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Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight
The Indomitable Gauls are Back! - Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight Interview with Alain Chabat and Fabrice Joubert
We spoke with creator Alain Chabat and co-director Fabrice Joubert to learn all about the animated Netflix limited series, and how it has been designed to suit fans new and old.
Audio transcription
"Hey guys and welcome back to Gamereactor. Today we have a really, really special interview for you today because I'm here with Alain Chabat and Fabrice Joubert to talk a little bit about Asterix and Obelix The Big Fight. Now this is a limited Netflix animated series that is going to be available to watch very, very soon, so this is why it's really special that I'm here talking with both the creator and the co-director on the project. So with that in mind, first of all guys, thank you so much for spending some time to speak with me today, it's an absolute pleasure to be here. Thank you for having us. I'd like to start by asking you Alain, you obviously are quite familiar with working on the Asterix and Obelix brand, so what is it like after, you know, all this time returning to the Asterix and Obelix world? Well it's always fun, it's always fun because those characters are really fun and appealing and really inspiring, so it was like I never really left them somewhere, it's super natural to dive into this universe again, so yeah, it was like a comfort zone but super, super different because what I did was a live-action movie and this was totally different, it's not even a movie, it's not live, it's animated, so that was pretty cool. And why did you, you know, what made you pick the Battle of the Chieftain story? You know, what made this such a ripe tale that you wanted to tell in an animated story format? For those who are not super familiar with the comic book, it's a little tribe in Gaul and they are surrounded by Romans, they are invaded by Romans and they have a druid that has a magic potion that gives them a super strength and in this album, this story, the druid is crazy, he can't remember the recipe of the magic potion, so they're in super danger, so it was a good dramatic starting point. And Fabrice, obviously being the animation expert in the room, what made this animation style that you chose to use in the big fight, you know, what made it such a perfect animation style to use to adapt an Asterix and Obelix project? First of all, I mean, you know, just the idea of adapting an Asterix, you know, comic book was like a dream come true really, I mean, it's like, it's such a rich universe, you know, and those characters are so, you know, they are loved by so many people and so it's, at the same time, it's like a huge responsibility, you know, because you have to really be really respectful to those characters and make sure that they, you know, they are true to the original work and at the same time, it was like an amazing playground to just to have fun and experiment, you know, things visually, you know, we worked with Aurélien Prédal, our artistic director, which was amazing, you know, because he was able to bring some amazing ideas, like very fun ideas visually, so yeah, I mean, it was great. Obviously, with Asterix and Obelix, the big fight, I would assume that there's quite a lot of younger audiences that are seeing this and treating it almost as their first step into the world of Asterix and Obelix, so how have you gone about making this project in such a way that it both, you know, it feels familiar and it feels engaging for veteran and experienced fans, but also those that maybe are less familiar with the Asterix and Obelix world?
Exactly, exactly, as you said, we approach it like, okay, no one knows these characters, we have to reintroduce them very fast and in the funniest way possible, and for the aficionados, or the people who knows very well, they have to be in this comfort zone and say, okay, we got our characters, there's the one, so it was a mix of trying to introduce, but basically, we try to say, okay, no one knows these characters, let's introduce them one more time."
"And Asterix and Obelix is a timeless brand, it's been around for, I think, 60 years at this point, so why do you think that it's still so popular and so relevant to so many fans and such a large audience?
I don't know, they're so, I don't know, they don't have discipline, they are loud, they're French, they're dirty, they're not organized, but at the same time, they're able to work together for a good cause, and so, all those traits are really, I think, what makes them appealing, and people can really identify with them."
"Yeah, yeah, this, emotionally, they're very appealing, and it's the little against the big, and you said, the little village against the huge empire, so it's always, always, always, you want to root for the weakest, I guess.
And obviously, you guys just mentioned there that Asterix and Obelix is French, you guys are both French as well, but the part about working with Netflix is that obviously, you make this project, and it's going to be widely available to people all around the world."
