Go West! A Lucky Luke Adventure (French: Tous à l'Ouest: Une Aventure de Lucky Luke) is a 2007 French animated western comedy film directed by Olivier Jean-Marie and written by Jean-Marie and Jean-François Henry. It is based on the Franco-Belgian Comics series of the same name by Morris and several writers, and more precisely loosely based on the album La Caravane written by René Goscinny. It was produced by animation studio Xilam (which previously made the series The New Adventures of Lucky Luke) as well as France 3 Cinéma, Pathé, Dargaud Média and Lucky Comics.
In 1880 in New York City, the Dalton brothers escape from a court trial regarding the Daltons' bank salesman cousin disgracing their name, and plunder several banks across New York, while Lucky Luke hunts for them.
The animation style, including that of the opening, was reused in Xilam's later series The Daltons.
Not to be confused with Buster Keaton's Go West.
Go West! A Lucky Luke Adventure provides examples of:
- Animated Credits Opening: The animation style of the opening credits is markedly different from the rest of the film, including being more minimalist.
- Bad People Abuse Animals: When the Daltons escape in the streets of New York City, Joe kicks a dog and says "I hate dogs!".
- Ballistic Discount: The Daltons hold up a gun store in New York City after escaping the Supreme Court of New York with only a single revolver in their possession at the time.
- Berserk Button: As always, simply hearing Lucky Luke's name sends Joe Dalton in a fit of rage. It gets so bad that he bites a chunk of a wooden table off at the trial, then shouts like an animal and throws the table at the judge.
- Big "NO!": Luke utters a surprised "No!" upon seeing the chaos the escape of the Daltons is causing in NYC. Jolly Jumper then answers with a low key "Yes...".
- "Blackmail" Is Such an Ugly Word: Edgar Crook insists that his deals aren't "fraud", and that he isn't a "swindler" or a "liar". It's just "business", being an "opportunist" and "marketing".
- But Now I Must Go: Lucky Luke brings his group to California but decides not to stay, as always.
- The Cameo: The cockroaches from Oggy and the Cockroaches make a brief cameo. Counts as a Company Cross Reference for Xilam too.
- Con Man: Edgar Crook's schtick. He sells lands in California to prospective settlers, but they have to pay in advance and reach the lands within eighty days or the purchase is made null and void, and he keeps the settlers' money.
- The Ditz: Averell Dalton, who else? Like in the album The Inheritance of Rantanplan, he's been in possession of a colt for three weeks and the only thing that came to his mind was to... use it as model to sculpt one in soap instead of handing it over to Joe or using it to escape with his brothers.
- Double-Meaning Title: The original French title, "Tous à l'Ouest", can mean "Everybody Heads West", but its colloquial meaning is rather "Everybody Is Weird/Crazy", which sure fits with a lot of the characters shown.
- Double Standard: Abuse, Female on Male: At one point, most of the men leave their caravans in the middle of the night to go see the saloon dancers at their caravan. They spend the rest of the night being chased and assaulted by their angry wives with frying pans, boots, rolling pins, pots and even a ball and chain.
- Ear Trumpet: The judge at the trial at the beginning is a bit deaf and uses a big ear trumpet to hear Luke's name, and he still doesn't hear it fully even with the jury shouting it.
- Exactly What I Aimed At: As can largely be expected with him, Luke shoots a wildly ricocheting shot while riding on a rollercoaster mine cart that doesn't seem to hit anything, causing one of the Daltons to laugh at him and assume he missed. 5 minutes later, after a rapid series of events even Luke couldn't have predicted, he's being held at gunpoint by the same Dalton, whose gun is suddenly shattered into pieces by the very same shot flying out of the now-empty mine.
- I Fought the Law and the Law Won: While in New York City, the Daltons cause chaos, blow up a bank and hold up a gun store and several other banks. Though they were initially ecstatic at the conveniences of an urban metropolis, they quickly learned that it comes with the law enforcement to match, forcing them to escape a literal army of NYPD officers that chase them across the city.
- Jail Bake: The colt Averell used as model to sculpt a soap gun (like in the album The Inheritance of Rantanplan) was smuggled in the Daltons' prison by Ma Dalton in clafoutis.
- Matchlight Danger Revelation: Villains Crook and Bartleby, after a By the Lights of Their Eyes moment in an abandoned mine, light a match only to find themselves next to a mountain of dynamite boxes. However, the match isn't the biggest problem... more pressing is the fact that Rantanplan was chasing after them with a lit stick of dynamite, which he lets go at their feet.
- Minored in Ass-Kicking: Miss Littletown. In addition to her standard curriculum, she also teaches gymnastics and knocks out Joe with a roundhouse kick when he starts going off the deep end, and then shields her students when Edgar Crook throws a stick of dynamite at the group in the finale.
- Oh, Crap!: Crook realizes that his con is in danger of being undone when he's told that Lucky Luke will be personally escorting the settlers to California.
- Phone Booth Changing Room: When the Daltons escape in NYC, Luke goes in a phone booth and changes from the formal city clothes he was wearing to his usual cowboy outfit in a matter of seconds à la Superman.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Edgar Crook calls the settlers "stupid foreigners" when he's outwitted once and for all and gold is found beneath the worthless-looking land he sold them.
- Revenge Is Not Justice: After the settlers find out that Crook lied to them about the lands they were promised, they start beating him up, tie him up and plan on hanging him. Luke, however, insists on bringing him to trial.
- Rollercoaster Mine: Probably the most ludicrous example, with a very lengthy sequence featuring a good dozen of carts all full of people chasing after the Daltons in an incredibly large mine with complex railways that would put to shame any modern rollercoaster, fully crashing into Bizarrchitecture and Gravity Screw at times.
- Tuck and Cover: Miss Littletown shields her schoolchildren when Edgar Crook tosses a lit stick of dynamite at the group in the finale.
- Wearing a Flag on Your Head: A variation, in that Luke is mistaken for Belgian by a Frenchwoman due to his wearing the colors of the flag (yellow shirt, black jacket, red scarf).
