With "The Domain of the Gods", they made three million admissions. Four years later, Alexandre Astier and Louis Clichy recidivated with a new animated film of Asterix, "The secret of the magic potion", based on an unpublished story of the famous Gaul.
For "Asterix: the secret of the magic potion", theatrical Wednesday, the director, screenwriter and actor Alexandre Astier - creator of the comedy series "Kaamelott" - invented an adventure whose star is not the mustache created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, but the druid of the village.
Panoramix, after a fall while picking mistletoe, is convinced that the time has come to transmit the secret of his magic potion: he goes in search of his successor through Gaul, obviously accompanied by Asterix and Obelix. The quest will stoke the lust of unscrupulous druids including the vile Sulfurix, the old rival of Getafix.
With this unprecedented story, Alexandre Astier and Louis Clichy - animator passed by Pixar where he worked on "Up There" or "Wall-E" - reform their winning duo of "Domain of the gods" to give new life in images 3D synthesis to the irreducible warrior and his (big) comrade tailor menhirs.
"I said I wanted to do it again, but if I made an original story. This idea was a bit scary at first. And finally, it was rather an argument, " says Alexandre Astier.
"The pitch + immediately spoke to Albert Uderzo and Anne Goscinny," daughter of writer Asterix René Goscinny, who died in 1977, he continues. "There have been a series of little fears, but in the state of paper. From the moment when there were drawn images [...], the fears were still pretty well dispelled .
"An Asterix of today"
Punctuating the film of spikes of humor as in "The Domain of the gods", with gags sometimes very rhythmic, without forgetting to put there secondary characters appreciated like the pirates or the wild boars - which are entrusted this time the role of messengers -, Alexandre Astier and Louis Clichy recreate the world of Asterix while introducing small touches of theirs, all with quality animation.
"It's still an Asterix today," argues Alexandre Astier, however "naturally respectful" of the spirit of comics.
"Everyone is watching us and waiting for us at the turn. We thought that at least we would take a little risk with an original story , " adds Louis Clichy, who explains having also wanted to " move to a higher level graphically . " Compared to the previous one, he wanted to bring colors closer to comics and speed up the pace a little.
With the voice of Christian Clavier
The two directors also allow themselves liberties: the creation of a villain less ridiculous than usual in the world of Asterix or the evocation of the past - the youth of Panoramix - and the future, with joyful moments even if the film lacks perhaps breath to take off completely on the length.
Another novelty, which can disconcert the followers: the comedian Roger Carel, 91 years, to whom was entrusted the voice of Asterix since 1967 in the animated adaptations, was replaced by Christian Clavier, who had already interpreted the Gaulois hero in two films in real shots.
The best-selling European comic strip in the world (365 million albums), the Asterix series has already produced thirteen films before this one, including nine cartoons.
The latest album, the 37th, "Asterix and the Transitalique", signed by Jean-Yves Ferri and Didier Conrad, has largely finished at the top of book sales in 2017 in France.