Citroën and Pathé, Trésor Films and the Editions Albert René are kickstarting their partnership with the upcoming movie Astérix & Obélix: The Middle Kingdom. Produced by Pathé, Trésor Films and les Enfants Terribles, the film is directed by Guillaume Canet and will be launched in movie theatres in France on February 1st 2023. The movie will be released internationally shortly after.
This partnership is unlike any other that Citroën has had. This partnership has involved the design and creation of a concept chariot by Citroën specifically for the needs of this movie, something unprecedented for the brand. The design teams of Citroën were implicated in this project from the very onset, and they pulled off something incredible — they designed and built the chariot within 3 months, whereas the timeline for the sketching and manufacturing of a concept is usually 1 year.
“The encounter between these two legends of the French culture could be nothing short of extraordinary, there has been a proximity, sincerity and mutual respect between the Citroën and the Asterix movie teams since the beginning. We were presented with this incredible opportunity to create and build a concept chariot from scratch, and we had the most amazing time working on this project! The result is an ode to the 2CV, the legendary car which represents Citroën in all its glory”, says Pierre Leclercq, Global Design Director, Citroën.
Indeed, the 2CV is a car which is part of the French cultural heritage. Its silhouette is recognizable anywhere in the world. The 2CV represents the French way of life for many. In the movie Asterix& Obelix: The Middle Kingdom, the “concept chariot” is a reinterpretation of the 2CV and it is representative of the Gallic way of life. The design teams at Citroën did a reinterpretation of the brand’s DNA core values of comfort, technology and bold design and added a special touch for the Asterix movie. The result is a concept chariot with suspensions made of boar’s stomach, a sunroof, headlights, taken from Gallic helmets, operated by fireflies boosted with the magic potion, wheels made of recycled shields, incorporating Citroën’s chevrons.
A lot of thought has gone into the creation of the concept chariot for this movie. There are several sequences where this is illustrated. The sequence where the heroes are about to leave their village to go to China shows a team which is united and heading off for a great adventure. Before they set off, Cétautomatix presents the chariot to Obelix and shows off the latest innovations which he brought to it so that their trip goes as smoothly as possible. Further in the movie, when Cesar’s army reaches China, there is a first advertising billboard at the entrance of the country promoting the best car at the time: the 2CV, an incredible chariot made in Gaul, pulled by 2 horses. This is a subtle allusion to the famous Citroën advertising film made on the Great Wall of China.
Finally, to underline the strength of this partnership, the new Citroën logo comes to life and sports the wings of Asterix’s helmet for the occasion.