Asterix

The greatest substance ever

Alcohol. What a wonderful substance! It can induce all kinds of abilities into those who have none. It can turn you from a folly fool into a fabulous orator, from nerve wreck into Mr. Confidence himself. But as with all good things, it also has a dark side which shows up the morning after: Headache, nausea and general dizziness. Its effect on the weak willed can also sometimes be negative, making them brag, bully or just act embarrassing, and in too large a dose it can also cause spontaneous vomiting. In the movie we see most of the above in the scenes with the wine. When the Romans have confiscated all the wine from Gaul, they start drinking it to find out which barrel contains the magic potion. But, off course, they soon get very drunk, as does Obelix when he starts drinking wine a bit later in the movie. The funny thing is that, as this is a movie for children, it only shows the negative effects of the wine: The soldiers act stupid, starts fighting and eventually just pass out on the floor. Obelix also acts foolish while he is under the influence of alcohol, and we also see how terrible he feels the day after. On this subject the films conclusion is clear: Drinking is bad.

Teatime

Another fluid the movie describes very positively is tea. Almost every time we see the British people, no matter the circumstances, they drink tea. When Asterix, having lost the genuine magic potion, reaches the British village, he convinces them that the bowl of tea contains magic properties. So in the end they are saved by a pot of tea (and a tad of belief).

The ancient art of hand drawing

The first thing that strikes most people when they see one of the old hand drawn movies again today, is how much worse they look than one remembered. It is quite obvious which objects are made to be moveable and which are not.