Diminutive Gallic hero Astérix and his rotund warrior friend Obélix started their careers as cartoon characters in the album series created by Uderzo and Gosciny, but they have entertained the masses as film stars for an almost equally long time, both in live action and animated features. The new animated adventure Astérix et les Vikings (Asterix and the Vikings) is the latest addition, and as would be appropriate with such a title, the adventure – based on the album Astérix and the Normans – is helmed by two Danes: Stefan Fjeldmark and Jesper Møller.

In Astérix et les Vikings our friends are forced to brave the cold northern seas when their pupil Goudurix is captured by Vikings and taken back to Scandinavia. Through a mix-up by the Viking shaman, the skull-bashing brutes believe that the Gallic warrior who is the "king of fear" is capable of teaching them how to fly. The teenage Goudurix, who comes from trendy Lutèce (the Roman name for the City of Light) is in fact more into disco dancing and sending SMS messages than the fighting techniques that Astérix and Obélix are teaching him. He is not really a pacifist as much as a wimp: the perfect king of fear. 

Though anachronisms have always been a source of humour in the universe of Astérix, the ostentatious inclusion of disco music and gadgetry such as SMS messaging (through a bird no less) and a racing car does not sit well with the series’ general old-fashioned tone. These additions do not so much update the setting as they seem to try – rather badly – to hide its true nature, much like a transvestite who wears the latest dress but forgets to shave. The animation quality varies but is generally well done; some sequences at sea look a bit too amateurish, while the use of light, reflections and shadows adds a nice touch of naturalism.

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