Asterix Conquers America
Encyclopedia
Asterix Conquers America is a 1994
animated movie directed by Gerhard Hahn. It was produced in Germany
as Asterix in Amerika by Gerhard Hahn and Jürgen Wohlrabe, and is the first Asterix
film produced outside of France
(where it is known as Astérix et les Indiens). It is loosely based on the comic Asterix and the Great Crossing
but has a numerous significant variations on the plot. It featured the voice talents of Craig Charles
as Asterix and Howard Lew Lewis
as Obelix.
(away from prying eyes in case things go badly).
Meanwhile Unhygienix is out of fresh fish (as always) which starts a fight, upsetting the cauldron of magic potion. Since fresh fish is a necessary ingredient Asterix and Obelix
go to catch some while Getafix gathers herbs (Obelix sends Dogmatix with him to protect him). In the woods the druid meets Lucullus disguised as another druid, who leads him into a trap.
Lucullus bundles him and Dogmatix onto a Roman galley and heads for the "world's edge". On the way they pass Asterix and Obelix whose fishing is not doing well and Lucullus taunts them. The heroes give chase using Obelix as an outboard motor, but he is diverted by the aroma of food from the passing pirate ship, and then blown off course by a violent storm. After a long pursuit, when they've nearly lost hope, a dolphin brings Dogmatix (who Lucullus had dropped overboard) and guides them to the Romans. Seeing the Gauls catching up and land ahead which he feels must be the world's edge, the Roman loads Getafix onto a catapult and flings him "over the edge". The Gauls follow the flying druid while Lucullus turns about for home.
Back at the village Caesar lays siege and waits for the last of the magic potion to run out, much to the centurion's chagrin (since having him attack is the test).
Asterix and Obelix explore the new land looking for Getafix, and find delicious birds they call "gobble gobbles" (turkeys
). Asterix is captured while Obelix hunts for breakfast, but instead catches an Native American
whom he mistakes for a disguised Roman. When he finds Asterix gone and his helmet lying on the ground, he has Dogmatix follow his scent. On the way he saves a young Native American girl from being trampled by a stampede of bison.
In the Native American camp Asterix awakes to find himself tied with Getafix to a pole, and the natives becoming restless — particularly the medicineman. Obelix and the girl arrive just in time to save them, and the chief (who turns out to be her father) frees them, but the medicine man is furious, especially after Getafix shows him up in a magic competition. That night he comes to the tipi
assigned the visitors and pretends to offer peace, but uses the peace pipe to drug them.
In the morning Obelix is still suffering hallucination
s from the drugs and Getafix has been taken prisoner by the medicine man in an attempt to learn the secret of making the magic potion. When he refuses, the medicine man releases a grizzly bear
to tear him to bits, but Asterix — guided to the cave by Dogmatix — arrives in time, knocking the bear and villain both out of the picture. Minihooha, the chief's daughter, cures Obelix with a huge meal.
The natives give them a well-provisioned canoe which Obelix paddles tirelessly back across the ocean, but when they arrive back at their village, there are only burnt ruins left. A bound, gagged and forgotten Cacofonix tells them that Caesar has captured the villagers, so Asterix and Obelix — disguised as legionaries — take gourds of fresh potion to their friends imprisoned at the nearby camp of Compendium.
Soon the camp is wrecked, the Romans thumped and life gets back to normal for the gauls. Caesar himself takes the better part of valour and leaves disguised as a wine barrel, but the luckless Lucullus becomes the opportunistic meal of Caesar's pet panther.
1994 in film
1994 was a significant year in film.The top grosser worldwide was The Lion King, which to date stands as the highest-grossing traditionally-animated film of all time...
animated movie directed by Gerhard Hahn. It was produced in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
as Asterix in Amerika by Gerhard Hahn and Jürgen Wohlrabe, and is the first Asterix
Asterix
Asterix or The Adventures of Asterix is a series of French comic books written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo . The series first appeared in French in the magazine Pilote on October 29, 1959...
film produced outside of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(where it is known as Astérix et les Indiens). It is loosely based on the comic Asterix and the Great Crossing
Asterix and the Great Crossing
Asterix and the Great Crossing is the twenty-second volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo .-Plot summary:...
but has a numerous significant variations on the plot. It featured the voice talents of Craig Charles
Craig Charles
Craig Joseph Charles is an English actor, stand-up comedian, author, poet, radio and television presenter, best known for playing Dave Lister in the British cult-favourite science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf...
as Asterix and Howard Lew Lewis
Howard Lew Lewis
Howard Lew Lewis is an English comedian and actor, best known for his roles in comedy series including Maid Marian and her Merry Men and Brush Strokes.-Biography:Lewis' grandmother Dame Ethel Gomer-Lewis was an opera singer...
as Obelix.
