Smurfs (2025)

Last night, on Paramount+, I watched the new “Smurfs” movie, which was theatrically released back in July but on streaming in yesterday. Seeing how I had seen the previous “Smurfs” movies, I was curious to see how this one was, since the previous movies were not well received, and I didn’t grow up watching the cartoon since I was born after. Will this be the movie that everyone will love or will it be another one to add to the bad list?

Smurfs has been on of the most nostalgic memories of those famous blue forest creatures filled numerous childhood with fun and happiness. Ganesh Aaglave said in his review, “And that’s why I was excited about this reboot, especially after the addition of a global sensation, who serves as a voice actor and producer.”

Talking about the plot, Smurfs is about Rihanna’s (one of my favorite singers) Smurfette and James Corden’s No Name Smurf, who are trying to discover the latter’s trait or specialty, which could define him.

When Papa Smurf (John Goodman) gets kidnapped by Gargamel and his long-lost brother Razamel (JP Karliak), Smurfette, No Name and their team (Sandra Oh, Alex Winter, Maya Erskine, Xolo Maridueña, Hugo Miller, Chris Miller, Kurt Russell, impressionist Rachel Butera, Billie Lourd, Spencer X, Chris Prynoski, and singer Marshmello), along with Papa Smurf’s brother Ken (Nick Offerman), enter the human world to save him and make sure the magic book (Amy Sedaris) is safe with them.

In this journey, No Name finds out that he has something which makes him an extraordinary Smurf. But how will they save Papa Smurf from the evil wizards?

Aaglave said, “Well, while the story is simple with social messages, the narrative somehow hampers it because of its slow pace, as even a crisp runtime of 90 minutes looks stretched.” The musical moments are good but it doesn’t blend completely well with some scenes.

Aaglave admitted, “Smurfs has been special for me, and while it successfully takes me back to nostalgic days but falters in creating that kind of magical impact, which was expected.” Director Chris Miller hasn’t lived up to the expectations with this famous cartoon’s reboot.

Looking at the entire picture, “Smurfs” is a one-time watch if you go with no expectations or might want to take your child for an animated film on streaming.

Overall, I found this to be ok. Yes, I like the story of No Name trying to find out what type of a Smurf he is and the story of Smurfette, especially with no human characters in here, but I still don’t think it was a good idea for them to be dimension hopping into the real world, albeit it being short. There’s also Octavia Spencer, Nick Kroll, Hannah Waddingham, Natasha Lyonne, and a brief cameo from late-night show host Jimmy Kimmel. I don’t think it will hurt to see this movie, but if you’re a fan of the original cartoon, I don’t think you will like it. Check it out if you want, but I don’t I will watch this again. Then again, I’ve seen all the Smurfs movies once and never again, so I guess they’re all just for a one-time viewing.

Thank you for joining in on this review today. Stay tuned this Friday for the continuation of “Happy Madison Month.”

The Smurfs and the Magic Flute

For this entire month, I will be looking at the animated movies to famous 80s cartoons that had later got live-action movies in the 2000s. We will first look at “The Smurfs and the Magic Flute.”

“The Smurfs and the Magic Flute,” the first feature length film to have the most famous characters of Belgian cartoonist Peyo, was made in 1976. Later, two English dubs were made for the film; the first was done in the United Kingdom as the film came out in 1979 there. The second one was for the North American audiences and it came out in 1983 after the animated series had quickly become very popular.

Fans of the cartoon that haven’t seen the film before might be thrown off by some of the differences here. Remember, this film was made a few years before the animated cartoon so it shouldn’t be so appalling to see that certain characters from the cartoon aren’t anywhere in the movie. The story is about a young knight named Johan (Grant Gottschall) and his jester, Peetwit (Cameron Clarke) (Ian Jane said in his review, “two earlier creations from Peyo's cartoons in the 1950s - trivia note: The Smurfs first appeared in their comic strips before getting their own”). A travelling salesman arrives at the castle to sell Peetwit a flute but the King (Efron Etkin) know just how horrible Peetwit is when it comes to music and throws him out but the salesman leaves flute. The King doesn’t want Peetwit to see the flute, tries to burn it but that doesn’t work. When Peetwit does get a hold of the flute, the music played from it sends everyone in the castle dancing crazily. Here is when everyone involved finds out that there’s something different about this flute.

