Les 12 Travaux d'Astérix (1976)

The first Asterix-film was a nice start in the realm of animated films for this Gaulish hero, but it was no masterpiece. But this one is downright hilarious and probably one of the best ones in this run you will ever see.

Julius Caesar is fed up with the little village still evading his dominance. Some senators suggest that the Gauls might be gods, because they can not be conquered. So Caesar hatches a plot: he will contrive 12 impossible tasks (loosely based on the idea of Hercules) and if the Gauls manage to complete these, Rome will submit to them. But if not, then the village will have to live according to Roman law. So our two best friends Asterix and Obelix are chosen to complete this quest, as one is the smartest and the other is the strongest. 

I am not going to spoil the quests and missions. They are all pretty inventive and above all: funny as hell. No really, this film is a straight up belly-aching laughter fest from start to finish. It is filled to the brim with quirky characters, insane situations and that irreverent humour that also is found in the comics. Where the first film was way too reticent about going all in, this one has no such qualms. 

The dynamic between Asterix and Obelix is present in full, whereas the first film focused on Asterix alone and that is never the strongest suit. These characters play so well off each other it is mandatory to have both of them. The voice acting is also quite good, as this time they hired some more people to do various voices. 

What also has gone up a couple of notches on the scale is the animation. This one looks great and especially some of the backgrounds are downright beautifully painted. The models of the characters are also better drawn and more consistent. You can tell they spent more time, effort and money on this and they just went with what is in essence an insane plot. 

I know I said I won't spoil anything, but there is one mission that takes the cake concerning fun and at the same time hyperrealism: the House Where You Go Mad. If you ever want to explain the complete absurdities of pointless pen-pushing administration, this is the prime example. Really, you can use this at almost any time and it still is as relevant today as it was all those years ago. 

If there is one in the series of these animated films you should definitely give a watch, let it be this one. It works for both adults and kids and both will be laughing vociferously throughout.