Asterix: The Mansions of the Gods

Asterix: The Mansions of the Gods (Astérix – Le Domaine des Dieux), also titled Asterix and Obelix: Mansion of the Gods, is a 2014 French-Belgian 3D computer-animated adventure family comedy film written and directed by Alexandre Astier. It is based on the Asterix comic book The Mansions of the Gods, which was the seventeenth book in the comic book series Asterix by Goscinny and Uderzo. The film features the voices of Roger Carel, Guillaume Briat, Lionnel Astier, Serge Papagalli, and Florence Foresti. The film sticks to the book's plot very closely while also expanding on it. It was the first Asterix film animated in 3D.

The film was theatrically released on 26 November 2014 by SND Films in France across 696 movie theatres. It received generally favourable reviews and has grossed over $51 million on a €31 million budget. It received an IFMCA Award nomination for Best Original Score for an Animated Feature Film. Asterix: The Land of the Gods was released on DVD, VOD and Blu-ray on 9 June 2015, by M6 Vidéo.

Plot
Frustrated with the ongoing rebellion of the Gauls, Julius Caesar devises a new scheme to conquer them: the construction of luxury apartments dubbed “The Mansions Of The Gods” in the forest near the Gauls' village as a means to absorb them into Roman civilisation.

During a boar hunt, Asterix and Obelix discover the Mansions’ construction site. Project leader and architect Squaronthehypotenus and the Roman legion commanded by Centurion Somniferus order slaves to deforest the surrounding area. Asterix and Obelix attempt to counteract the Romans’ efforts using magic acorns from Getafix the druid, which instantly sprout into full trees upon planting.

Upon hearing the frustrated Squaronthehypotunus threatening to work the slaves to death, Asterix and Obelix invade the Roman camp to free the slaves and provide them with magic potion as a means to escape. This backfires however when the slaves instead use it to rapidly advance construction, as well as barter for the same pay as the legionaries, along with their freedom and apartments for each of them upon completion. The legionaries also go on strike for similar reasons upon hearing about it.

The Gauls prepares to attack and demolish the mansions, but discover it to already be populated by Roman civilians. Realising they cannot harm the civilians, they return to the village to plan how to make them leave. Meanwhile Anonymus, Dulcia and Mischiefus, a family from Rome, are denied their apartments given to them in a lottery due to lacking documents. Upon encountering and befriending Obelix and Dogmatix in the forest, the Gauls reluctantly agree to temporarily accommodate them.

Asterix, Obelix and Getafix try numerous methods to make the civilians leave, from causing heavy rain and noise pollution, to trying to create a noxious stench, only for these to backfire by the civilians embracing these as a natural part of life in Brittany. The Roman civilians also begin shopping in the village, causing an escalating price war over fish and 'antique' weaponry. Asterix, appalled with what the village has become, leaves with Obelix, Getafix, Dogmatix and Cacofonix to get their own apartment at the Mansions. While Squaronthehypotenus is reluctant to allow their stay, Senator Prospectus allows them to stay as part of Caesar's plan.

Caesar then enacts the next phase of the plan by offering free apartments to the Gauls. In another attempt to make the roman civilians leave, Asterix has Cacofonix to sing deafeningly loud outside the mansions. This almost works until the rest of the Gauls shows up to silence Cacofonix and move into their new apartments.

Caesar begins the final part of his plan, razing the village. The legion however refuses to cooperate with Getafix and Obelix still at large. Getafix, Mischiefus and Dogmatix are captured, and held in the Mansions reception. Obelix faints from hunger next to the Roman legion while searching for the three, and is thrown into a chamber beneath the mansions.

Asterix awakens the next day to find the village being besieged, and the Gauls are brought along to watch the village’s destruction. The Gauls keep the Romans at bay by pretending to still possess the magic point, while Asterix makes his way to the mansions. Escaping into the apartments, Getafix brews the magic potion from ingredients in each of the rooms. The Gauls chase the Romans back to the Mansions, only to be captured once the Romans realise their deception. Asterix attempts to rescue them, but ends up in a poor condition from consuming an incomplete magic potion.

Caesar and Prospectus arrive to declare victory over the Gauls, until Obelix rises from underground, revived after consuming food from an arrival banquet disposed into his chamber. The Gauls get their magic potion and defeat the Romans in battle, and demand Caeser take the civilians to head back to Rome, finally leading to the demolition of the Mansions of the Gods. In tradition, the Gauls celebrate their victory with a banquet atop the ruins of the mansions. Back in Rome, Anonymus and Mischiefus get revenge on Caesar by throwing one of Getafix's acorns into his podium at the coliseum, leaving him dangling from a tree branch.

