alex_wimmer

I had seen this movie in my childhood. Seeing it again after all these years, it first struck me as little more than a colorful, noisy waste of money with some beautiful people in it. The second half, however, turns into such a creative modern fairy tale with a kindhearted message. The jokes become a great deal more subtle, and are in part based on some sort of dramatic irony -- after all, the audience knows the prince's actual identity right from the start, unlike many of those surrounding him in New York. The blossoming romance is predictable, but also quite sweet. I also enjoyed the reference(s) to "Trading places", that earlier collaboration between John Landis and Eddie Murphy.

Having seen this one many times as a kid, I wasn't sure I would still like it as an adult. To my positive surprise, however, it's filled with original ideas and jokes that may vary in subtlety, but remain at a funny level throughout. One may see this Astérix-episode as a respectful parody of British peculiarities, seen from a French perspective. The animation is quite beautiful at times.