History WesternAnimation / TheTwelveTasksOfAsterix

While the story starts like any other ''Asterix'' adventure, it quickly shifts into much more [[GenreShift surrealist, fantastic]] and at points downright trippy territory, leading to an ending so bizarre you have to see it to believe it. However the original series' trademark humor (pun-filled historical satire mixed with some well-placed jabs at contemporary issues) is still present for the entire flick. It was generally praised by critics and fans of the series alike.

* FamilyFriendlyMatureContent: The Isle of Pleasure. All those beautiful women on it who tempt the heroes can't just be there to kiss the nose of Obelix, are they? Add in the fountains of wine and there would be much setup for [[APartyAlsoKnownAsAnOrgy orgies]]... The high priestess is even surprised that the only thing Obelix thinks about when hearing "pleasure" is "food". The heroes live the isle before anything more than the music number happens, anyway.

** The goddess Venus is also wearing nothing whatsoever...
* FamilyFriendlyMatureContent: The Isle of Pleasure. All those beautiful women on it who tempt the heroes can't just be there to kiss the nose of Obelix, are they? Add in the fountains of wine and there would be much setup for [[APartyAlsoKnownAsAnOrgy orgies]]... The high priestess is even surprised that the only thing Obelix thinks about when hearing "pleasure" is "food". The heroes live the isle before anything more than the music number happens, anyway.

* FamilyFriendlyMatureContent: The Isle of Pleasure. All those beautiful women on it who tempt the heroes can't just be there to kiss the nose of Obelix, are they? Add in the fountains of wine and there would be much setup for [[APartyAlsoKnownAsAnOrgy orgies]]... The heroes live the isle before anything more than the music number happens, anyway.

* BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame: Asterix manages to complete several tasks by turning his opponent' strength (Cylindric's judo expertise, Iris's hypnotist powers, the madness-inducing bureaucracy of the Place That Sends You Mad) against them.

* SurrealHumor: Much moreso than in the original series, which mainly had AnachronismStew, PunnyNames, some fantasy elements and standard comedic exaggeration. Here we have almost literal fourth-wall breaking, a RubberMan, a man that flies like a bird just because he was hypnotized, sandals that walk by themselves, {{Hammerspace}}, and a hen that lays eggs shaped like souvenirs, among other surreal elements.

* EvilLaugh: When Caesar tells the senate that the protagonists will have to face the priestesses of the "Isle of Pleasure", he bursts into a fit of demonic laughter -- accompanied by a [[NightmareFace Nightmare Face]] -- that sends his councillors (including Brutus) into a huddle, shivering.

* BatmanGambit:
%%** Asterix pulls a large one during The-Place-That-Sends-You-Mad sequence.
** The way Asterix outsmarts Cylindric the German also counts, by asking him for a demonstration to get his guard down instead of charging into a straight fight.

** Caesar's group of councillors features [[UsefulNotes/MarcusJuniusBrutus Brutus]], who constantly plays with a knife. Caesar remarks: "Stop playing with that knife, you'll end up hurting someone!", ironically referencing how Brutus was the leader of the senators who stabbed and killed the historical Caesar.

* HoldYourHippogriffs: When Getafix finds Vitalstatistix practising for his future role as ruler of Rome, he accuses him of "counting your wild boar piglets before they're hatched". An odd case, given that the Gauls do keep chickens (and you'd expect Getafix, at least, to know that boars aren't hatched!)

* OffhandBackhand: Obelix and Unhygienix argue over who should get to fight the most gladiators while sending flying any who come near.

So imagine this: UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar conquers all of [[UsefulNotes/{{France}} Gaul]], with the exception of one tiny village, whose people just so happen to have a magic potion that can make them invincible. Due to this, the Roman soldiers start to wonder whether the village's inhabitants might actually be gods. So Caesar -- who considers the whole idea idiotic -- challenges the Gauls: If they -- like [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Hercules]] -- can carry out twelve tasks he invented (the original twelve labours are outdated), [[AncientRome Rome]] will surrender and the Gauls will rule it as the new supreme masters. The chief picks his best men [[ShorterMeansSmarter Asterix]] and [[BigEater Obelix]] and sends them off for an exciting adventure dealing with old hermits and [[OurSirensAreDifferent sirens]], facing beasts and ghosts and even... retrieving bureaucratic writs.

So imagine this: UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar conquers all of [[UsefulNotes/{{France}} Gaul]], with the exception of one tiny village, whose people just so happen to have a magic potion that can make them invincible. Due to this, the Roman soldiers start to wonder whether the village's inhabitants might actually be gods. So Caesar -- who considers the whole idea idiotic -- challenges the Gauls: If they -- like [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Hercules]] -- can carry out twelve tasks he invented (the original twelve labours are outdated), [[AncientRome Rome]] will surrender and the Gauls will rule it as the new supreme masters. The chief picks his best men [[ShorterMeansSmarter Asterix]] and [[BigEater Obelix]] and sends them off for an exciting adventure dealing with old hermits and [[OurSirensAreDifferent sirens]], facing beasts and ghosts and even... [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers retrieving bureaucratic writs.]]

