| Smurfs: The Lost Village | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Kelly Asbury |
| Written by |
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| Based on | The Smurfs byPeyo |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Edited by | Bret Marnell |
| Music by | Christopher Lennertz[2] |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing[3] |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes[4] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $60 million[5][6] |
| Box office | $197.6 million[7][6] |
Smurfs: The Lost Village is a 2017 American animatedfantasyadventurecomedy film based onThe Smurfs comic series by theBelgian comics artistPeyo. Areboot ofSony Pictures Animation's previouslive-action animated hybrid films, the film was directed byKelly Asbury and written by Stacey Harman andPamela Ribon, and stars the voices ofDemi Lovato,Rainn Wilson,Joe Manganiello,Jack McBrayer,Danny Pudi,Michelle Rodriguez,Ellie Kemper,Ariel Winter,Mandy PatinkinandJulia Roberts. In the film, a mysterious map prompts Smurfette, Brainy, Clumsy, and Hefty to find a lost village before Gargamel does.
On May 10, 2012, two weeks after they announced production ofThe Smurfs 2,Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation were already developing a script forThe Smurfs 3, with writersKarey Kirkpatrick and Chris Poche. Plans for a third live-action film was cancelled in favor of an animated reboot.Kelly Asbury was confirmed as director in March 2014, and the voice cast was announced throughout the first half of 2015. The film is dedicated toJonathan Winters, the voice actor of both Grandpa Smurf from the1980s animated series and Papa Smurf fromthe original movie series who died in 2013, as well asAnton Yelchin, the voice actor of Clumsy Smurf in the live-action movies, andNine Culliford, the wife ofPeyo, both of whom died in 2016.
Smurfs: The Lost Village was theatrically released in the United States on April 7, 2017, bySony Pictures Releasing. The film received mixed reviews from critics,[8] and grossed $197 million against a $60 million budget. Acomputer-animatedSmurfs series inspired byThe Lost Village premiered in 2021, while a further animated reboot, titledSmurfs, was released in 2025.
The Smurfs are small blue people who reside peacefully in Smurf Village. Their only female, Smurfette, was created by their archenemyGargamel to destroy them, but was redeemed by Papa Smurf and became part of the village. She feels that she does not fit in as she tries to find her purpose in life, which the other Smurfs have.
Whilesmurfboarding, Smurfette encounters a mysterious masked creature until she is captured and taken to Gargamel's lair. There, she accidentally reveals a hat the creature dropped before going into the Forbidden Forest, enabling Gargamel to create a brew that causes him to locate a village of Smurfs. Hefty, Brainy, and Clumsy help Smurfette escape, and they return to Smurf Village, where Papa confines them to their houses as punishment for almost disobeying his orders. That night, Smurfette sneaks out to go look for the lost village in the Forbidden Forest to warn its inhabitants of Gargamel's arrival, with Hefty, Brainy, and Clumsy volunteering to join her. Gargamel discovers them trying to find the village, and heads out with his pet catAzrael and vulture Monty to stop them. Meanwhile, Papa discovers they are gone and angrily sets off to find them.
The next morning, the Smurfs sail across a river using a handmade raft. Following a brief chase, they rescue a drowning Gargamel. However, Gargamel betrays them by pushing them off the raft, as they plunge down a waterfall. They are soon attacked and captured by a group of female Smurfs who reveal themselves to be inhabitants of the lost village. They are taken to Smurfy Grove, and meet Smurfblossom, Smurfstorm, Smurflily, and their leader, Smurfwillow, who all welcome the Smurfs to their home. Storm and Clumsy head to locate Gargamel and alert the others. During the trip, Clumsy accidentally reveals that Smurfette was created by Gargamel, which causes Storm to distrust Smurfette.