Plot summary
After another spectacular defeat of a fresh centurion Caesar sends Lucullus, one of his sycophants, to try to capture Getafix and throw him off the edge of the worldFlat Earth
The Flat Earth model is a belief that the Earth's shape is a plane or disk. Most ancient cultures have had conceptions of a flat Earth, including Greece until the classical period, the Bronze Age and Iron Age civilizations of the Near East until the Hellenistic period, India until the Gupta period ...
(away from prying eyes in case things go badly).
Meanwhile Unhygienix is out of fresh fish (as always) which starts a fight, upsetting the cauldron of magic potion. Since fresh fish is a necessary ingredient Asterix and Obelix
Obelix
Obelix is a fictional character from the French comic book series Asterix. He works as a menhir sculptor and deliveryman, and is Asterix's best friend. Obelix is noted for his fatness, the menhirs he carries around on his back and his superhuman strength...
go to catch some while Getafix gathers herbs (Obelix sends Dogmatix with him to protect him). In the woods the druid meets Lucullus disguised as another druid, who leads him into a trap.
Lucullus bundles him and Dogmatix onto a Roman galley and heads for the "world's edge". On the way they pass Asterix and Obelix whose fishing is not doing well and Lucullus taunts them. The heroes give chase using Obelix as an outboard motor, but he is diverted by the aroma of food from the passing pirate ship, and then blown off course by a violent storm. After a long pursuit, when they've nearly lost hope, a dolphin brings Dogmatix (who Lucullus had dropped overboard) and guides them to the Romans. Seeing the Gauls catching up and land ahead which he feels must be the world's edge, the Roman loads Getafix onto a catapult and flings him "over the edge". The Gauls follow the flying druid while Lucullus turns about for home.
Back at the village Caesar lays siege and waits for the last of the magic potion to run out, much to the centurion's chagrin (since having him attack is the test).
Asterix and Obelix explore the new land looking for Getafix, and find delicious birds they call "gobble gobbles" (turkeys
Turkey (bird)
A turkey is a large bird in the genus Meleagris. One species, Meleagris gallopavo, commonly known as the Wild Turkey, is native to the forests of North America. The domestic turkey is a descendant of this species...
). Asterix is captured while Obelix hunts for breakfast, but instead catches an Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
whom he mistakes for a disguised Roman. When he finds Asterix gone and his helmet lying on the ground, he has Dogmatix follow his scent. On the way he saves a young Native American girl from being trampled by a stampede of bison.
In the Native American camp Asterix awakes to find himself tied with Getafix to a pole, and the natives becoming restless — particularly the medicineman. Obelix and the girl arrive just in time to save them, and the chief (who turns out to be her father) frees them, but the medicine man is furious, especially after Getafix shows him up in a magic competition. That night he comes to the tipi
Tipi
A tipi is a Lakota name for a conical tent traditionally made of animal skins and wooden poles used by the nomadic tribes and sedentary tribal dwellers of the Great Plains...
assigned the visitors and pretends to offer peace, but uses the peace pipe to drug them.
In the morning Obelix is still suffering hallucination
Hallucination
A hallucination, in the broadest sense of the word, is a perception in the absence of a stimulus. In a stricter sense, hallucinations are defined as perceptions in a conscious and awake state in the absence of external stimuli which have qualities of real perception, in that they are vivid,...
s from the drugs and Getafix has been taken prisoner by the medicine man in an attempt to learn the secret of making the magic potion. When he refuses, the medicine man releases a grizzly bear
Grizzly Bear
The grizzly bear , also known as the silvertip bear, the grizzly, or the North American brown bear, is a subspecies of brown bear that generally lives in the uplands of western North America...
to tear him to bits, but Asterix — guided to the cave by Dogmatix — arrives in time, knocking the bear and villain both out of the picture. Minihooha, the chief's daughter, cures Obelix with a huge meal.
The natives give them a well-provisioned canoe which Obelix paddles tirelessly back across the ocean, but when they arrive back at their village, there are only burnt ruins left. A bound, gagged and forgotten Cacofonix tells them that Caesar has captured the villagers, so Asterix and Obelix — disguised as legionaries — take gourds of fresh potion to their friends imprisoned at the nearby camp of Compendium.
Soon the camp is wrecked, the Romans thumped and life gets back to normal for the gauls. Caesar himself takes the better part of valour and leaves disguised as a wine barrel, but the luckless Lucullus becomes the opportunistic meal of Caesar's pet panther.
Original German Version
- Peer AugustinskiPeer AugustinskiPeer Augustinski is a German actor and voice actor from Berlin. He is the official German dub-over artist of Robin Williams.-Live-action works:*Derrick - Season 11, Episode 14: "Stellen Sie sich vor, man hat Dr...
