Smurfs (2025)

​“Smurfs” stars Rihanna, James Corden, Nick Offerman, Natasha Lyonne, J. P. Karliak, Dan Levy, Amy Sedaris, Nick Kroll, Octavia Spencer, Hannah Waddingham, Sandra Oh, Alex Winter, Billie Lourd, Xolo Maridueña, Kurt Russell, and John Goodman.  Released on July 18, 2025, the film has the Smurfs traveling to the real world to rescue Papa Smurf.

The film was directed by Chris Miller, who also directed “Shrek the Third” and “Puss in Boots”.  It is based on the Belgian comic book series by Peyo and serves as the second reboot of the Smurfs film series.  Peyo’s adorable little blue creatures have certainly made significant strides in the media industry since their origin in the Belgian comic scene.  Their first television debut in 1961 opened the door for the Smurfs to enchant audiences of all ages through various formats, including television shows, video games, and even films.  Their recent cinematic iterations, including the 2011 live-action/CGI hybrid, may not have been as well-received as their small-screen appearances.  However, they still offered delightful and whimsical moments that breathe life into these lovable, singing creatures, even with their somewhat overly realistic designs in the live-action films.  Eight years after the Smurfs’ last animated venture, their cinematic saga continues with yet another reboot of the franchise, aiming to introduce this iconic IP to a new generation of fans.  This latest animated iteration not only distinguishes itself from the continuity of “The Lost Village” and its recent television series but also revisits the concept of the Smurfs interacting with the real world, a theme introduced in the 2011 film and its sequel.  Do these elements succeed in crafting another enjoyable summer adventure for families, or does the movie deserve to get smurfed in the cinematic dumpster?  Let’s journey back to Smurf Village and find out.

The story centers on the Smurfs, magical blue-skinned creatures with distinct personalities, who live joyfully in Smurf Village within a whimsical realm.  However, their harmonious lives are disrupted by the evil wizard Razamel (Karliak), the brother of their nemesis Gargamel (Karliak), who is bent on capturing a mystical book to rule the universe.  When Papa Smurf (Goodman) is taken hostage, Smurfette (Rihanna) takes on the role of leader, rallying the other Smurfs, including an unnamed Smurf named No Name Smurf (Corden), to embark on a daring rescue mission to save him.  Their adventure leads Smurfette and the others to the real world, where they encounter various allies, including Papa’s brother Ken (Offerman) and a group of small creatures known as the Snooterpoots.  With their assistance, the Smurfs must uncover their true destinies to rescue Papa Smurf and protect the universe from Razamel's nefarious plan. 

I didn’t recall much about watching the Smurfs in my childhood, as I was preoccupied with everything related to Disney, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network.  However, it wasn’t until the release of the live-action Smurfs movies that I began to recognize the happy-go-lucky creatures.  While these films had their fair share of flaws, including formulaic plots and pop culture humor typical of other family-friendly live-action/CGI hybrids, they also featured delightful moments that helped me overlook many of their shortcomings.  One standout was Hank Azaria’s portrayal of the evil wizard Gargamel, which significantly elevated the appeal of the movies with his dedicated performance.  I also enjoyed “The Lost Village”, although I haven’t revisited it as often as the live-action adaptations until recently, when I was preparing for the new movie.  So, you could say that despite their mediocre reviews, the Smurfs films have become guilty pleasures for me, thanks to their charm and silliness.

