Smurfs: The Lost Village

Smurfs: The Lost Village is a 2017 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film based on The Smurfs comic series by Peyo, produced by Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation and The Kerner Entertainment Company, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing.[1][7] A reboot of Sony's previous live-action/animated hybrid films, the film was directed by Kelly Asbury from a screenplay by Stacey Harman and Pamela Ribon,[1] and stars the voices of Demi Lovato, Rainn Wilson, Joe Manganiello, Mandy Patinkin, Jack McBrayer, Danny Pudi, Michelle Rodriguez, Ellie Kemper, Ariel Winter, Meghan Trainor, and Julia Roberts. In the film, a mysterious map prompts Smurfette, Brainy, Clumsy, and Hefty to find a lost village before Gargamel does.[1] The film introduced the female Smurfs, who appeared in the franchise the following year.

Smurfs: The Lost Village
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKelly Asbury
Produced by
Screenplay by
Based onThe Smurfs
by Peyo
Starring
Narrated byMandy Patinkin
Music byChristopher Lennertz[2]
Edited byBret Marnell
Production
companies
Distributed bySony Pictures Releasing[3]
Release date
  • April 5, 2017 (2017-04-05) (Belgium)
  • April 7, 2017 (2017-04-07) (United States)
Running time
90 minutes[4]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$60 million[5][6]
Box office$197.1 million[6]

Smurfs: The Lost Village premiered on April 2, 2017 and was released on April 7, 2017 to mixed reviews from critics and audiences, and grossed over $197 million worldwide against a $60 million budget. The film was dedicated to Jonathan Winters, the voice of Papa Smurf in the original series who died in 2013, Anton Yelchin, the voice of Clumsy Smurf, and Nine Culliford, wife of Peyo, who both died in 2016.

Plot

In Smurf Village, the Smurfs live peacefully among themselves and their leader is Papa Smurf. Some of the Smurfs include Clumsy Smurf, Brainy Smurf, Hefty Smurf and Smurfette, who was created by the evil wizard Gargamel from a lump of clay, but redeemed by Papa Smurf and became part of the village. Gargamel makes it his mission to capture the Smurfs, steal all of their essence, and become the most powerful wizard in the world.

During a smurfboarding trip, Smurfette discovers a possible Smurf creature, only to get captured by Gargamel and sent to his castle. There, she accidentally reveals a hat the creature dropped, enabling Gargamel to create a brew that causes him to locate the village on a map. Soon enough Hefty, Brainy, and Clumsy help Smurfette escape and return to Smurf Village, where Papa Smurf punishes them for disobeying his orders and confines them to their houses while dismissing their claims of a Smurfs village. However, Smurfette sneaks out anyway to look for the lost village with Brainy, Clumsy, and Hefty joining her, but Gargamel soon discovers them trying to find the village and heads out with his pet cat Azrael and his pet vulture Monty to stop them.

The four follow the map and end up in various adventures (all while encountering bizarre creatures), including a colony of fire-breathing dragonflies and a cavern maze, which they eventually escape thanks to a stampede of glowing rabbits. The four then head off to a river and sail on a handmade raft along the river to get to the lost village, only to encounter Gargamel, Azrael, and Monty again. Following a brief chase, Gargamel is thrown out of his own raft, leading the Smurfs to save him. However instead of thanking them, he pushes them out of their raft, leaving them to plunge down a waterfall.

Smurfette, Brainy, Hefty and Clumsy lay on a beach. However, Brainy discovers that he and the others only saved Gargamel because Brainy's pack is ruined.

The four are soon captured by the leaf-covered creature along with a few others who reveal themselves to be female Smurfs. They are taken to Smurfy Grove where they meet Smurf Storm, Smurf Blossom, Smurf Lily (the smurf from earlier), Smurf Melody, and their leader Smurf Willow, who all welcome the Smurfs to their humble home. Smurf Storm and Clumsy head away from the village to locate Gargamel and alert the others. During the trip, Clumsy reveals that Smurfette was created by Gargamel, which causes Smurf Storm to distrust Smurfette. Gargamel, who was led into a piranha-infested swamp, and Azrael spot Clumsy and Smurf Storm, and has Monty attack them, but they fly away to return to the village.

Following a village tour, Smurfette begins to grow accustomed to life in Smurfy Grove, much to the dismay of Hefty and Brainy. Smurf Storm and Clumsy come back revealing that Smurfette was created by Gargamel. The female Smurfs prepare an attack that night but instead of Gargamel, Papa Smurf appears, and the female Smurfs accept him into their home. Soon, Gargamel, Azrael, and Monty come and destroy Smurfy Grove, capturing every Smurf except for Smurfette during the process. Gargamel, taking note of the fact that Smurfette is not natural Smurf, leaves her alone in her guilt as she is of no use to him. Feeling heartbroken for her actions, Smurfette is shown by Snappy a picture of her and the others, and after a realization, heads back to Gargamel's lair to save the Smurfs.