- AsterixAsterixAsterix or The Adventures of Asterix is a series of French comic books written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo . The series first appeared in French in the magazine Pilote on October 29, 1959... - Ottfried FischerOttfried FischerOttfried Fischer is a German actor and Kabarett artist best known for his role as Benno Berghammer in the popular German TV series Der Bulle von Tölz...
- ObelixObelixObelix is a fictional character from the French comic book series Asterix. He works as a menhir sculptor and deliveryman, and is Asterix's best friend. Obelix is noted for his fatness, the menhirs he carries around on his back and his superhuman strength... - Harald JuhnkeHarald JuhnkeHarald Juhnke , actually Harry Heinz Herbert Juhnke, was a well-known German actor, comedian and entertainer.-Life:...
- Narrator - Ralf WolterRalf Wolter-Selected filmography:* Peter Voss, Hero of the Day * Conny und Peter machen Musik * Freddy und das Lied der Südsee * The Heathens of Kummerow * Hannibal Brooks * Heintje: A Heart Goes on a Journey...
- Getafix - Jochen BusseJochen BusseJochen Busse is a German television actor.He began work as a stage actor at the Kammerspiele in Munich in 1960 and made his TV debut the same year. He has made 80 appearances in television since 1960. In 1993 he appeared in the Austrian set comedy series Hochwürden erbt das Paradies...
- Cacofonix - Thomas Reine - CaesarJulius CaesarGaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
- Michael HabeckMichael HabeckMichael Habeck was a German actor who was best known for providing the German dubbing for Oliver Hardy after Bruno W. Pantel died....
- Lucullus - Andreas Mannkopff - The Centurion
French Version
- Roger CarelRoger CarelRoger Bancharel, better known by his stage name, Roger Carel, is a French actor and voice talent, best known for his recurring film roles as Asterix or the French voice of Star Wars C3PO and the French voice of Winnie the Pooh...
- AsterixAsterixAsterix or The Adventures of Asterix is a series of French comic books written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo . The series first appeared in French in the magazine Pilote on October 29, 1959... - Pierre TornadePierre TornadePierre Tornade is a French actor. He appeared in 128 films and television shows between 1956 and 1998.-Selected filmography:* Les Truands * Comme un cheveu sur la soupe * Les Veinards...
- ObelixObelixObelix is a fictional character from the French comic book series Asterix. He works as a menhir sculptor and deliveryman, and is Asterix's best friend. Obelix is noted for his fatness, the menhirs he carries around on his back and his superhuman strength... - Henri LabussièreHenri LabussièreHenri Labussière was a French actor and comedian. He mostly appeared on stage in various comedy plays between 1949 and 2000. As a film actor he starred in Yves Robert's War of the Buttons in 1962.-External links:...
- Getafix - François Chaix - Chief Vitalstatistix
- Michel Tugot-Doris - Cacofonix
- Jean Dautremay - Unhygienix
- Robert Party - CaesarJulius CaesarGaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
- Jean-Luc Galmiche - Lucullus
- Olivier Jankovic - Stupidus
- Nathalie Spitzer - Falbala
- Yves Pignot - The Centurion
- Claude Chantal -Impedimenta
- Joël Zaffarano - The Captain
English
- Craig CharlesCraig CharlesCraig Joseph Charles is an English actor, stand-up comedian, author, poet, radio and television presenter, best known for playing Dave Lister in the British cult-favourite science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf...
- Asterix - Howard Lew LewisHoward Lew LewisHoward Lew Lewis is an English comedian and actor, best known for his roles in comedy series including Maid Marian and her Merry Men and Brush Strokes.-Biography:Lewis' grandmother Dame Ethel Gomer-Lewis was an opera singer...
- Obelix - Geoffrey BayldonGeoffrey BayldonGeoffrey Bayldon is a British actor. After playing roles in many dramas including Shakespeare, he became known for portraying the title role of the children's series Catweazle , after turning down the opportunity to play both the First and Second Doctors in the long-running BBC science fiction...
- Getafix - Christopher BigginsChristopher BigginsChristopher Kenneth Biggins is an English actor and media personality.-Career:Biggins was born in Oldham, Lancashire, England and brought up in Salisbury, Wiltshire, where he took elocution lessons and participated in local drama groups...
- Lucullus - Henry McGeeHenry McGeeHenry McGee was a British actor, best known as straight man to Benny Hill for many years. McGee was also often the announcer on Hill's TV programme, delivering the upbeat intro "Yes! It's The Benny Hill Show!"...
- Caesar - John Rye - Narrator
- Rupert DegasRupert DegasRupert Joel Degas is an English actor and voice artist.- Early life:Degas was born in London, the son of screenwriter Brian Degas and television presenter Maggie Clews, whose marriage ended in divorce when he was eight...
- Medicine Man (uncredited)
External links
- Asterix Conquers America at Asterix NZ