* SadlyMythtaken: During the aforementioned scene of Caesar telling the story of Hercules, the last labor is stated to be "setting Theseus free from Hades". While Hercules did free Theseus from the underworld, that was not the actual labor; the labor was kidnapping Cerberus the guard dog of the Underworld. In the Polish dub, this is corrected and Caesar mentions this deed (even though, it doesn't match the image on the pottery).

* DeadpanSnarker: Caius Tiddlus, a tiny [[TheStoic stoic]] Roman who thinks of the Tasks to be impossible to finish.

* EldritchAbomination: The Beast. [[spoiler:Obelix is so hungry he manages to ''[[DidYouJustPunchOutChthuluhu eat it]]'']].

So imagine this: UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar conquers all of [[UsefulNotes/{{France}} Gaul]], with the exception of one tiny village, whose people just so happen to have a magic potion that can make them invincible. Due to this, the Roman soldiers start to wonder whether the village's inhabitants might actually be gods. So Caesar -- who considers the whole idea idiotic -- challenges the Gauls: If they -- like [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Hercules]] -- can carry out twelve tasks he invented (the original twelve labours are outdated), [[AncientRome Rome]] will surrender and the Gauls will rule it as the new supreme masters. The chief picks his best men [[ShorterMeansSmarter Asterix]] and [[BigEater Obelix]] and sends them off for an exciting adventure dealing with old hermits and sirens, facing beasts and ghosts and even... [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers retrieving bureaucratic writs.]]

So imagine this: UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar conquers all of [[UsefulNotes/{{France}} Gaul]], with the exception of one tiny village, whose people just so happen to have a magic potion that can make them invincible. Due to this, the Roman soldiers start to wonder whether the village's inhabitants might actually be gods. So Caesar -- who considers the whole idea idiotic -- challenges the Gauls: If they -- like Hercules -- can carry out twelve tasks he invented (the original twelve labours are outdated), Rome will surrender and the Gauls will rule it as the new supreme masters. The chief picks his best men [[ShorterMeansSmarter Asterix]] and [[BigEater Obelix]] and sends them off for an exciting adventure dealing with old hermits and sirens, facing beasts and ghosts and even... [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers retrieving bureaucratic writs.]]

While the story starts like any other ''Asterix'' adventure, it quickly shifts into much more [[GenreShift surrealist, fantastic]] and at points [[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs downright trippy]] territory, leading to an ending so bizarre you have to see it to believe it. However the original series' trademark humor (pun-filled historical satire mixed with some well-placed jabs at contemporary issues) is still present for the entire flick. It was generally praised by critics and fans of the series alike.

See also ''[[WesternAnimation/LaBalladeDesDalton The Ballad of the Daltons]]'', also created by Goscinny and made by the same short-lived studio, Studios Idéfix.

So imagine this: UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar conquers all of Gaul, with the exception of one tiny village, whose people just so happen to have a magic potion that can make them invincible. Due to this, the Roman soldiers start to wonder whether the village's inhabitants might actually be gods. So Caesar -- who considers the whole idea idiotic -- challenges the Gauls: If they -- like Hercules -- can carry out twelve tasks he invented (the original twelve labours are outdated), Rome will surrender and the Gauls will rule it as the new supreme masters. The chief picks his best men [[ShorterMeansSmarter Asterix]] and [[BigEater Obelix]] and sends them off for an exciting adventure dealing with old hermits and sirens, facing beasts and ghosts and even... [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers retrieving bureaucratic writs.]]

** One of film's co-creators, Pierre Tchernia, appears as a Roman Prefect in the "Place That Sends You Mad" sequence.

* BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame: Asterix manages to complete several tasks by turning his opponent' strength (Cylindric's judo expertise, Iris's hypnotist powers, the madness-inducing bureaucracy of the Place That Drives You Mad) against them.

* CanonDiscontinuity: ''The Twelve Tasks of Asterix'' is ignored by the albums that were published after its release, and ''had'' to if one wanted to go on with the series, since it ended [[GrandFinale with Julius Caesar retiring to the countryside and Asterix being put in charge of Rome in its place.]] There is a popular [[invoked]]{{Fanon}}, however, that ''The Twelve Tasks'' must be taken as an ending to the series as a whole, happening after any other item of the series, even those released after ''Twelve Tasks''. It has never been confirmed or informed by the creators and, with both of them having now passed away, never will.

* CirclingBirdies: After being punted into the ground by Fulliautomatix, Cacofonix has birds circling his head... lyrebirds, fittingly.

* CanonDiscontinuity: ''The Twelve Tasks of Asterix'' is ignored by the albums that were published after its release, and ''had'' to if one wanted to go on with the series, since it ended [[GrandFinale with Julius Caesar retiring to the countryside and Asterix being put in charge of Rome in its place.]] There is a popular {{Fanon}}, however, that ''The Twelve Tasks'' must be taken as an ending to the series as a whole, happening after any other item of the series, even those released after ''Twelve Tasks''. It has never been confirmed or informed by the creators and, with both of them having now passed away, never will.