Smurfs: The Lost Village

Smurfs: The Lost Village

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Kelly Asbury
Produced by
Written by
Based on The Smurfs
by Peyo
Starring
Narrated by Mandy Patinkin
Music by Christopher Lennertz[2]
Edited by Bret Marnell
Production
company
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date
  • April 5, 2017 (2017-04-05) (Belgium)
  • April 7, 2017 (2017-04-07) (United States)
Running time
 91 minutes[3]
Country United States
Language English
Budget $60 million[4][5]
Box office $197.2 million[5]

Smurfs: The Lost Village is a 2017 American 3D computer-animated comedy-adventure film produced by Sony Pictures Animation and The Kerner Entertainment Company, with animation by Sony Pictures Imageworks, for Columbia Pictures.[1][6] Sony, LStar Capital and Wanda Pictures co-financed the film.[6][7][8] It is based on The Smurfs comic book series created by the Belgian comics artist Peyo, and is a reboot unrelated to Sony's previous live-action/animated films based on the series. It was written by Stacey Harman and Pamela Ribon and directed by Kelly Asbury,[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, Jake Johnson 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 Lost Village was released on April 7, 2017 by Columbia Pictures to mixed reviews from critics, although many considered it an improvement over the previous Smurfs live-action/animated films, and grossed over $197 million worldwide.

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 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 essences, and become the most powerful wizard in the world.

After Smurfette accidentally breaks an invention by Brainy, she sees a blue creature hidden by a leaf and follows it straight into the Forbidden Forest, believing the creature to be a Smurf. She loses sight of the creature but discovers a hat was dropped by the possible Smurf. Smurfette ends up being captured by Gargamel and at his castle, she ends up inadvertently revealing the hat, enabling Gargamel to mix up 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 lost village filled with Smurfs.

Smurfette sneaks out into the night, however, with Brainy, Clumsy, and Hefty volunteer to come with her. Smurfette agrees to let them join her and together the four enter the Forbidden Forest. Gargamel soon discovers them trying to find the lost village and heads out with Azrael and Monty to stop them.

The four follow the map and end up in various adventures; after setting sail on their handmade raft along the river, they encounter Gargamel, Azrael, and Monty again. Following a brief chase, Gargamel is thrown out of his own raft, so Hefty and Smurfette convince the others to help save him. They do so, but instead of thanking them, he pushed them out of their raft, leaving them to plunge down a waterfall.

Meanwhile, back at Smurf Village, Papa Smurf tries to reconcile with Smurfette over his actions on the previous night but soon discovers she, Brainy, Hefty, and Clumsy are gone, so he sets out to find them and set things right with them. 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 Willow, Smurf Storm, Smurf Blossom, Smurf Lily and Smurf Melody, 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.

After a while of showing them what they do, Smurf Storm and Clumsy come back with her telling 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 comes and destroys Smurfy Grove, capturing all the Smurfs, with the exception of Smurfette, who is now alone, feeling heartbroken for her actions. However, Snappy shows her a picture of her and the others, and she soon realizes she is not a real Smurf, and heads back to Gargamel's lair, then save the Smurfs.

At Gargamel's lair, Brainy makes a plan to escape. Papa Smurf hears their plan and he and Smurf Willow decide to help them. 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, extracting their essence. Smurfette appears, tricking Gargamel into believing she wants to be an evil smurf again. When Gargamel tries to turn Smurfette into an evil smurf, he realizes Smurfette is absorbing his magic powers instead after destroying Brainy's invention. The lair explodes, sending the trio back into the piranha-infested lake. Unfortunately, Smurfette has reverted to a lifeless lump of clay.

Back at Smurf Village, all the Smurfs mourn the loss of 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 becomes most of all, a true-blue Smurf.

Voice cast

Production

Development

Director Kelly Asbury with Peyo's daughter, Véronique Culliford

On May 10, 2012, just 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 scribes Karey 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] It was later confirmed that plans for a second sequel had been folded, with a completely computer-animated reboot being produced instead.[16]

Kelly Asbury was confirmed to have been hired to direct the film in March 2014.[16] The plotline was also revealed with the film exploring the origins of the Smurfs, and also the news that the film would 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.[16]

Jordan Kerner was hired as producer, with Mary Ellen Bauder co-producing; Asbury was already confirmed as the film's director.[10] On June 14, 2015, Sony Pictures Animation confirmed the original title of Get Smurfy, along with a first look at the film.[9][17] On February 12, 2016, it was confirmed that the film had been retitled to Smurfs: The Lost Village.[18]

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.[10] On June 14, 2015, Demi Lovato was revealed as the voice of Smurfette, and Rainn Wilson as Gargamel.[9] Since the release of The Smurfs 2 in 2013, two of the Smurfs voice actors from the previous franchise had died, Jonathan Winters[19] who voiced Papa Smurf, and Anton Yelchin, who voiced Clumsy Smurf.[20]

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.[21]

Release

The film was initially set for release on August 14, 2015,[22] but on May 1, 2014, the reboot film's release date was pushed back to August 5, 2016.[23] In March 2015, the release date was again pushed back to March 31, 2017.[24] In March 2016, the release date was pushed back to April 7, 2017.[25]

