The Smurfs and the Magic Flute

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The Smurfs and the Magic Flute
Directed by Original version:
Peyo
Jose Dutillieu[1]
Eddie Lateste
English version:
John Rust
Produced by Original version:
Jose Dutilieu
English version:
Roger Guertin
Written by Original version:
Peyo (based on his original Smurfs characters)
Yvan Delporte
English version:
John Rust
Starring See below[1][2]
Music by Michel Legrand
Editing by Nebiha Ben Milad
Michèle Neny
Distributed by Flag of the United States Atlantic Releasing (theatrical),
Vestron Video (VHS)
Release date(s) Flag of Belgium 1976
Flag of the United States November 25, 1983
Running time 74 min.
Country Belgium
Language French
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

The Smurfs and the Magic Flute (French: La Flûte à six schtroumpfs) is an animated film starring the Smurfs, directed by their creator, Peyo. Though the film premiered in 1976 in Belgium, the English language version was not released until 1983, in the wake of the characters newfound popularity in the United States.

Although the Smurfs play a major part, the film, set in the Middle Ages, mainly surrounds Johan and Peewit, a young squire and his jester sidekick. Johan and Peewit had also been created by Peyo in 1952 and it was in their adventures that the Smurfs were first introduced in 1958.

The film was not produced by Hanna-Barbera, the creators of the Smurfs television series, but by Brussels' Belvision Studios. The voice talent from that show was not present in the English version either; instead, the work was handled by a non-union crew whose members had previously appeared in anime dubs for U.S. television.[1]

A presentation of independent film company Atlantic Releasing in the United States, The Smurfs and the Magic Flute grossed over US$11 million, the highest for a non-Disney animated release until 1985's The Care Bears Movie. The film's success led to the creation of Clubhouse Pictures, Atlantic's children's film division.[3]

Contents

[edit] Plot

This story is set a long time ago at a castle in the middle ages. One day a merchant brings musical instruments to sell to Peewit, the court jester, but because Peewit is such a terrible musician the King throws the merchant out before Peewit arrives. However he had left behind a flute that only has six holes. The King throws it into the fireplace in his room which starts to emit green smoke. When the fire is put out, Peewit retrives it from the ashes unharmed. He cleans it and starts playing it for the whole castle realizing that it causes everyone to dance when it is played.

That night a man named Matthew McCreep learns from the merchant that the same flute he had been looking for is at the castle. He heads over to the castle and steals the flute from Peewit. The king sends Peewit and the young knight Johan out to catch McCreep who uses the flute to rob people of their money. However McCreep uses the flute to stop them. Johan and Peewit then go to the house of Homnibus the wizard. Using a spell called Hypnokenesis, the wizard sends Johan and Peewit to Smurfland where the magic flute was built.

Upon arriving they meet a smurf who leads them to the village. Papa Smurf greets the two of them and tells them that they'll make a new flute in order to counter McCreep's flute. The smurfs head into the forest and chop down a huge tree to get to the center where the flute is made. Afterwards they celebrate with a party. However just as Papa Smurf is about to give the flute to Johan and Peewit, the two are warped back to the wizard's house. Homnibus tries the spell again but passes out from a headache.

Meanwhile, McCreep who has now stolen over 7,000 gold pieces arrives at the castle of his partner, Earl Flatbroke. McCreep tells Flatbroke of his plan to go to an island to hire people for an army to raise war on the King's castle. Fortunatly two smurfs had been listening to this. Back at the wizard's house, the Smurfs regroup with Johan and Peewit and give them the magic flute. Then they head to the port of Terminac where McCreep sets sail for the island. However they are too late. Papa Smurf tells Johan and Peewit about Flatbroke's castle and Johan comes up with a plan.

Flatbroke receives a letter from McCreep (written by Johan) to come to the island. He heads over to Terminac to board a ship where Johan and Peewit are also on board in disguise as well as Papa Smurf and 3 others. They head to the island where Johan and Peewit tail Flatbroke. Suddenly Peewit comes face to face with McCreep and they both start playing their flutes to each other. They both become exhausted soon after but Peewit knocks out McCreep with a final note.

With McCreep and Flatbroke being brought back to the castle and all the stolen money recovered, Peewit now has two magic flutes. Johan tells him that the flutes are dangerous and must be brought back to the smurfs. Peewit begins to carve a phony flute to give to the smurfs. At the castle, Johan and Peewit give the flutes back to the smurfs and after the smurfs leave. Peewit starts playing the flute. Only to realize it was the fake flute he made.

[4]

[edit] Production and release

Peyo, the creator of the Smurfs, oversaw the production of La Flûte à six schtroumpfs at Brussels' Belvision in 1975.[1] The film was based on Peyo's comic album of the same name, and the ninth to feature his duo of characters, Johan and Peewit.[5] The music score was written by Michel Legrand, then an Oscar winner for Summer of '42 and the original Thomas Crown Affair.[1] It was released a year later in its native Belgium, and in some European territories subsequently. A book adaptation of the film, by Anthea Bell, was published in Great Britain by Hodder and Stoughton in 1979 (ISBN 0-340-24068-7).

