The Smurfs in film facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Smurfs
The logo used as part the 2011-13 duology and its two short films
Creator	Peyo
Original work	The Smurfs
Owner	Belvision Studios (The Magic Flute) Sony Pictures Animation (The Smurfs, The Smurfs 2, The Lost Village) Paramount Pictures (upcoming untitled Smurfs animated musical film)
Films and television
Films	1960s Les Aventures des Schtroumpfs "The Smurfnapper" "The Smurfs and the Magic Egg" "The Black Smurfs" "The Smurfs and the Dragon" "The Flying Smurf" 1970s The Smurfs and the Magic Flute 2010s The Smurfs The Smurfs 2 The Lost Village 2020s Untitled Smurfs musical animated film
Short films	2010s The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol The Smurfs: The Legend of Smurfy Hollow

The Smurfs are tiny blue creatures who live in a hidden village. They first appeared in comic books created by the Belgian artist Peyo. Over the years, these popular characters have starred in many movies and TV shows.

The Smurfs have been in five full-length movies and two short films. Their first movie appearance was in 1965. Later, in 1976, The Smurfs and the Magic Flute was released. More recently, Sony Pictures Animation made two live-action/CGI movies: The Smurfs in 2011 and The Smurfs 2 in 2013. These movies featured real actors like Hank Azaria and Neil Patrick Harris, and famous voices like Katy Perry. In 2017, a fully animated movie called Smurfs: The Lost Village came out.

Smurfs Movies

The Smurfs have starred in many exciting films. These movies bring their adventures to life on the big screen.

Early Films from Europe

Some of the first Smurfs movies were made in Belgium and France. These films helped introduce the Smurfs to a wider audience.

Les Aventures des Schtroumpfs (1965)

This movie is a collection of five short cartoons. They were originally made in black and white for TV. Each short tells a different Smurf story:

• Smurfnapped: A Smurf gets caught by the evil wizard Gargamel. The other Smurfs must save him quickly.
• The Smurfs and the Magic Egg: The Smurfs find a special magic egg. But they do not know Gargamel made it.
• The Black Smurfs: A strange sickness spreads through the Smurf village.
• The Smurfs and the Dragon: The Smurfs become friends with a friendly dragon.
• The Flying Smurf: One Smurf tries hard to learn how to fly like a bird.

The Smurfs and the Magic Flute (1976)

This animated film takes place in a castle during the Middle Ages. A jester named Peewit finds a special flute. When he plays it, everyone starts to dance!

A bad man named Matthew McCreep hears about the flute. He steals it from Peewit. McCreep uses the flute to rob people. The King sends Peewit and a young knight named Johan to catch him.

Johan and Peewit visit a wizard named Homnibus. The wizard sends them to Smurfland. There, they meet Papa Smurf and the other Smurfs. They learn the magic flute was made there. The Smurfs decide to make a new flute to stop McCreep.

After making the new flute, Johan and Peewit are sent back. Meanwhile, McCreep has stolen a lot of gold. He plans to hire an army to attack the King's castle. Two Smurfs overhear his plan.

The Smurfs give Johan and Peewit the new magic flute. They all go to the port to stop McCreep. They follow McCreep's secret partner, Earl Flatbroke, to an island. Peewit and McCreep have a flute battle. Peewit wins, and they get all the stolen money back. Peewit ends up with two magic flutes. But Johan tells him they are dangerous. Peewit tries to trick the Smurfs by giving them a fake flute. He later finds out he kept the fake one!

Smurfs Films from America

Later, American studios started making Smurfs movies. These films often mixed live-action with computer animation.

Sony Pictures Animation Films (2011–2017)

Sony Pictures Animation created a series of Smurfs films. These movies brought the Smurfs into the modern world.

The Smurfs (2011)

This was the first Smurfs movie to use CGI animation. It mixed animated Smurfs with real actors. The movie was directed by Raja Gosnell.

In the story, the Smurfs are trying to escape from Gargamel. They accidentally get sent to Central Park in New York City. The Smurfs are tiny, so everything in the human world looks huge. They must find a way to get back to their village. All while avoiding Gargamel, who followed them!

The Smurfs 2 (2013)

A sequel to the 2011 movie was released on July 31, 2013. Raja Gosnell returned as director. Most of the original cast also came back. New actors included Christina Ricci and Brendan Gleeson.

In this movie, Gargamel creates two evil Smurf-like creatures. He calls them the Naughties. He wants to use them to get Smurf-essence, which is a magical power. Gargamel learns that only a real Smurf can help him. He finds out that only Smurfette can turn his Naughties into real Smurfs. So, Gargamel kidnaps Smurfette and takes her to Paris, France.

Papa Smurf, Clumsy, Grouchy, and Vanity go back to the human world. They ask their human friends, Patrick and Grace Winslow, for help. Together, they try to rescue Smurfette from Gargamel. This was the last film for actor Jonathan Winters, who voiced Papa Smurf. He passed away before the movie was released.

Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017)

This movie was a fully computer-animated film. It was produced by Sony Pictures Animation. Kelly Asbury directed the movie.

Smurfs: The Lost Village explores where the Smurfs came from. It shows a new look for the characters and their world. These designs are closer to Peyo's original artwork. The film was released on April 7, 2017. It received mixed reviews. However, many people thought it was better than the live-action Smurfs movies.

Smurfs Short Films

The Smurfs have also appeared in shorter animated films. These specials often celebrate holidays.

The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol

This is a Christmas TV special. It was released on DVD on December 2, 2011. It came out around the same time as The Smurfs movie.

The Smurfs: The Legend of Smurfy Hollow

This is a 22-minute animated Halloween special. It is based on the famous story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The special first showed at a film festival in June 2013. It was released on DVD in September 2013. It later aired on TV in October.

Paramount Pictures Films

A new era of Smurfs films is coming from Paramount Pictures.

Untitled Smurfs Musical Film

In 2022, it was announced that Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Movies would make new Smurfs movies. The first project will be an animated musical film. Pam Brady is writing the story. Chris Miller will direct the movie.

The film is set to be released on February 14, 2025. In 2023, it was announced that singer Rihanna will voice Smurfette. She will also help produce the movie. Plus, she will write and record new songs for the film!

Characters and Voice Actors

Many talented actors have brought the Smurfs and their friends (and enemies!) to life. Here is a list of some of the main characters and the people who voiced them in the movies.

• A gray cell means the character was not in that movie or short film.