Meanwhile, Gargamel, Azrael, and Monty were led to the Swamp of No Return, a piranha-infested lake. They spot Clumsy and Storm in the sky with Storm'sdragonfly, Spitfire. Monty attacks them in adogfight, but is defeated before the Smurfs fly back to the village. Smurfette grows accustomed to life in Smurfy Grove, to the dismay of Hefty and Brainy. Storm and Clumsy return with Spitfire, revealing that Smurfette was created by Gargamel, and the female Smurfs prepare for an impending attack in that night. Gargamel suddenly invades and destroys Smurfy Grove, capturing every Smurf. Smurfette is spared because she is not a real Smurf, and thus, is of no use to Gargamel, leaving her crying in the ruins of Smurfy Grove. She soon gets an idea and travels back to Gargamel's lair to face him.
At Gargamel's lair, every Smurf has been imprisoned as Gargamel prepares a machine capable of extracting their essence. The Smurfs attempt to escape using a plan from Brainy until Gargamel spots them, puts them all into his machine, and gains power from their essence. Smurfette arrives and deceives Gargamel into believing she wants to be evil again. Gargamel uses his magic to turn Smurfette evil again, but she instead absorbs his magic. As Smurfette absorbs the magic, she eventually explodes the lair, sending Gargamel, Azrael, and Monty flying back to the Swamp of No Return. The Smurfs are freed away from their cages, but Smurfette has been turned into clay.
Back at Smurf Village, the Smurfs make amemorial for Smurfette and silently mourn her loss. Their energy and love for Smurfette resurrects her. The Smurfs celebrate, with Smurfette finding her purpose, to be anything she wants to be.
On May 10, 2012, two weeks after they announced production ofThe Smurfs 2,Columbia Pictures andSony Pictures Animation were already developing a script forThe Smurfs 3, with writersKarey Kirkpatrick and Chris Poche.[14]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."[15] Plans for a second sequel were later scrapped, with a completely computer-animated reboot to be produced instead.[16]
Kelly Asbury was confirmed as director in March 2014.[16] 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 byPeyo, the creator of the Smurfs franchise.[16]
Jordan Kerner served as producer, with Mary Ellen Bauder co-producing.[10] On June 14, 2015, Sony Pictures Animation confirmed the original title ofGet Smurfy, along with a first look at the film.[9][17] On February 12, 2016, it was confirmed that the film had been retitled toSmurfs: The Lost Village.[18]LStar Capital andWanda Pictures co-financed the film.[19][20][21]
Asbury cited classic films likeRaiders of the Lost Ark (1981) andThe Goonies (1985) as his main inspirations. The Forbidden Forest is inspired by theLand of Oz,Pandora andWonderland, filled with dangerous and magical creatures.[22]
On January 16, 2015,Mandy Patinkin was added to the cast of the animated adventure film to voicePapa Smurf, who was previously voiced byJonathan Winters in the live-action/CGI films.[10] On June 14, 2015,Demi Lovato was revealed as the voice ofSmurfette, andRainn Wilson asGargamel.[9]Frank Welker, who voices Gargamel's pet cat Azrael, is the only voice actor to reprise his role from the live-action films.
The film is dedicated toJonathan Winters (the voice actor ofPapa Smurf) andAnton Yelchin (Clumsy Smurf), andNine Culliford.[23][24][25]
| Smurfs: The Lost Village (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | March 31, 2017 (2017-03-31) | |||
| Recorded | 2016–2017 | |||
| Genre | Film score | |||
| Length | 1:06:29 | |||
| Label | Madison Gate | |||
| Producer | Christopher Lennertz | |||
| Christopher Lennertz chronology | ||||
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In October 2016, it was confirmed thatChristopher Lennertz would be composing the score for the film.[2] In December 2016, it was reported that singerMeghan Trainor had recorded a song for the film titled "I'm a Lady", which was released as a single.[26] Shaley Scott is featured in two songs, "You Will Always Find Me in Your Heart" and "The Truest Smurf of All".
