Asterix and the Vikings (Astérix et les Vikings in French) is a 2006 French-Danish animated film directed by Stefan Fjeldmark and Jesper Møller, the second Asterix film to be recorded in English, after 1994's Asterix Conquers America , based on the Asterix comic books and stars the voices of Sean Astin, Brad Garrett, Paul Giamatti and Evan Rachel Wood. It mainly adapts Asterix and the Normans, with a part lifted from Asterix and the Great Crossing (which also involved Norsemen).
It is the last Asterix film to be made using traditional animation to this day, with the next one, Asterix: The Mansions of the Gods, shifting to full CGI.
Asterix and the Vikings provides examples of:
- Adaptational Badass:
- Both versions of Justforkix eventually toughen up, but even after learning courage he accomplished little of value besides yelling at Timeandahalf and throwng a few punches against the Normans while Asterix and Obelix did most of the work. In the movie, he actually briefly drinks Asterix's Magic Potion and fights the Vikings to save Abba from a forced marriage.
- Downplayed with the vikings. While they were feared warriors in the comics, they were still no match for the Gauls and their magic potion, and were beaten almost as handily as the Romans. In the movie, however, they are able to take a lot of punishment from Asterix and Obelix, being able to shrug off several hits, even landing on their feet after being punched into the air. Asterix even gives a slightly nervous "whoa" look when they don't immediately go down.
- Adaptational Heroism: Downplayed; Timeandahalf and his Viking/Normans still are as blood-thirsty, violent and sociopathic as they were in the comic (albeit still played for comedy) and still play the role of antagonists, but unlike in the comic, their idea of thanking the Gauls doesn't consist in slaughtering them all to send them to Vahalla, and they end the movie on good terms with the village.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: While still something of a brat in this version like he was in the comic, Justforkix gets a bit more Character Development in this version, including being genuinely touched by Obelix's affection and support of him.
- Adaptation Amalgamation: The film blends the bulk of Asterix and the Normans and the climax in Denmark of Asterix and the Great Crossing, since both feature Asterix and Obelix clashing with Norsemen. That latter part, interestingly enough, was left out of the previous film, Asterix Conquers America, which adapted The Great Crossing.
- Aerith and Bob: The characters taken from the original Asterix and the Normans all have their original Punny Names, as does new villain Cryptograf, but other Canon Foreigners Abba and Olaf have quite normal names (though Abba's name is likely a Shout-Out to ABBA).
- And Now You Must Marry Me: Olaf himself is not very adamant into marrying Abba, but his interested father insist that she must be his son's wife, so the latter will be the new chief.
- Artistic License – Geography: Asterix chases the Vikings back to their home by following the North Star. Sailing North from Asterix's village would take him to Great Britain, not Scandinavia. Sailing from Northern France to Viking territory and back in a little under a month with such a tiny boat is also highly unlikely.
- Artistic License – History: Vikings only started their invasions in the late 8th century, over 800 years after the Roman conquest of the Gauls.
- Award-Bait Song: Céline Dion's "Let Your Heart Decide
". - Babies Ever After: In the end of the Creative Closing Credits sequence, Justforkix and Abba's new baby can be seen, apparently delighted to get a skull as a gift from his Viking grandparents.
- Beware the Silly Ones: Olaf spends most of the movie as a Dumb Muscle comic relief who can't figure out what is going on to save his life, with Cryptograf struggling to make him even understand the most basic parts of his scheme while he just goes along. However, in the climax, when Cryptograf gives him an instruction he can actually understand perfectly (kill Justforkix), he proves frighteningly effective and almost succeeds.
- The Big Damn Kiss: Justforkix and Abba exchange one right after they made it just in time to the village, and landed in front of Doublehelix.
- Big Eater: Obelix stocks up with dozens of fried boars for the journey to the Viking lands, only to eat all of them in a single day and starve for the rest ot the journey.
- The Brute: While all Vikings (except for Cryptograf) are big and brutish, Olaf is bigger and dumber than any of them.
- Canon Foreigner: The Viking priest/chancellor Cryptograf did not appear in the comic book. Neither did Abba (Timeandahaf's daughter) and Olaf.
- Childish Tooth Gap: Abba has a noticeable gap in her top teeth, possibly to make her look even more like Pippi Longstocking.
- Classical Music Is Boring: During the banquet given in his honor, Justforkix protest when he hears Celtic music, saying this dates back from Antiquity. The background music then switch to 21th century pop music, and Justforkix pushes others Gauls to dance accordingly.