Home media

Smurfs: The Lost Village was released on Blu-ray and DVD on July 11, 2017 by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.[26] The film debuted in second place on the Top 20 NPD VideoScan First Alert chart, behind The Fate of the Furious.[27]

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.[5]

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.[4][28] It ended up opening to $13.2 million, marking the lowest debut of the Smurfs franchise and finishing 3rd at the box office.[29]

Critical response

Smurfs: The Lost Village received mixed reviews from critics.[30] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 37% based on 79 reviews, and an average rating of 4.8/10. The site'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."[31] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating, the film has a score 40 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[32] 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.[33]

Alonzo Duralde of TheWrap gave the film a positive review and 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."[34] 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."[6]

Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a mixed review, saying "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."[35]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Milligan, Mercedes (January 18, 2017). "Sony Pictures Animation Reveals Slate through 2018". Animation Magazine. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Christopher Lennertz to score Smurfs: The Lost Village". filmmusicreporter.com. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Smurfs: The Lost Village [2D] (U)". British Board of Film Classification. February 23, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  4. 1 2 "'Boss Baby' to sack 'Smurfs,' and other box office predictions". Los Angeles Times. April 5, 2017. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 "Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 Gleiberman, Owen (March 26, 2017). "Film Review: ‘Smurfs: The Lost Village’". Variety. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  7. ↑ Fleming Jr, Mike (September 22, 2016). "Sony, Wanda Confirm Picture Alliance: ‘Jumanji’, ‘Passengers’, ‘Smurfs’ Eyed". Deadline. Retrieved May 27, 2017. ...,Wanda will provide between 10% to 15% in co-financing.
  8. ↑ Fleming Jr, Mike (April 8, 2014). "Sony Closes Slate Co-Fi Deal With Lone Star Capital, CitiBank". Deadline. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Lowe, Kinsey (June 14, 2015). "‘Get Smurfy’ Unveiled: Demi Lovato Joins As Smurfette, Rainn Wilson As Gargamel". Deadline. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  10. 1 2 3 Kit, Borys; Siegel, Tatiana (January 16, 2015). "'Homeland' Star to Voice Papa Smurf in Animated Movie". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  11. 1 2 3 Milligan, Mercedes (February 12, 2016). "New ‘Smurfs: The Lost Village’ Cast Revealed". Animation Magazine. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  12. ↑ Brandle, Lars (February 24, 2017). "Meghan Trainor Brings Back Girl Power for 'Smurfs' Song 'I'm a Lady': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  13. ↑ Busch, Anita (November 17, 2016). "Gabriel Iglesias Joins ‘Ferdinand’ & ‘Smurfs’ Voice Casts As He Readies Comedy Tour". Deadline. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Sony already smurfing Smurfs 3". Variety.com. April 26, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  15. ↑ Nemiroff, Perri (July 14, 2013). "Exclusive: The Smurfs 3 Will Include an Origin Story". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  16. 1 2 3 Sony Pictures Animation (March 12, 2014). "Sony Pictures Animation Unveils Updated Production Slate" (Press release). PR Newswire. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  17. ↑ "'Get Smurfy': First Look at Demi Lovato, Rainn Wilson-Voiced Film". hollywoodreporter.com. June 14, 2015. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  18. ↑ Alexander, Bryan (February 12, 2016). "Sneak peek: Joe Manganiello, Jack McBrayer are new blue crew in 'Smurfs'". USA Today. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
  19. ↑ Byrge, Duane (April 12, 2013). "Jonathan Winters Dies at 87". Hollywood Reporter.
  20. ↑ "Anton Yelchin obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  21. ↑ "Meghan Trainor Writes "I'm a Lady" for 'Smurfs: The Lost Village'". December 5, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  22. ↑ 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.
  23. ↑ "A Sony Switcheroo: 'Smurfs' Reboot Pushed To 2016, 'Goosebumps' Moved Up To Summer 2015". Deadline.com. May 1, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  24. ↑ Gregg Kidlay (March 25, 2015). "Sony Sets Release Date for Next 'Smurfs' Movie". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  25. ↑ Silas Lesnick (April 13, 2016). "Sony Pictures Teases The Dark Tower, MIB 23, Passengers and More at CinemaCon". Comingsoon.net. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Sony’s ‘Smurfs: The Lost Village’ Finds its Way to Blu-ray July 11". Animation World Network. June 1, 2017. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
  27. ↑ Thomas K. Arnold (July 19, 2017). "‘Fate of the Furious’ Speeds to No. 1 on Disc Charts" (Press release). Variety. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  28. ↑ "Box Office: ‘Smurfs: The Lost Village,’ ‘Going in Style’ Won’t Top ‘Boss Baby’". Variety. April 4, 2017. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  29. ↑ "‘Boss Baby’ Crawls Ahead Of ‘Beauty’ With $26M+; ‘Smurfs’ Lost In 3rd With $14M". Deadline.com.
  30. ↑ http://www.sfgate.com/news/media/Critics-Mixed-On-Smurfs-The-Lost-Village-818322.php
  31. ↑ "Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
  32. ↑ "Smurfs: The Lost Village reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  33. ↑ "CinemaScore". cinemascore.com.
  34. ↑ https://www.thewrap.com/smurfs-the-lost-village-review-demi-lovato-2017/
  35. ↑ http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/smurfs-lost-village-review-988818
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