The Smurfs (film)

Did You Know?

• The film had its worldwide premiere in Júzcar, Spain, where the entire village was painted blue using 4,000 litres of paint; residents later voted to keep the color, attracting over 80,000 tourists.
• The Japanese version uses Hey! Say! JUMP's 'Magic Power' as its theme song, with some singers also voicing characters in the Japanese dub.

Cast

Hank Azaria portrays Gargamel, the Smurfs' arch-nemesis who seeks to capture them for their mystical essence to empower his magic. Azaria wore a prosthetic nose, ears, buck teeth, eyebrows, and a wig, shaving his head for the role; the initial make-up test took three hours, later reduced to 90 minutes, and he underwent the transformation over 50 times, spending about 130 hours in the make-up chair. Jonathan Winters voices Papa Smurf, the Smurfs' leader, having previously voiced Grandpa Smurf in the 1980s cartoon; Winters and Frank Welker are the only original TV series cast members to return. Katy Perry voices Smurfette, the sole female Smurf, after a blind test matched her voice to the character. Anton Yelchin voices Clumsy Smurf, described as accident-prone but friendly; Yelchin noted the character's voice is pitched higher than his own, full of joy and optimism. Neil Patrick Harris plays Patrick Winslow, a new VP of marketing at Anjelou Cosmetics and Grace's husband. Jayma Mays plays Grace Winslow, Patrick's wife. Fred Armisen voices Brainy Smurf, the second smartest Smurf; Quentin Tarantino was initially considered for the role but dropped out. George Lopez voices Grouchy Smurf, preparing by not drinking coffee, ensuring bad breath, and arriving at the studio during busy times.

Production

Producer Jordan Kerner first expressed interest in a Smurfs film in 1997 through letters to licensing agent Lafig Belgium. In 2002, after Peyo's heirs read a draft of Kerner's Charlotte's Web adaptation, they accepted his offer, and Kerner began developing a 3-D CGI feature with Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies. By 2006, Kerner planned a trilogy that would explore Gargamel's backstory, including an all-powerful wizard. Early animation footage leaked online in early 2008. In June 2008, Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation obtained the film rights from Lafig Belgium. Kerner noted that Sony chairman-CEO Michael Lynton, who grew up watching The Smurfs in the Netherlands, suggested a live-action/CGI approach, and Amy Pascal saw potential for a series. The screenplay was written by J. David Stem, David N. Weiss, Jay Scherick, and David Ronn, with Stem and Weiss also writing the story. Raja Gosnell directed. The filmmakers were allowed to create three new Smurfs: Narrator, Crazy, and Gutsy.

Reception

The Smurfs grossed $142.6 million in the United States and Canada and $421.1 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $563.7 million, making it the ninth-highest-grossing film of 2011. Sony Pictures hack documents revealed a profit of $83 million. It was Sony Pictures Animation's highest-grossing film until surpassed by Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse in 2023. The film opened on approximately 5,300 screens at 3,395 locations, with 2,042 in 3D. Exhibitor Relations predicted a third-place opening of $24 million, but analyst Jeff Bock noted it could be a dark horse. Entertainment Weekly's John Young predicted $32 million and second place. The film led Friday with $13.2 million, ahead of Cowboys & Aliens' $13 million. Sony's research showed 65% of the audience were parents (40%) and children under 12 (25%), with 64% female and 55% aged 25 and older. Weekend estimates tied the film with Cowboys & Aliens at $36.2 million each, but actual figures gave Cowboys & Aliens $36.4 million to The Smurfs' $35.6 million. In its second weekend, it earned $20.7 million (41% from 3D), a 42% drop. Internationally, it opened with $4.4 million from seven territories, led by Spain's $4 million, and expanded to 42 territories, taking first place in most markets, including Brazil ($6.65 million), France ($5.93 million), Mexico ($5.53 million), and Germany ($5.43 million). It remained number one at the international box office for seven weeks.

Sequels

A sequel, The Smurfs 2, was released on July 31, 2013, with director Raja Gosnell and producer Jordan Kerner returning, along with the main cast. New cast members included Christina Ricci, J. B. Smoove, and Brendan Gleeson. In the sequel, Gargamel creates evil Smurf-like creatures called the Naughties to harness magical Smurf-essence, and kidnaps Smurfette to Paris. Papa, Clumsy, Grouchy, and Vanity return to the human world to seek help from Patrick and Grace Winslow. The Smurfs 2 received negative reviews and grossed $347 million worldwide against a $105 million budget. On May 10, 2012, Variety reported that writers Karey Kirkpatrick and Chris Poche were developing a script for The Smurfs 3, set for July 24, 2015, later rescheduled to August 14, 2015. In March 2014, Sony announced a reboot as a completely computer-animated film, directed by Kelly Asbury, titled Smurfs: The Lost Village, released on April 7, 2017, to mixed reviews considered an improvement over the live-action films. On February 7, 2022, LAFIG Belgium and IMPS (now Peyo Company) partnered with Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Movies for multiple animated Smurfs films, with a second reboot as an animated musical film. Pam Brady was set to write the screenplay, with production beginning later that year for a December 20, 2024 release. On June 14, 2022, Chris Miller was announced as director. In August, the release was delayed to February 14, 2025. On April 27, 2023, at CinemaCon, Rihanna was announced to voice Smurfette, produce, and write and record original songs. The title was reported as The Smurfs Movie, later renamed The Smurfs Musical.