- Clothesline Stealing: Asterix and Obelix steal Vikings costumes on a clothes line to be unnoticed in Timeandahaf's house. Which, curiously, include helmets.
- Comic-Book Fantasy Casting: Olaf is modelled after Arnold Schwarzenegger. And his french actor dubbed Sylvester Stallone in Lock Up.
- Continuity Cameo:
- Huntingseassen, the Vikings' dog from Asterix and the Great Crossing, has a cameo appearance as Asterix and Obelix enter the Viking party.
- Influenza from Asterix and Caesar's Gift makes a brief appearance when Justforkix is dancing.
- Convection, Schmonvection: The climax takes place in a snow-covered cliff riddled with steam vents. Despite there being enough steam emitted to launch a man hundreds of feet in the air, the snow doesn't melt.
- Creative Closing Credits: The ending credits are displayed alongside a storyboard of what happened after the wedding (including a Parental Bonus moment, see below), looking like paintings on Viking runestones.
- Demoted to Extra: Cacofonix was a key character in the original story, and essential to resolving the issue with the Vikings there. Here, he's reduced to just the joke about teaching the Vikings about fear in the final scene.
- Disney Villain Death: Played with but averted. Cryptocraf does fall to his apparent doom during the climactic confrontation, but is later revealed to have survived. He's alive and well at the end of the movie, and shows up a few times during the Creative Closing Credits mentioned above.
- The Dreaded: Deconstructed; the Vikings' reputation has become so fearsome it actually plays against them, as people now know better than to stick around when they are coming. At the beginning, Viking chief Timeandahaf complains that people fled from every city they raided before they could even arrive, leaving them with nobody to slaughter.
- Dumb Muscle: Olaf is ridiculously tall and strong even compared to the already massive Vikings, but he also is even stupider than them.
- Engagement Challenge: Timeandahaf promises his daughter's hand to the one who finds the Champion of Fear who can teach them to fly, inspiring Cryptograf to plot to secure that marriage for his son Olaf. Justforkix wins the challenge inadvertently, by inventing hang-gliding.
- Fiery Redhead: Abba is a fiery and impetuous young woman.
- Heir Club for Men: A major plot point is that the chief has no male heir, therefore whoever marries his daughter is the next in line, which is why the cleric Cryptograf wishes his son Olaf to marry Abba.
- Heir-In-Law: How Viking society works if the chief only have a daughter. Thus Cryptograf whishes his son could be this, and himself would see his status improves by being the chief's father. And he would be the de facto ruler as Olaf 's stupidity will led him to be a Puppet King.
- Horny Vikings: All of the Viking warriors have horned helmets, and they are all brutish warriors who don't know the meaning of fear.
- Instant Messenger Pigeon: Justforkix has a pet pigeon he calls "SMS", using her to deliver messages while holding her as a cell phone.
- Klingon Scientists Get No Respect: Cryptograf, unlike his muscular but dim barbarian peers, is actually well-educated and quite intelligent- and as a result, is considered practically useless by them until he seems like he can guide them to the Champion of Fear.
- Ladykiller in Love: Justforkix is apparently The Casanova as he's hitting on the village girls during the banquet given in his honor. And his father assures that his son is used to go to "girls hunting". Yet, Justforkix will met, then fall in love with the viking chief's daughter Abba, that he marries in the end.
- Like an Old Married Couple: Asterix and Obelix argue mostly about Justforkix. As they act as his Parental Substitute, it leaves the impression that the latter has two dads.
- Like Parent, Like Child: As Cryptograf learns this the hard way, Timeandahaf hates being lied to, just like his daughter Abba.
- Literal-Minded:
- Like in the comic, the whole plot of the movie starts off because the Viking were told "Fear gives you wings" and interpreted it literally, leading them to look for a way to know fear.
- One of the many reasons Olaf struggles to understand his father's plan:Cryptograf [showing Olaf a rock]; This is you...
Olaf: ... I'm a rock?
Cryptograf: IMAGINE IT'S YOU, YOU MORON!
- Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: Abba is a fierce and tough girl who wants to be a warrior. Justforkix is a skinny, wimpy boy who is a vegetarian and prefers to party.
- A Match Made in Stockholm: Played for Laughs; Timeandahalf and Vikea appear to be Happily Married despite the fact that he kidnapped her against her will. At Olaf and Abba's wedding they're fondly reminiscing about her struggling during the kidnapping and nearly biting off her future husband's finger. Surprisingly, there's no joke about "Stockholm syndrome" despite the obvious Scandinavian pun.