In comes the evil Matthew McCreep, voiced by Mike Reynolds, who wants the flute and will go so far to steal it when he finds out that it’s been left at the castle, that’s where he goes. He steals it from Peetwit who goes with Johan at the King’s request to get the flute back from McCreep who wants to use it to cheat people. Peetwit and Johan first visit a wizard who sends them to where The Smurfs live, the peculiar blue creatures who created the flute, and their leader, Papa Smurf, voiced by Mike Reynolds, agrees to help them track down McCreep and them trying to get the flute back.

Jane noted, “Though the film was released theatrically by Atlantic, most who remember it probably saw it by way of the Vestron VHS release that made the rounds in the eighties as the title was popular and did quite well on home video.” For the movie itself, it has a nice story. Some might complain that Smurfette or Gargamel aren’t in the movie but Peetwit and Johan are fun characters who really make up for them not included. Jane mentioned, “Though the Smurfs themselves don't actually appear in the movie until just past the twenty minute mark, something that may dismay younger viewers who need the little blue guys to be on the screen at all times, the storyline is in keeping thematically with what we saw in the animated TV series.” There are lots of magic, good lessons, fun characters, evil worthy villains, catchy music and some nicely odd animation.

Jane said, “A lot of the appeal of a movie like this is going to be the nostalgia that has set in for those who remember it from their childhood. It might not appeal as much on a visual level to today's kids used to CGI animation and the slower pace might have trouble holding the attention of some youngsters. With that said, however, this is enjoyable enough and completely passable entertainment.” The last half of the movie picks up the pace a lot and if this isn’t a mainly deep or amazing film, it’s a nice seventy five minutes of harmless fun and there’s definitely nothing wrong with that.

Jane ended his review by saying, “The Smurfs And The Magic Flute is a fun nostalgia trip and though it will certainly appeal more to those who remember the characters from their eighties heyday than those weaned on the recent CGI revisionist take, there's probably enough common ground that kids of all ages can have some fun with it. It's nice to have this on DVD after all these years (though the UK Blu-ray release offers improved picture quality) but the non-anamorphic transfer and lack of any substantial extras will understandably annoy a segment of its audience. Recommended for Smurfs enthusiasts (smurfthusiasts?), a fine rental for the masses.”

This is a nice film, but I can understand why someone may not like it. Peetwit can get really annoying and the Smurfs come in late in movie, even though their name is in the title of movie. However, it’s a harmless movie for everyone, so if you want to, see it for yourselves. It might be a better movie than the latest ones that have come out in recent years.

Check in next week to see the next film I look at in “80s Cartoon Movie Month.”

The Smurfs

My cousin is spending his Spring Break over at my house, so my mother asked what he wanted to do. When asked what movie he wanted to see in theaters, he said he had a few movies he wanted to watch. I told him I already had seen “Logan,” “Kong: Skull Island” and “Power Rangers,” he said he also wanted to see “Smurfs: The Lost Village,” released on 7^th. Since I was curious to see that one as well, we went to see it. Since this is part of a franchise based on a cartoon that I never saw, I think I should review the previous installments as well.

The only way I could sum up the cartoon is that a village with small blue people fight off a wizard and his cat. With that said, let’s take a look at the first “The Smurfs,” released in 2011.

Even though the look is different, “The Smurfs” isn’t as annoying as you think it would be and is actually both charming and enjoyable, thanks to active animation, a strong script, several good jokes and amazing performances from a nice cast.

Directed by Raja Gosnell, “The Smurfs” is based on the Belgian comic strip characters created by Peyo. When the evil but ridiculous wizard Gargamel (Hank Azaria) and his equally evil but ridiculous cat Azrael (Frank Welker) find the village of the Smurfs’ enchanted village, they accidentally chase six of them – Papa Smurf (the late Jonathan Winters), Smurfette (the hot singer Katy Perry), Clumsy Smurf (the late Anton Yelchin), Brainy Smurf (Fred Armisen), Gutsy Smurf (Alan Cumming) and Grouchy Smurf (George Lopez) – through a magical portal that takes every one of them to modern-day New York City.