This brings us to Hollywood’s newest effort to bring Peyo’s beloved blue dwarves back to the silver screen, aptly titled…well, “Smurfs”.  That won’t be confusing for everyone looking at which “Smurfs” movie they’re referencing.  Regarding its marketing, this latest reboot did show some potential, particularly with the involvement of DreamWorks veteran Chris Miller and a new animation style that aligns more closely with Peyo’s original comics.  However, aside from these aspects, I found little else to leave a lasting impression on me, despite my fondness for the Smurfs.  The casting choice of Rihanna as Smurfette certainly raised some eyebrows, and the recycled plot elements seemed reminiscent of many second-rate children’s films we often encounter on television or streaming platforms, notably the previous “Smurfs” adaptations.  Given that this film is distributed by Paramount Animation, which hasn’t seen a box office success since “Sponge Out of Water”, it doesn’t bode well for the blue creatures’ cinematic future.  Yet, as is my nature, I refrain from forming a judgment solely based on the trailers, knowing that the final cut is the true test for shaping my overall perspective.     

Regarding the narrative, “Smurfs” offers a refreshing direction for the franchise, placing greater emphasis on its fantasy elements and world-building.  By reimagining Smurf Village as part of a multiverse, the film opens up a wealth of opportunities to provide a unique and compelling take on Hollywood’s recent trend of multiverse stories.  This trend, popularized by the groundbreaking Spider-Verse films, offers fertile ground for the “Smurfs” film to utilize in terms of creative storytelling.  “Smurfs” seemed to have seized this opportunity, not only through its characters but also by experimenting with its animation style, which adds a layer of visual intrigue.  At its core, “Smurfs” is also a tried-and-true tale of self-discovery, in which an unnamed Smurf journeys to find purpose, mirroring the other Smurfs who eventually discover a true calling of their own.  This theme of self-exploration is complemented by the story’s emphasis on kindness triumphing over evil, which imbues the film with a heartwarming quality.  This seemed well-positioned to inspire young audiences and serve as a nostalgic reminder to older viewers of the virtues that seem increasingly scarce in recent times.  

Unfortunately, despite its promising premise, it’s sadly stuck between a Smurf and a hard place.  Admittedly, “Smurfs” is visually stunning with its vibrant and well-rendered animation, highlighting the faithfulness of the source material’s cartoonish appeal.  However, it is also another occasion where its primary aim is to serve as comfort food for younger audiences, rather than fully realizing its potential to break new ground and attract a wider audience.  This is not to say that catering to children is a bad thing, but given its refreshing concept, it could have served as a redemption for the franchise’s previous installments.  The problem is that Hollywood was reluctant to take the creative risks necessary to elevate the latest reboot beyond its current status.  As a result, “Smurfs” became a disappointingly tame and overly generic reboot that dared to be less tolerable than the live-action installments.

It’s a shame, too, considering the talented individuals behind the scenes, such as its director, Chris Miller.  Known for his work on “Puss in Boots”, Miller appeared to be a solid choice to direct “Smurfs”, given his handling of animation storytelling and comedy.  His previous projects showcased Miller’s suitable ability to blend humor with heartfelt moments, an approach that seemed promising for a new venture into the Smurfs universe.  However, despite these promising elements, the execution left much to be desired.  While there were glimpses of Miller’s touch in specific aspects, such as the visual presentation and the attempt to mix humor with emotion, the overall direction felt unexpectedly hollow.  Even with its perplexing zaniness flying across the screen, reminiscent of a frenzied dream, Miller struggled to translate that energy into its lackluster comedy and clunky storytelling.  This imbalance is particularly noticeable when compared to films like the Spider-Verse movies, which expertly balance chaotic creativity with narrative depth, making them impactful for audiences of all ages.  If you’re going to go all out with the vibrant and imaginative world-building, it’s crucial to ensure that the narrative and character development are equally robust to follow suit.  Sadly, Chris Miller failed to take that advice to heart, leaving the film as a tiresome, painfully tame, and laugh-free imitation of “Spider-Verse” and even “Trolls”, with the latter being emphasized by its style and musical elements.  Yes, the film is also a musical, but I don’t think it should be considered one in the traditional sense, as it only featured two songs sung by its characters: one by No Name and the other by Smurfette.  It’s too bad that none of them elevated the story as much as it needed to, but I thought the song from Smurfette was mildly tolerable.  