The soundtrack album was released on March 31, 2017, byMadison Gate Records.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "You Will Always Find Me in Your Heart" | 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" | 2:07 |
| 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" | 2:53 |
| 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 Credit Suite" | 3:43 |
| 25. | "Smurfs Eating Flowers (Bonus Track)" | 0:58 |
| Total length: | 1:06:29 | |
The film was initially set for release on August 14, 2015,[27] but on May 1, 2014, the release date was pushed back to August 5, 2016.[28] In March 2015, the release date was pushed back again to March 31, 2017.[29] In March 2016, the release date was pushed back one final time to April 7, 2017.[30]
Smurfs: The Lost Village was released on Blu-ray, Ultra HD Blu-ray, and DVD on July 11, 2017, bySony Pictures Home Entertainment.[31] The film debuted in second place on the Top 20 NPD VideoScan First Alert chart, behindThe Fate of the Furious.[32]
In April 2021, Sony signed a deal giving Disney access to their legacy content to stream onDisney+ andHulu and appear on Disney's linear television networks. Disney's access to Sony's titles would come following their availability onNetflix.[33]
Smurfs: The Lost Village grossed $45 million in North America and $152.6 million in other territories for a worldwide gross of $197.6 million, against a production budget of $60 million.[7]
In United States and Canada,Smurfs: The Lost Village opened alongsideGoing in Style andThe Case for Christ and was projected to gross around $16–20 million in its opening weekend from 3,602 theaters.[5][34] It ended up opening to $13.2 million, marking the lowest debut of theSmurfs franchise by a wide margin and finishing 3rd at the box office.[35]Smurfs: The Lost Village completed its theatrical run in the United States and Canada on August 3, 2017.[36]
The movie was deemed as a financial disappointment to the studio. Despite internal optimism and positive audience testing, the film faced strong competition from other movies targeted at the kids & family demographic at the time.Kristine Belson, president of Sony Pictures Animation stated "It was truly heartbreaking. In retrospect we had the wrong date … Honestly, we underestimated what a big hitBoss Baby would be." Attempts to delay the film farther from its final April 2017 date were unsuccessful due to contractual obligations with major promotional partners.
OnRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 41% based on 96 reviews, with 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."[37] OnMetacritic, the film has a score 40 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[38] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, an improvement over the "A−" score earned by both previousSmurfs films.[39] In 2018, the film was awardedThe ReFrame Stamp in the2017 Narrative & Animated Feature Recipients category.[40]
Alonzo Duralde ofTheWrap 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."[41] Owen Glieberman ofVariety 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."[19] Pat Padua ofThe Washington Post gave the film a 1.5 out of 4 rating, stating that "most people would be better off sticking withTeletubbies."[42]
Frank Scheck ofThe 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]
On August 31, 2017, it was announced that IMPS andDupuis Audiovisuel began production on anewSmurfs TV series, with CGI animation similar toSmurfs: The Lost Village.[43][44] The series made its world premiere, onRTBF's OUFtivi channel in Belgium, on 18 April 2021.[45] It premiered onNickelodeon andNicktoons in September 2021 in the U.S., with other international markets following soon.[citation needed]
On February 7, 2022, it was reported that LAFIG Belgium and IMPS (now known as Peyo Company), the owners of theSmurfs brand, had agreed to a partnership withParamount Animation andNickelodeon Movies to produce multiple animatedSmurfs films, with the first project being an animated musical film.Pam Brady was set to write the screenplay, with production set to begin later that year for a release on December 20, 2024.[46] On June 14, 2022, it was announced that formerDreamWorks Animation veteranChris Miller would direct the film.[47] In August, it was delayed to February 14, 2025, withSonic the Hedgehog 3 taking its previous release date.[48] On April 27, 2023, at CinemaCon, it was announced that Barbadian singerRihanna would be voicing Smurfette, as well as producing the film along with writing and recording original songs for the movie. The title was reported to beThe Smurfs Movie.[49] Later, it was renamed asThe Smurfs Musical.[50] The title was officially revealed asThe Smurfs Movie duringCinemaCon in April 2024, alongsideNick Offerman,Natasha Lyonne,JP Karliak,Dan Levy,Amy Sedaris,Nick Kroll,James Corden,Octavia Spencer,Hannah Waddingham,Sandra Oh,Alex Winter,Billie Lourd,Xolo Maridueña,Kurt Russell, andJohn Goodman joining the voice cast. On October 4, 2024, the film's release date was delayed to July 18, 2025.[51][52]
..., Wanda will provide between 10% to 15% in co-financing.
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