Once there, the Smurfs quickly become friends with pregnant housewife Grace (Jayma Mays) and her stressed-out advertising executive husband Patrick (the man who played Doogie Howser and Barney Stinson on “How I Met Your Mother,” Neil Patrick Harris), who is struggling to come up with a new beauty campaign for his magnate boss Odile (Sofia Vergara). As the Smurfs hide in Grace and Patrick’s apartment, Papa Smurf quickly figures out that they have to get the power from the blue moon in order to teleport back home, but Gargamel is closing in on them and wants to capture their magical essence.

Hank Azaria is the right choice as Gargamel (he looks exactly like the comic character) and fittingly does the hilariously comic, Smurf-obsessed performance that’s the best to watch. I agree with Matthew Turner when he said in his review, “There's also strong, likeable support from Harris and Mays, while the voice cast acquit themselves nicely – Perry proves she's more than just stunt casting as Smurfette (one “I kissed a Smurf and I liked it” joke aside), while Winters is suitably wise and unruffled as Papa Smurf and Yelchin does a good job with making the potentially irritating Clumsy emotionally engaging.”

Turner goes on to say, “The animation is extremely well done, capturing the feel of the source material and nicely integrating the three-apples-high Smurfs into their New York surroundings.” Similarly, Azrael is an entirely CGI-animated cat, which works much better than you might think (a funny credit gives us that no CGI cats were harmed during the filming of the movie).

Turner said, “The plot may be fairly basic and it slightly overdoes both the pratfalls and the sentimentality of the be-true-to-yourself message, but the clever script makes up for it with several good jokes and some nice touches, such as Patrick and Grace looking up Smurfs on Wikipedia.”

“The Smurfs” is an enjoyable, well-made fantasy adventure that will attract children without annoying their parents who they beg to watch it with them. Worth seeing, although I understand if you may not be fond of it because it’s not for anyone.

“The Smurfs 2,” released in 2013, is an enjoyable sequel to the first movie, brightened by decent animation, strong comic performances, a nice voice cast and a funny, nicely written script that says there is entertainment for both adults and children.

Directed again by Raja Gosnell, “The Smurfs 2,” begins with a brief recap of Smurfette’s origin (pop-up book style), saying that she was created by Gargamel before Papa Smurf turned her into a “true blue” Smurf using a magic spell that has Smurf essence.

However, unknowingly to the Smurfs, Gargamel has created two new Smurf prototypes known as Naughties and he sends one named Vexy, voiced by Christina Ricci, through a portal to kidnap Smurfette and bring her to his Paris base, where he plans to harness the secret of the magic spell for his own evil plans.

When the Smurfs see that Smurfette is missing, Papa Smurf makes a rescue team with Grouchy, Clumsy and Vanity, voiced by the host of “Last Week Tonight” on HBO, the great British comedian John Oliver (one of my favorite comedians), and they transport themselves to New York to ask their human friends Patrick and Grace to help them find Gargamel.

Turner is right when he said, “Azaria was born to play Gargamel and he duly delivers another terrific comic performance as the hapless wizard, while Winters (who sadly died after filming was completed) is pitch-perfect as the perpetually unperturbed Papa Smurf, and Perry does an excellent job of conveying Smurfette's emotional conflict, torn between her creator, her new Naughty friends and her Smurf family.” Similarly, Lopez, Yelchin and Oliver have a likable connection as the rescuing Smurfs and the film also gives a welcome comic increase from Brendan Gleeson, as Patrick’s well-meaning stepfather Victor, especially when he’s accidentally turned into a talking duck.

Turner noted, “Gosnell's experience with CGI/live action hybrids (e.g. Scooby Doo) makes him pretty much the perfect director for the Smurfs franchise and the blending of live action and animation is commendably seamless here, with the Paris locations used inventively throughout. Similarly, the witty script is packed full of good jokes (for both adults and children) and manages to deliver a strong message (about the importance of any kind of family) without resorting to sickly sentimentality.”