Another element I had an issue with was the screenplay penned by Pam Brady.  Many of you might recognize Brady from her collaborations with Trey Parker and Matt Stone on projects such as “South Park” and “Team America: World Police”.  Of course, Brady is also known for co-writing other projects that didn’t click with me, like “The Bubble” and “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken”.  With her take on the beloved Smurfs, the outcome could have gone in either direction depending on her creative approach.  Regrettably, Brady’s writing for “Smurfs” just smurfed itself into the category of her less successful endeavors.  The screenplay was pretty much a mishmash of familiar concepts borrowed from other movies, particularly the earlier Smurfs installments.  For instance, the plot revisits the Smurfs traveling to the real world, reminiscent of the live-action adaptations, and briefly delves into Smurfette’s history with Gargamel, as featured in “The Smurfs 2” and “The Lost Village”.  Add in the multiverse element and No Name’s predictable journey of self-discovery, and you get a series of half-baked and derivative ideas that are neither fresh, exciting, nor charming enough to support the film’s intended heartfelt themes.  Its attempt at providing modern humor and slapstick also failed to deliver memorable laughs, mainly due to its tame and dumbed-down dialogue.  As someone who’s usually a sucker for slapstick comedy, I found the humor in this film to be surprisingly underwhelming.  This is one of the screenplays that could’ve been remarkably effective, given its comedic elements and fun multiverse ideas, but wound up feeling constrained within the confines of what is typically expected from a “kids’ cartoon”.  With Pam Brady writing the new SpongeBob movie with Matt Lieberman, I can only hope she doesn’t “smurf” that iconic Nickelodeon character up like she did with the magical blue dwarves.

Much like the previous Smurfs movies, “Smurfs” does not shy away from highlighting an A-list voice cast that’s as notable as the blue creatures themselves.  This tradition of featuring prominent celebrities has been a hallmark of the film series, which consistently draws audiences with star-studded lineups, despite its flaws.  The main aspect of the voice cast that we’ve seen multiple times in the marketing is Rihanna, who co-produced the film and lent her voice to Smurfette, in case you weren’t already aware.  This aligns with the franchise’s pattern of casting popular singers in the role of Smurfette to draw in the young music crowd, previously featuring Katy Perry in the live-action adaptations and Demi Lovato in “The Lost Village”.  Given the new film’s musical elements, I’m surprised it took them this long to capitalize on this tradition.  This also brings me back to my concern about Rihanna voicing Smurfette because I was more familiar with Smurfette having a traditionally lighter and gentler voice to coincide with her perseverance and generosity.  While the latter traits for Smurfette remain intact in “Smurfs”, Rihanna’s performance left me with a sense of disconnection, besides her being miscast in the role.  I do not intend to disrespect Rihanna in any way because I do enjoy her music, and I’m pretty sure she took the job to appease her young fanbase.  But, regarding her performance, she’s just Rihanna in a Smurfette coating, and that’s it.  She was okay with what she’s given, but when I think of Smurfette, Rihanna isn’t someone that should come to my mind.

James Corden returns to the animation game with his portrayal of No Name, appealing to a new set of young audiences while making his haters even angrier through his existence.  Regarding my experience with Corden, I still care less about his controversies that led people to turn their backs on him and more about his execution of specific roles, with No Name in “Smurfs” being no exception.  Like Rihanna’s performance as Smurfette, James Corden’s vocal performance as the unnamed Smurf was passable at best, though not particularly remarkable.  John Goodman was undoubtedly fitting as Papa Smurf, particularly in his performance, although I still prefer Jonathan Winters’ take on the character in the live-action films.  I feel that Winters provided a more nurturing, fatherly presence for Papa through his vocal work compared to the other actors, which makes his passing all the more unfortunate.  I also felt bad for Sandra Oh, who voices Moxie Smurf, the leader of the International Neighborhood Watch Smurfs.  She performed well in the role, but her character was severely underwritten to the point of diminishing Oh's vocal talents.  The only highlight that kept my attention was J. P. Karliak, who pulled double duty in voicing the wizard brothers, Gargamel and Razamel.  Channeling the same energetic charm that Hank Azaria brought to the live-action films, Karliak infused the wizards’ different yet humorously sinister characteristics with a lively and distinctive flair.  His ability to differentiate between the two wizard brothers through his vocal talents added an engaging dynamic that kept me from abandoning these cute creatures too early.  In short, the film’s dedication to a high-profile cast is exactly what you’d expect from other animated features, despite its mixed bag of performances.

