Asterix the Gaul

The first animated film adapted from the Asterix comics. Rome has taken all of Gaul except one village. That village holds out because its druid Getafix makes a potion that gives extraordinary strength. The Romans decide to learn the secret. A soldier infiltrates the village, abducts the druid and presses him for the recipe. Asterix goes after them to get him back. The film stays faithful to the first volume of the comic and reproduces its events almost exactly. The production's own story is interesting. It was made in Belgium without informing the comic's creators. When Goscinny and Uderzo saw the result they were not pleased and wanted more say over the films that followed. The animation is close to the television standard of its day; the movement is limited and the use of colour simple. In the French version Roger Carel voices Asterix, and he went on voicing the character for years. Ray Goossens directed. A historically interesting production for anyone who likes comic adaptations and classical animation. For a viewer who cares about visual quality, it lags behind the later Asterix films technically.