It was not until the success of Hanna-Barbera's Smurfs cartoon that Flute began to gain widespread attention: in the early 1980s, Stuart R. Ross, head of First Performance Pictures Corporation, acquired the American rights to the film for US$1,000,000. In doing so, he sold those rights to Tribune Entertainment (television), Vestron Video (VHS), and Atlantic Releasing (theatrical).[1]

The English dubbing for the movie was not provided by the Hanna-Barbera cast members, but by non-union talent who were contributing at the time to American versions of imported anime. John Rust, the director of this dub, appeared as one of the voices.[1]

The North American release of Flute, courtesy of Ross' First Performance and Atlantic, grossed US$11 million out of a maximum 432 venues, the highest on record for a non-Disney production until The Care Bears Movie in 1985,[3][6] and was among Atlantic's all-time top five movies at the box office.[7] Thanks to its success, Atlantic released several more animated features, many of which were distributed by their short-lived children's subsidiary, Clubhouse Pictures.[3]

The theatrical poster for the film boasted, "It's the Smurfs' ONE and ONLY full length motion picture...ever!" Prior to Flute, however, a black-and-white compilation feature, Les Aventures des Schtroumpfs, was released in Belgium in the mid-1960s, and has since been forgotten. Also, Paramount Pictures, in association with Nickelodeon Movies, is producing a computer-animated Smurfs film, slated to come out in 2008.

The movie was released on video in September 1984 by Vestron. It was released on DVD by Morningstar Entertainment Inc. on March 18, 2008.

The film feature Smurfs : Papa Smurf, Brainy Smurf, Grouchy Smurf, Hefty Smurf, Handy Smurf (refer in the English version as “Strong-man Smurf”), Clumsy Smurf, Greedy Smurf, Smurf the poet, Smurf the farmer, and a brand new Festive Smurf (who loved to sing, and dance and was shown being only concur on wanting to have a party). However unlike the Hanna-Barbera cartoons all the Smrufs (with the acceptation of Papa Smurf and Brainy Smurf ) all look alike and don’t have their trade-mark attributes, just like in the original comic book series. The humor is also closer to the one from the comic books. Rather then being symbolically “throw away”, Brainy Smurf is constantly being bet-up with a hammer by other Smurfs simply for “talking to much”. The character of Gargamel is not present in the film.

[edit] Reception

Of The Smurfs and the Magic Flute, animation historian Jerry Beck wrote in his Animated Movie Guide:

“ Is the film any good? It is passable entertainment for Smurfs completists only. Otherwise, mom and dad will have a tough time sitting through this one. There are no standout sequences, nothing particularly endearing, nor is it artistically interesting. It is a bland television cartoon stretched out to fill 74 minutes. As part of 1980s pop culture, the Smurfs are classic icons, and nostalgia value alone might be worth giving the film a look.[1] ”

[edit] Voice cast

[edit] French version

  • Georges Atlas - Sénéchal
  • Jacques Balutin
  • Angelo Bardi
  • Jacques Ciron - Visitor
  • William Coryn - Johan
  • Henri Crémieux - Homnibus
  • Roger Crouzet - Smurf #2
  • Jacques Dynam
  • Michel Elias - Great Smurf
  • Ginette Garcin - Dame Barde
  • Henri Labussière - Fisherman
  • Jacques Marin
  • Albert Médina - Torchesac
  • Michel Modo - Pirlouit
  • Georges Pradez - King
  • Serge Nadaud - Guard / Deaf person / Oliver / Silvermonger
  • Jacques Ruisseau - Smurf #1

[edit] English version

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Beck (2005), p. 254.
  2. ^ Cast list for The Smurfs and the Magic Flute at the Internet Movie Database. Retrieved April 6, 2007.
  3. ^ a b c Beck (2005), p. 255.
  4. ^ The Smurfs and the Magic Flute at the Internet Movie Database. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
  5. ^ Trivia for The Smurfs and the Magic Flute at IMDb. Retrieved April 6, 2007.
  6. ^ The Smurfs and the Magic Flute at Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 5, 2007.
  7. ^ All-Time Grosses for Atlantic Releasing at Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 6, 2007.

[edit] Sources

  • Beck, Jerry (2005). The Animated Movie Guide. ISBN 1-55652-591-5. Chicago Reader Press. Retrieved April 5, 2007.

[edit] External links

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The Smurfs
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The Smurfs and the Magic Flute (1976) • The Smurfs (2010)
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Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle (1982) • Smurf Play & Learn (1982) • The Smurfs Save The Day (1983) • Smurf Paint 'n' Play Workshop (1983) • The Smurfs (1994) • The Smurfs Travel the World (1996) • The Smurfs 3 (1997) • The Smurfs (PlayStation) (1999) • The Adventures of The Smurfs (2000) • Smurf Racer! (2001) • The Revenge of the Smurfs (2002)
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