The film’s animation is another element that presented a promising foundation but was immediately squandered by its execution.  On a positive note, the movie succeeded in staying true to the cartoony essence of Peyo’s beloved comics, not only through its presentation but also in its art design.  It captured the signature squash, stretch, and buoyancy of the characters that many of us fondly remember from the comics.  This was achieved through a blend of 2D effects and CGI animation, enabling the characters to be easily recognizable in a modern and refreshing manner.  The inclusion of action lines and comic thought bubbles further enhanced the authenticity, creating the sensation that one of Peyo’s comics had truly come to life on the screen.  The films’ use of vibrant color palettes also added an attractive dimension that somewhat compensated for the narrative’s shortcomings.  Although it didn’t reach the complexity and uniqueness of the Spider-Verse movies, it’s far from an eyesore like most second-rate kids cartoons that sit comfortably within our streaming services.  

The animation also played a role in the movie’s world-building, particularly in the third act.  That sequence involving the characters traveling through different dimensions was a stellar showcase of the various animation styles used to create the film’s dream-like environments.  This creative display effectively highlighted the film’s potential.  However, its decision to rely heavily on live-action settings in the earlier acts became increasingly frustrating.  The first two acts predominantly feature the Smurfs navigating locations in the real world, mainly Paris, Australia, and Munich, borrowing from the concept of the live-action films, albeit without Neil Patrick Harris.  Its intention seemed to be replicating the success of the SpongeBob movies in terms of animated characters interacting with the real world.  The problem is that the Smurfs aren’t in the same league as SpongeBob.  SpongeBob being in the real world makes sense to me because he lives in a cartoon sea beneath the human world, aligning with the show’s surreal humor.  On the other hand, the Smurfs' interaction with the real world felt overdone and unnecessary, especially given the film’s multiverse concept.  While it is surreal in its own right, it also felt derivative and uninspiring due to overstaying its welcome.  But, at the very least, the animation for the Smurfs managed to blend surprisingly well with the live-action environments, showcasing the technical prowess of the animators, given its lower budget.

Overall, “Smurfs” lacks the fun, charm, and magic of its source material and previous film adaptations to complement its promising visual style and intriguing multiverse concept.  Given my experiences with the other Smurfs interpretations, I expected myself to tolerate this latest addition to the blue creatures’ cinematic journey, flaws and all.  Unfortunately, I was disappointed to find that this was not the case, as its narrative issues and lackluster execution have enough dark magic to overshadow the goodness it’s providing.  It certainly possesses heart through its valuable messages about self-identity and kindness, which would likely inspire younger kids.  The animation is also commendable for its fidelity to the source material, particularly in the movie’s third act.  However, these aspects were easily squashed by its hit-and-miss voice cast, a mediocre screenplay, uninspired direction, and a restrained portrayal of its world-building.  If I were to rank the Smurfs movies after watching this one, I would place “Smurfs” at the bottom of the list, with “The Lost Village” being the most tolerable in the film series.  Undoubtedly, young children may find enjoyment in the recent reboot, especially those who have sat through the previous Smurfs films.  However, for adults who grew up with the Smurfs, they might prefer to stick with the comics and cartoons, as this movie may leave them feeling like they want to smurf their heads in frustration with its disappointing execution. 

D