At Gargamel's lair, Brainy makes a plan to escape, which Papa Smurf and Smurf Willow agree to. Hefty, Brainy, Clumsy, and some of the female Smurfs succeed at the plan until Gargamel and Azrael spot them and put some of the female Smurfs and Clumsy into his Smurfilator, a machine capable of extracting their essence. Smurfette appears, and deceives Gargamel into believing she wants to be an evil smurf again. Gargamel then tries to turn Smurfette into an evil smurf, only to realize that Smurfette is absorbing his magic powers instead and is sent flying back into the piranha lake alongside Monty and Azrael. The Smurfs are freed but despite their victory, Smurfette has reverted to a lifeless lump of clay.

Back at Smurf Village, the Smurfs make a memorial for Smurfette. Their energy and love for Smurfette revives her, and everybody happily celebrates. Smurf Village and Smurfy Grove rejoice in their new unity. In the end, Smurfette finally finds her purpose and most of all, a true-blue Smurf.

During the credits, Gargamel, Azrael and Monty walk on a hill, and Azrael is blamed for ruining Gargamel's plans instead of Monty, and during this Gargamel reveals Azrael's adoption.

Voice cast
  • Demi Lovato as Smurfette,[8] a girl smurf who was created by the wizard Gargamel and the main protagonist of the film. Surrounded by male Smurfs who each have a clear role in the village, she becomes curious about her own purpose, and betrays Gargamel to join with them.
  • Rainn Wilson as Gargamel,[8] an evil wizard and the film's main antagonist who seeks to find the Smurfs and steal their magic in order to become the greatest evil wizard in the world.
  • Mandy Patinkin as Papa Smurf,[9] the fatherly Smurf chief leader of Smurf Village and narrator, who does not want his children entering the Forbidden Forest.
  • Joe Manganiello as Hefty Smurf,[10] a strong Smurf who tends to be annoyed by Brainy.
  • Jack McBrayer as Clumsy Smurf,[10] an accident-prone and good-natured Smurf who tends to panic.
  • Danny Pudi as Brainy Smurf,[10] a book-smart Smurf who butts heads with Hefty.
  • Julia Roberts as Smurfwillow,[1] the motherly Smurf leader of Smurfy Grove and Papa Smurf's love interest.
  • Michelle Rodriguez as Smurfstorm,[1] a tough girl Smurf who doesn't trust Smurfette because she was created by the wizard Gargamel to undermine the Smurfs. However, Smurfette betrayed Gargamel to join the Smurfs.
  • Ellie Kemper as Smurfblossom,[1] an energetic girl Smurf who quickly befriends Smurfette.
  • Ariel Winter as Smurflily,[1] a smart and gentle girl Smurf.
  • Meghan Trainor as Smurfmelody,[11] a musical girl Smurf.
  • Jake Johnson as Grouchy Smurf,[1] a Smurf who is always grouchy and ill-tempered.
  • Gordon Ramsay as Baker Smurf,[1] a Smurf who bakes cakes.
  • Tituss Burgess as Vanity Smurf,[1] a Smurf who is obsessed with his looks.
  • Gabriel Iglesias as Jokey Smurf,[12][1] a Smurf that plays pranks on others.
  • Jeff Dunham as Farmer Smurf,[1] a Smurf who is a farmer.
  • Kelly Asbury as Nosey Smurf,[1] a Smurf who peeks in on private activities.
  • Alan Mechem as Passerby Smurf
  • Danik Thomas as Karate Smurf
  • Patrick Ballin as Patient Smurf and Frank the Caterpillar.
  • Bret Marnell as Snappy Bug,[1] Brainy's ladybug assistant.
  • Melissa Sturm as Smurfjade. Sturm voiced Smurfette in the two spinoffs.
  • Frank Welker as Azrael, Gargamel's sardonic pet cat. Welker reprises his role from the live-action films and the second spinoff.
  • Dee Bradley Baker as Monty, Gargamel's dumb, but ruthless pet vulture.

