Development In March 2021, Netflix, Les Éditions Albert René, and producer
Alain Goldman announced a 3D animated series adapting
Asterix and the Big Fight, with
Alain Chabat as co-writer and director. The series was developed at TAT Productions in Toulouse, employing over 60 animators, with
Kristof Serrand (formerly of
DreamWorks) as animation director. While the series' main storyline is based on the original
Asterix and the Big Fight comic, its first episode, which takes place during Asterix and Obelix's childhood, is loosely adapted from the illustrated story
How Obelix Fell into the Magic Potion When He Was a Little Boy. A minor plot element, when Vitalstatistix falls ill from overeating, is adapted from a similar scene in ''
Asterix and the Chieftain's Shield''. The concluding events of the series around the Big Fight itself are original to the adaptation, and several characters are changed from the original comic. The boorish Roman
centurion Nebulus Nimbus and his scheming advisor Felonius Caucus are replaced with the thickheaded general Fastanfurius and his clever niece Metadata. In the comic,
legionary Infirmofpurpus is sent to spy on the village: in the series, the character is renamed Potus and made a centurion, as well as given an enlarged role as the camp's commander. Julius Caesar, who does not appear in the original comic story, is given a pivotal supporting role in the adaptation. Besides Metadata, the miniseries includes several important female characters while the original story had none. The male druid Psychoanalytix to whom Asterix and Obelix turn for help is now a female Goth druid, Apothika. The character of Julius Caesar's mother is also original to the series.
Animation and design The series' 3D animation, led by art director Aurélien Prédal, emulates Albert Uderzo's art style from the late 1960s to early 1970s, specifically between
Asterix at the Olympic Games and
Asterix and the Laurel Wreath. Character designs by Alfonso Salazar were sculpted to ensure fidelity to the comics. The production involved storyboarding by Rodolphe Guenoden and others, with editing by David Boyadjian and Florent Colignon, and sound mixing by Marc Doisne. In Episode V, an short film inspired by
Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner,
The Boars, was only produced from
Xilam Animation rather than TAT Productions.
Music The score, composed by Mathieu Alvado, blends comedic and adventurous tones, paying homage to the classic
Asterix animated films while introducing modern elements. == Episodes ==