French

 * Roger Carel as Astérix (Asterix)
 * Lorànt Deutsch as Anglaigus (Squareonthehypothenus)
 * Laurent Lafitte as Duplicatha
 * Alexandre Astier as Oursenplus
 * Alain Chabat as Sénateur Prospectus (Senator Prospectus)
 * Elie Semoun as Cubitus (Marcus Ubiquitus)
 * Géraldine Nakache as Dulcia
 * Artus de Penguern as Petiminus
 * François Morel as Ordralfabétix (Unhygienix)
 * Florence Foresti as Bonemine (Impedimenta)
 * Bernard Alane as Panoramix (Getafix)
 * Olivier Saladin as Samus
 * Lionnel Astier as Cétautomatix (Fulliautomatix)
 * Guillaume Briat as Obélix (Obelix)
 * Serge Papagalli as Abraracourcix (Vitalstatistix)
 * Laurent Morteau as Agecanonix (Geriatrix)
 * Arnaud Léonard as Assurancetourix (Cacofonix)
 * Joëlle Sevilla as Ielosubmarine (Bacteria) and Matron 2
 * Philippe Morier-Genoud as Jules César (Julius Caesar)
 * Christophe Bourseiller as Sénateur Falérius (Senator Falérius)
 * Brice Fournier as Sénateur Pesticius (Senator Pesticius), Citizen 1 and Roman Brute 2
 * Florian Gazan as Travaillerpluspourgagnerplus
 * Sébastien Lalanne as Radius (Unscrupulus)
 * Franck Pitiot as Julius Humérus (Julius Monotonus)
 * Damien Gillard as Médius, Roman Brute 1 and Male Roman 2
 * Oscar Pauwels as Apeldjus
 * Benjamin Gauthier as Doctor, Guide and Male Roman 1
 * Pascal Demolon as Goth Gladiator
 * Baptiste Lecaplain as Numidian Gladiator
 * Louis Clichy as Roman Idiot
 * Virginia Anderson as Female Roman 1 and Matron 1
 * Pauline Moingeon-Valles as Female Roman 2
 * Julien Meunier
 * Martial Le Minoux
 * Vincent Ropion
 * Christian Peythieu
 * Jérémy Bardeau
 * François Raison
 * Matthieu Albertini
 * Hervé Grull
 * Juan Llorca
 * Antoine Lelandais
 * Magali Rosenzweig
 * Céline Melloul
 * Marie-Madeleine Burguet
 * Delphine Braillon
 * Axelle Bossard
 * Brigitte Guedj
 * Brigitte Lecordier
 * Aurélie Valat
 * Jean-Claude Donda

English
The English dub was released in the United Kingdom on 19 August 2016 titled Asterix: The Mansions of the Gods.


 * Jack Whitehall as Asterix
 * Nick Frost as Obelix
 * Greg Davies as Centurion Somniferus
 * Matt Berry as Vitalstatistix
 * Catherine Tate as Dulcia
 * Harry Enfield as Anonymus
 * Richard McCourt as Unhygienix
 * Dominic Wood as Fulliautomatix
 * Jim Broadbent as Julius Caesar
 * Richard Ian Cox as Squaronthehypotenus
 * Donny Lucas as Flaturtha
 * Colin Murdock as Senator Prospectus
 * Samuel Vincent as Tofungus, Mosaic Artist, Numidian and Roman 2
 * John Innes as Getafix and Doctor
 * Jon Clifford as Givusabonus
 * Scott McNeil as Goth
 * Elizabeth Bower as Impedimenta, Bacteria and Roman Ladies
 * Saffron Henderson as Roman Lady 2
 * Alan Marriott as Cacofonix
 * Hannah Beth Jackson as Mischiefus
 * Ron Halder as Geriatrix and Senator Pestiferus
 * Andy Toth as Senator Fastidius, Cluelus, Radius and Guide
 * Marco Soriano as Senator Consensus, Roman Brute 1, Serius and Civilian 1
 * Michael Adamthwaite as Humerus and Roman Brute 2
 * Jennifer Cameron as Roman Lady 1

An international dub featuring a full Canadian cast was released on March 12, 2015 (in Singapore) with the following alterations:


 * Ken Kramer as Asterix
 * C. Ernst Harth as Obelix
 * Jason Simpson as Centurion Somniferus and Unhygienix
 * Don Brown as Vitalstatistix
 * Tabitha St. Germain as Dulcia
 * Alan Marriott as Anonymus
 * Scott McNeil as Fulliautomatix and Givusabonus
 * Mark Oliver as Julius Caesar
 * Saffron Henderson as Impedimenta and Bacteria

Critical response and box office
The film was released on 26 November 2014 in France across 696 theatres and earned $7.64 million on its opening week from nearly 780,000 admissions placing at No. 1 at the box office ahead of Hollywood blockbuster films The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and Interstellar which were in their second and fourth weeks respectively. The film's opening weekend is also the third highest of 2014 in France. Its opening weekend outperformed other animated movies' openings of Frozen, Tangled, Monsters, Inc., Cars and The Lego Movie. Jordan Mintzer of The Hollywood Reporter said, "Astier and Clichy manage to make the material at once enjoyable and meaningful, while also providing a series of slick, streamlined visuals that never overstuff the screens."

Home media release
Asterix: The Mansions of the Gods was released on DVD, VOD and Blu-ray on 9 June 2015 by M6 Vidéo.

Differences between the comic and the film

 * In the movie, the Romans manage to build four mansions. In the comic, they only built one.
 * In the movie, the Gauls completely abandon their village and way of life in favour of the Roman lifestyle. This didn't happen in the comic.
 * In the movie, Obelix becomes weak and disorientated due to lack of food. This didn't happen in the comic.
 * The slaves' role in the movie is expanded.
 * In the movie, Asterix and the other Gauls help a Roman family that has difficulty getting a room at the mansions, later putting them up when they get kicked out, as well as assisting when their son gets kidnapped. This didn't happen in the comic.
 * In the comic, the Gauls manage to get rid of the Romans by getting Cacofonix to move in and sing for them. Even though this does happen in the movie, the plan goes wrong when the other Gauls quickly move in and shut him up.
 * At the end of the movie, Caesar arrives to see how well things are going. This didn't happen in the comic.