"Is that something that you have to take into account when you're producing a series for Netflix, that you may be, some of the humor that only applies, or is best applicable in France, is maybe not so applicable elsewhere?
So, do you have to sort of change what you wanted to do to fit a sort of global viewership tendency?
I have to say that I met Ted Sarandos from Netflix, and he said, don't worry about this, do exactly what you have in mind, we want to see your vision, and don't think about being accessible to every territory, just do your vision the best you want, tell the story the way you want."
"But it's true that we try to avoid very, very French play on words.
I mean, not that many, even if there's some.
I don't, did you see it in English or in French, or did you see it first?
I've seen the first few episodes in English at the moment."
"English.
And how was it for you?
Is it?
Delightful.
Absolutely delightful."
"Yeah.
Oh, cool.
Thank you for that.
So, obviously this is an adaptation of The Big Fight, and you've chosen to use this sort of 3D animation style."
"The original Asterix and Obelix works are sort of hand-drawn comics, and there's been cartoons in the past that have used that sort of hand-drawn aesthetic as well.
So would you ever potentially like to return to using the sort of hand-drawn aesthetic for an Asterix and Obelix adaptation?
You know, potentially, would that be something you'd be interested in working on, Fabrice?
I mean, you know, the medium is always like, you know, I mean, it's always interesting to experiment with different kind of medium, but always, the question is always what tells the best story."
"And, you know, it could be done in stop motion or in 2D, you know, but I think the choice comes from the story first, for me.
No, but it's true, but in slapstick or in physical comedy or in, I love the Fritz Freeland, Chuck Jones, Beep Beep and Coyote, and rhythm that was super, super fast, that in 3D, it's not that easy to get this."
"I mean, you can always try to incorporate those elements.
And we had actually one sequence in the series where we allowed ourselves to play with that a little bit more, you know, we said, okay, this sequence, we can push it more cartoony, you know, and so there's always an opportunity, you know."
"Yeah. And in the minimalist way of acting also, I mean, to be super, like Fabrice said, super maximalist when it's cartoon, full cartoon, and super minimalist when it's acting and emotion and just a little eye dart like this.
And so it was really cool to play on those both levels."
"It's true that our approach was more naturalistic, but I think it was our goal was really to make those characters believable and, you know, like for the audience to really, you know, believe in the emotions.
And because those characters have already a design that is quite stylized, we could allow ourselves to be more naturalistic in the animation."
"Now Alain, you've worked on both animated and live action Asterix and Obelix now.
So what's next?
Can we expect like a hybrid, maybe a Who Framed Roger Rabbit-like Asterix and Obelix production?
That's cool. Ben, thanks for this."
"I'm going to steal this idea immediately and I'm going to get all the credit.
That would be cool, actually.
No, there's no specific project, really.
We just we finished, we wrapped the show like a month ago."
"So we're still in it and it's going to be on April 30th on Netflix.
So it's in a few days and we still focus on that.
I can't think of anything else right now.
So as a final question, then for the both of you."
"Would you like to return and do more with the Asterix and Obelix brand?
You know, is there any story that you haven't adapted yet that you'd like to see brought to audiences around the world?
And there are so many albums that would be great to adapt."
"They all have, you know, gems in it.
So it's like it would be a difficult choice, I guess.
You're right, the gems, exactly.
The writing of Goscinny and the style of Uderzo, it's always super inspiring."
"And it's difficult to find something that is family.
I don't know, you can watch it with your kids and or you can watch it as a kid and then watch it 10 years after as an adult and don't see exactly the same things.
So this kind of a different level of storytelling is a gem also in Asterix and Obelix."
"Well, there you have it. Stay tuned for the show.
It's coming again, as Alain said a moment ago, around April 30th on Netflix.
And you don't want to miss it.
So, yeah, Asterix and Obelix is a big fight."
"Add it to your watch list today.
Well, thank you very much, guys, for speaking with me.
It's been an absolute pleasure.
And thank you, Ben, thank you so much."
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