Production

Development
Director Kelly Asbury with Peyo's daughter, Véronique Culliford

On May 10, 2012, two weeks after they announced production of The Smurfs 2, Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation were already developing a script for The Smurfs 3 with writers Karey Kirkpatrick and Chris Poche.[13] Hank Azaria, who played Gargamel in the first two films, revealed that the third film "might actually deal with the genuine origin of how all these characters ran into each other way back when."[14] Plans for a second sequel were later scrapped, with a completely computer-animated reboot to be produced instead.[15]

Kelly Asbury was confirmed as director in March 2014.[15] It was revealed that the film would explore the origins of the Smurfs, and feature a new take on the characters, with designs and environments more closely following the artwork created by Peyo, the creator of the Smurfs franchise.[15]

Jordan Kerner served as producer, with Mary Ellen Bauder co-producing.[9] On June 14, 2015, Sony Pictures Animation confirmed the original title of Get Smurfy, along with a first look at the film.[8][16] On February 12, 2016, it was confirmed that the film had been retitled to Smurfs: The Lost Village.[17] LStar Capital and Wanda Pictures co-financed the film.[7][18][19]

Casting

On January 16, 2015, Mandy Patinkin was added to the cast of the animated adventure film to voice Papa Smurf, who was previously voiced by Jonathan Winters in the live-action/CGI films.[9] On June 14, 2015, Demi Lovato was revealed as the voice of Smurfette, and Rainn Wilson as Gargamel.[8] Since the release of The Smurfs 2 in 2013, two of the Smurfs voice actors from the previous franchise had died, Jonathan Winters[20] who voiced Papa Smurf, and Anton Yelchin, who voiced Clumsy Smurf. The film was dedicated to Winters' and Yelchin's memory.[21] Frank Welker, who voices Gargamel's pet cat Azrael, is the only voice actor to reprise his role from the live-action films.

Music

In October 2016, it was confirmed that Christopher Lennertz would be composing the score for the film.[2] In December 2016, it was reported that singer Meghan Trainor had recorded a song for the film titled "I'm a Lady", which was released as a single.[22]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Christopher Lennertz.

No.TitleLength
1."You Will Always Find Me in Your Heart" (Shaley Scott)4:34
2."To the Village"2:07
3."Meet the Smurfs"2:38
4."Gargamel's Lair"1:45
5."Behind the Mask"1:16
6."The Cauldron"0:30
7."Get Those Smurfs!"2:05
8."The Enchanted Forest"2:18
9."Discovering Dragonflies"1:35
10."Freezeball Chase"2:10
11."Rabbit Warren Hoedown"1:38
12."Campfire Stories"3:28
13."Raft Chase"2:19
14."Over the Falls"0:30
15."Captured!"1:50
16."SmurfWillow"1:41
17."They're Coming - Dogfight"2:59
18."Papa and Smurfette"1:58
19."Gargamel Attacks"3:15
20."A Lonely Purpose"2:07
21."Dark Magic"2:33
22."Smurfette Saves the Day"2:44
23."The Truest Smurf of All" (feat. Shaley Scott)4:57
24."End Credits Suite"3:43
25."Smurf Eating Flowers (Bonus Track)"0:58
Total length:1:01:38

Release

The film was initially set for release on August 14, 2015,[23] but on May 1, 2014, the release date was pushed back to August 5, 2016.[24] In March 2015, the release date was pushed back again to March 31, 2017.[25] a teaser trailer online for August 14, 2016. In March 2016, the release date was pushed back one final time to April 7, 2017.[26]

Smurfs: The Lost Village was released on Blu-ray, Ultra HD Blu-ray, and DVD on July 11, 2017 by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.[27] The film debuted in second place on the Top 20 NPD VideoScan First Alert chart, behind The Fate of the Furious.[28]

Reception

Box office

Smurfs: The Lost Village grossed $45 million in the United States and Canada and $152.2 million in other territories for a worldwide gross of $197.2 million, against a production budget of $60 million.[6]

In North America, the film opened alongside Going in Style and The Case for Christ and was projected to gross around $16–20 million in the opening weekend from 3,602 theaters.[5][29] It ended up opening to $13.2 million, marking the lowest debut of the Smurfs franchise by a wide margin and finishing 3rd at the box office.[30]

Critical response

Smurfs: The Lost Village received mixed reviews from critics and audiences.[31] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 40% based on 97 reviews and an average rating of 4.8/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Smurfs: The Lost Village may satisfy very young viewers and hardcore Smurfaholics, but its predictable story and bland animation continue the franchise's recent mediocre streak."[32] On Metacritic, the film has a score 40 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[33] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, an improvement over the "A–" score earned by both previous Smurfs films.[34] In 2018, the film was awarded The ReFrame Stamp in the 2017 Narrative & Animated Feature Recipients category.[35]

Alonzo Duralde of TheWrap wrote, "It's significant that two female writers have taken a character who's mainly just existed to be cute and seductive and turned her into a full-fledged member of this universe."[36] Owen Glieberman of Variety said, "It's a pure digital fantasy, with elegant and tactile animation, so it's more true to the Smurf spirit, and should perform solidly."[7]

Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Smurfs: The Lost Village is a mediocre effort that nonetheless succeeds in its main goal of keeping its blue characters alive for future merchandising purposes."[3]