Turner noted, “The main problem with the film is the depressing amount of completely unnecessary product placement (especially considering the age of the film's target audience) – prime offenders here include Gargamel learning how to use an iPad and the Smurfs apparently having both the internet and ‘Smurfbook’, while the aggressively pop-friendly soundtrack feels both distracting and out of place.”

Along with that, J.B. Smoove’s Hackus (the other Naughty) is underdeveloped and never really becomes a character, while the animation on the entirely-CGI cat Azrael (a deservingly nice accomplishment) is once in a while a little scary.

“The Smurfs 2” is a pleasing and enjoyable sequel that should attract both children and adults who are asked to watch this with their children. Once again, I say you should see it, but if you don’t like it, I completely understand.

Now with all of that said, it’s time to talk about the latest in the franchise, “Smurfs: The Lost Village,” which isn’t a sequel, but a restart to the series, especially since they were planning a third movie, but cancelled it since Jonathan Winters has passed.

How many times can you go back to a seemingly creative place before it gets old? It looked like we had done that with the Smurfs after the two previous films that had failed and didn’t succeed in resurrecting the franchise.

Barbara VanDenburgh stated in her review, “The prospect of a third film sounded less like a fun family outing and more like a sociological experiment in pop-culture Stockholm Syndrome.”

Thankfully, “Smurfs: The Lost Village” is what the franchise needed in order to be fixed. It doesn’t go anywhere near the bad idea of combining animation and live action and the juvenile humor that no one really liked in the last two movies, and aims the jokes and joys at the children audience. This fully animated reboot captures the Smurfs Saturday morning cartoon roots and creates an energetic, brightly colored, age-appropriate movie for children that are new to the Smurfs.

Smurfette, voiced this time by the hot singer Demi Lovato, is the main character here. She’s going through some sort of an existential problem. Originally created by evil wizard Gargamel, voiced by Rainn Wilson, from a lump of blue clay, Smurfette isn’t exactly like her members – she doesn’t even know if she can call herself a “real” Smurf. In a village where everyone is named by their one characteristic – like her friends Clumsy (Jack McBrayer), Brainy (Danny Pudi) and Hefty (Joe Manganiello) – Smurfette is different.

While she’s thinking where she belongs in Smurf Village (and anywhere in life), really close to the wall that separates the Forbidden Forest she sees two big eyes and a little bit of blue skin – a Smurf! However, the mysterious Smurf runs off into the Forbidden Forest.

Meanwhile, Gargamel is still really focused on his hunt for Smurfs, creating new evil plans to capture the Smurfs and drain them of their essence. When Smurfette accidentally informs Gargamel about the existence of a possible lost Smurf Village in the Forbidden Forest, the wizard runs off to capture them. Smurfette must warn the Smurfs, so she leaves with Clumsy, Brainy and Hefty through the area that is forbidden to them to save them.

VanDenburgh credited, “The animation is bright and simple, unsophisticated but not artless. The Forbidden Forest is flush with creative, often treacherous flora and fauna, such as fire-breathing dragonflies and bioluminescent “glow” bunnies.”

VanDenburgh assures, “Importantly, this Smurfs adventure isn’t suffused in the sort of crude potty humor that has become de rigueur. There’s a touch of it — butt-biting “bottom feeder” fish, belching flowers, a noxious reference to underpants cheese — but mostly the experience is pure. It’s also not drowning in anachronistic pop-culture references, and the pop-song interludes are mostly harmless — except for a remixed resurrection of Eiffel 65’s Europop hit “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” which is better left buried in the ashes of the late ’90s.”

“Smurfs: The Lost Village” keeps its focus on positive messages delivered by the main characters. It’s a story about women in power, staying with your friends and making your own mission in the world, regardless of who you are. It’s a kid’s movie happy to be just that, and after the last two Smurf films, the serious ambition is a welcome relief.

In the end, if you didn’t like the last two Smurf movies, then definitely see this one. You will love it, I promise you. As a matter of fact, I find all of these movies to be harmless, family fun films.

Thank you for joining in on my review of the Smurfs movies. Stay tuned next Friday for the next installment in “Jack Nicholson Month Part 2.”