- Ms. Fanservice: Abba is very curvy and beautiful, and wears a minidress-like tunic that leaves her shoulders and legs bare.
- Nigh-Invulnerability: While a Roman can be taken out by a Gaul empowered by the magic potion in just one punch, it takes considerably more to take down a Viking.
- Official Couple: Abba and Justforkix.
- Papa Wolf: Asterix and Obelix are both this for Justforkix but most specifically Obelix. He beat the crap out of Vikings when they threaten Justforkix, despite Vikings are way tougher than romans.
- Parental Bonus: In the final Creative Closing Credits sequence, Justforkix on is seen begging Getafix for even just a bit of magic potion to use on his wedding night... Does This Remind You of Anything?
- Phoneaholic Teenager: Parodied with Justforkix, who calls his Instant Messenger Pigeon "SMS" and spends a lot of time using her to send messages to girls.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: The Vikings are presented as very sexist even by the standards of the time period. Chief Timeandahalf says that the Viking way of proposal is to bash a woman in the head and drag her by the hair, and he mistreats his daughter Abba, forbidding her to join the raids and forcing her to marry Olaf as a reward.
- The Power of Love: Asterix remarks that it is not fear, but love, that gives wings when he spots Abba and Justforkix flying with a ship sail like it was a hang-glider.
- Real Men Eat Meat: The very manly Gauls (in particular Obelix) have an appetite for boar, whereas the skinny, wimpy Justforkix is a vegetarian.
- Shout-Out:
- The name of Timeandahaf's redhead, braided, tooth-gapped daughter is Abba.
- His wife's name is Vikea, and she likes furniture that is easy to assemble.
- In the final fight, Olaf (who's modeled after Arnold Schwarzenegger) says "Hasta la vista, baby!".
- The name of Timeandahaf's redhead, braided, tooth-gapped daughter is Abba.
- Token Romance: Justforkix meets and falls in love with Timeandahaf's daughter Abba.
- Training Montage: One that is set to "Eye of the Tiger" in which Justforkix is literally tossed out of bed every morning so he can be subjected to an Obelix-designed workout regimen: lifting menhirs, running down wild boars, and punching pirate ships. The only thing Justforkix gets better at is the second part: he eventually gets fast enough to be able to safely run away from the boars.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Doublehelix looks like a taller and more muscular version of Vitalstatistix.
- Sure, Let's Go with That: In this version, Viking priest Cryptograf was the one who told Timeandahalf and his men that "fear gives you wings". He actually did mean it metaphorically only for them to be once again Literal-Minded, but upon hearing Timeandahalf promise anything they want as a reward to whoever brings him the Fear Champion, he decides to go along with that mistake so he can scheme in order to have his son Olaf marry Abba and become the new chief.
- Unseen No More: In the comics, Doublehelix was The Ghost, mentioned but never seen either in the album Asterix and the Normans, or in later ones. He makes his first physical apparition in this movie, and he's fleshed out by adding the detail that he was a war hero. Given that he wanted his son to toughen up, you could guess Doublehelix was himself a badass. He looks very much like Vitalstatistix, except taller and more muscular.
- Villain Opening Scene: The film starts with the antagonists and main villain being introduced before transitioning to the usual setting.
- Violently Protective Girlfriend: When Olaf tries to kill Justforkix, Abba jumps on Olaf and punches him as hard as she can. Her effort is futile, though, given Olaf's constitution. It's worth noting Abba is then mad at Justforkix because she just discovered he lied to her about his capacity to fly. Yet, she won't let him be killed.
- Wedding Smashers: Justforkix interrupt Abba and Olaf 's wedding, after insisting to Asterix and Obelix that Abba actually wanted to be abducted from her wedding.
- Would Hit a Girl: When Abba attacks Olaf as stated above, he throws her on a rock so violently that she seems to have died from the impact. Justforkix seems to think so when he anxiously check on Abba, but she was just knocked out.
- Younger and Hipper: Justforkix is not any younger than his comic book counterpart, but the comic book was published in The '60s, when The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were all the rage, and it translated in him using Cacofonix's lyra like a guitar and "singing" accordingly, per René Goscinny's Anachronism Stew-based humor to reflect his time, and it became an Unintentional Period Piece after several decades passed. The film was made at the Turn of the Millennium, and thus the music used in his sequences has changed accordingly to fit modern audiences, from Rock & Roll to a modern remix of Kool & the Gang's "Get Down On It". Also, he now uses his messenger pigeon as "Short Message System".
- Youthful Freckles: Abba has these to emphasize her youth.
- “These Vikings are crazy!”
