concluding challenge in Rome, the Gauls face gladiators and wild beasts within the Circus Maximus, transforming it into a contemporary circus and securing a decisive victory. Caesar acknowledges their divine status and relinquishes control of the Roman Empire. He retires contentedly with Cleopatra, while Caius enjoys his retirement on the Isle of Pleasure. Celebrating their triumph, Asterix confides to Obelix that their conquest took place within a cartoon realm where anything is possible. Obelix then teleports himself along with his wild boar meat to the Isle for festivities.

Cast

Character		Original Voice Actor	English Voice Actor
Original Name	English Name
Astérix	Asterix	Roger Carel	Sean Barrett
Assurancetourix	Cacofonix	Bernard Lavalette Pierre Trabaud (uncredited)	Geoffrey Russell
Idéfix	Dogmatix	Roger Carel
Caius Pupus	Caius Tiddlius	Roger Carel	Sean Barrett
Sénateur romain #2	Roman Senator #2	Lawrence Riesner	Geoffrey Russell
Sénateur romain #3	Roman Senator #3	Unknown	John Ringham
Obélix	Obelix	Jacques Morel	Michael Kilgarriff
Grande prêtresse	Chief Priestess of the Isle of Pleasure	Micheline Dax	Christina Greatrex
Cléopâtre	Cleopatra		Gennie Nevinson
Mme Agecanonix	Mrs. Geriatrix	Nicole Jonesco	Christina Greatrex
Le vénérable du sommet	Old Man of the Mountains	Gérard Hernandez	Paul Bacon
Jules César	Julius Caesar	Jean Martinelli	Alexander John
Jupiter	Zeus
Abraracourcix	Vitalstatistix	Pierre Tornade	Paul Bacon
Panoramix	Getafix	Henri Virlojeux	Geoffrey Russell
Iris	Iris the Hypnotizer		Paul Bacon
Cétautomatix	Fulliautomatix	Georges Atlas	Sean Barrett
Hermès	Hermes	Bernard Lavalette	George Baker
Fantôme de la plaine des trépassés	Roman Ghost	Georges Atlas	Sean Barrett
Sénateur romain	Roman Senator	Claude Bertrand	Unknown
Le centurion #2	The Centurion #2	Unknown
Bureaucrate #5	Bureaucrat #5	Caroline Cler	Ysanne Churchman
Bureaucrate #2	Bureaucrat #2	Claude Dasset	George Baker
Soldat	Soldier	Unknown	John Ringham
Bureaucrate #1	Bureaucrat #1	Henri Labussière	Alexander John
Bureaucrate #4	Bureaucrat #4	Odette Laure	Paddy Turner
Le préfet	The prefect	Bernard Lavalette	George Baker
Cylindrique le Germain	Cylindric	Roger Lumont	Sean Barrett
Sénateur romain #1	Roman Senator #1	Pascal Mazzotti	Paul Bacon
Le centurion #1	The Centurion #1	Henri Poirier
Mannekenpix	Mannikinpix	Stéphane Steeman	Sean Barrett
Vénus	Aphrodite	Monique Thubert	Paddy Turner
Bonemine	Impedimenta	Nicole Vervil	Ysanne Churchman
Le narrateur	Narrator	Pierre Tchernia (uncredited)	John Ringham
Le chef des indiens	Indian Chief	Georges Atlas	Paul Bacon
Prêtresses	Priestesses	Mary Mongourdin	Paddy Turner
			Barbara Mitchell
Bureaucrate #3	Bureaucrat #3	Nicole Jonesco	Gennie Nevinson
Bureaucrate #6	Bureaucrat #6	Gisèle Grimm	Christina Greatrex
Bureaucrate #7	Bureaucrat #7	Unknown	John Ringham
Junon	Hera	Nicole Jonesco	Christina Greatrex
Mars	Ares	Georges Atlas	Paul Bacon
Soldat romain	Roman Soldier	Unknown	George Baker
Entraîneur de gladiateurs	Gladiator Trainer	Claude Dasset	Sean Barrett
Geôlier	Jailer	Lawrence Riesner
Bureaucrate #8	Bureaucrat #8	Unknown	Gennie Nevinson
Bureaucrate #9	Bureaucrat #9		Paul Bacon
Kermés	Verses		Sean Barrett
Le décurion	Decurion	Jacques Hilling	Unknown
Le gardien du cirque	Circus keeper
Le perroquet chantant "Samba !"	Parrot singing "Samba!"	Jean Stout

Uncredited

• Original English voice: Alice Sapritch (Additional Voices)

Home media

During early 2005, the movie was viewed by approximately 400,000 television audiences in the United Kingdom, positioning it as the fifth most popular foreign-language film broadcast on UK TV during that timeframe.

Notes

• In the initial scene set in Caesar's senate, Brutus is depicted fiddling with a knife, leading to Caesar’s admonition: "Brutus, stop playing about with that knife you'll end up hurting somebody." An off-screen exclamation of "ouch" followed by a bandaged finger subtly alludes to Brutus’s involvement in Caesar’s assassination.
• The combat sequence within the Native American village during the second challenge includes a brief appearance by Oumpah-pah, a character created by Goscinny and Uderzo from a separate comic series.
• The segment titled "Place that sends you mad" has achieved cult recognition in France, Italy, and Germany for its humorous critique of bureaucratic nonsense. In Germany, the term "" ("Curfew pass A38") colloquially refers to fictitious paperwork symbolizing excessive red tape. This idea was echoed in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood and Wine, where the main character Geralt must secure Permit A38 from a perplexing office staffed by uncooperative clerks.

Comic book and story book adaptations

• In 1976, Marcel Uderzo produced a comic book version of the film, an uncommon album translated into multiple languages but not included in the standard series. The English edition was released solely within the unique Asterix Annual 1980 under the title Asterix Conquers Rome, derived from the film's English script.
• A more broadly distributed illustrated storybook sharing the film’s title exists and has been translated into several languages, surpassing the rare comic adaptation in availability.
• Furthermore, twelve scarce illustrated text storybooks were created for younger audiences, each detailing one of the twelve challenges.