References
  1. Milligan, Mercedes (January 18, 2017). "Sony Pictures Animation Reveals Slate through 2018". Animation Magazine. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  2. "Christopher Lennertz to score Smurfs: The Lost Village". filmmusicreporter.com. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  3. Scheck, Frank. "'Smurfs: The Lost Village': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  4. "Smurfs: The Lost Village [2D] (U)". British Board of Film Classification. February 23, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  5. "'Boss Baby' to sack 'Smurfs,' and other box office predictions". Los Angeles Times. April 5, 2017. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  6. "Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  7. Gleiberman, Owen (March 26, 2017). "Film Review: 'Smurfs: The Lost Village'". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  8. Lowe, Kinsey (June 14, 2015). "'Get Smurfy' Unveiled: Demi Lovato Joins As Smurfette, Rainn Wilson As Gargamel". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  9. Kit, Borys; Siegel, Tatiana (January 16, 2015). "'Homeland' Star to Voice Papa Smurf in Animated Movie". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  10. Milligan, Mercedes (February 12, 2016). "New 'Smurfs: The Lost Village' Cast Revealed". Animation Magazine. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  11. Brandle, Lars (February 24, 2017). "Meghan Trainor Brings Back Girl Power for 'Smurfs' Song 'I'm a Lady': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  12. Busch, Anita (November 17, 2016). "Gabriel Iglesias Joins 'Ferdinand' & 'Smurfs' Voice Casts As He Readies Comedy Tour". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  13. "Sony already smurfing Smurfs 3". Variety.com. April 26, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  14. Nemiroff, Perri (July 14, 2013). "Exclusive: The Smurfs 3 Will Include an Origin Story". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  15. Sony Pictures Animation (March 12, 2014). "Sony Pictures Animation Unveils Updated Production Slate" (Press release). PR Newswire. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  16. "'Get Smurfy': First Look at Demi Lovato, Rainn Wilson-Voiced Film". hollywoodreporter.com. June 14, 2015. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  17. Alexander, Bryan (February 12, 2016). "Sneak peek: Joe Manganiello, Jack McBrayer are new blue crew in 'Smurfs'". USA Today. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
  18. Fleming Jr, Mike (September 22, 2016). "Sony, Wanda Confirm Picture Alliance: 'Jumanji', 'Passengers', 'Smurfs' Eyed". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 27, 2017. ...,Wanda will provide between 10% to 15% in co-financing.
  19. Fleming Jr, Mike (April 8, 2014). "Sony Closes Slate Co-Fi Deal With Lone Star Capital, CitiBank". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  20. Byrge, Duane (April 12, 2013). "Jonathan Winters Dies at 87". The Hollywood Reporter.
  21. "Anton Yelchin obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  22. "Meghan Trainor Writes "I'm a Lady" for 'Smurfs: The Lost Village'". December 5, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  23. Chitwood, Adam (October 5, 2013). "FAULT IN OUR STARS Set for June 6, 2014; THE MAZE RUNNER Pushed to September 19, 2014; SMURFS 3 and THE BOOK THIEF Moved". Collider.com. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  24. "A Sony Switcheroo: 'Smurfs' Reboot Pushed To 2016, 'Goosebumps' Moved Up To Summer 2015". Deadline Hollywood. May 1, 2014. Archived from the original on May 3, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  25. Gregg Kidlay (March 25, 2015). "Sony Sets Release Date for Next 'Smurfs' Movie". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  26. Silas Lesnick (April 13, 2016). "Sony Pictures Teases The Dark Tower, MIB 23, Passengers and More at CinemaCon". Comingsoon.net. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  27. "Sony's 'Smurfs: The Lost Village' Finds its Way to Blu-ray July 11". Animation World Network. June 1, 2017. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
  28. Thomas K. Arnold (July 19, 2017). "'Fate of the Furious' Speeds to No. 1 on Disc Charts" (Press release). Variety. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  29. "Box Office: 'Smurfs: The Lost Village,' 'Going in Style' Won't Top 'Boss Baby'". Variety. April 4, 2017. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  30. "'Boss Baby' Crawls Ahead Of 'Beauty' With $26M+; 'Smurfs' Lost In 3rd With $14M". Deadline Hollywood.
  31. "Critics Mixed On 'Smurfs: The Lost Village' - SFGate". www.sfgate.com. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  32. "Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  33. "Smurfs: The Lost Village Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  34. "CinemaScore". cinemascore.com.
  35. "ReFrame Spotlights Gender-Balanced Films and TV with New Stamp". womenandhollywood.com. June 8, 2018. Retrieved 2020-03-14.
  36. "'Smurfs: The Lost Village' Review: Smurfette Finds Herself in a Much-Improved, All-Animated Adventure". TheWrap. 6 April 2017.
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