The Smurfs Reincarnated…In 3-D!!

Anyone that was an “80’s” baby (as I) can remember those lovable little blue people (if I can call them that)with their white curved hats (except for the one with the red) and there was only one young female in the entire clan (remember there was a Grandma)?! Or how about the slightly balding wizard with the cat who was always chasing those poor blue creatures? If you haven’t guessed already, I’m speaking about The Smurfs!! Whether you’re aware or not, there’s a remake in the works, due to be released August 3, 2011. The remake won’t be anything like the cartoon we’ve been accustomed too, because this film is a live-action/ CGI-animated film (think of the same animation as The Shreks, Ice Ages, The Chipmunks, Enchanted, etc). My children aren’t too familiar with these characters, so just like I reacquainted them with The Chipmunks, and Garfield, I think they can get to know these characters too. This film is directed by Raja Gosnell, who is also the director of Beverly Hills Chihuahua(2008) and Scooby Doo (2002), and it’s written by J. David Stern. Since the film is live-action, there are real actors and voice over actors; some of the real actors to play in the film are Neil Patrick Harris (as Patrick Winslow), Jayma Mays (as Grace Winslow), Hank Azaria (as Gargamel), and Sofia Vergara (as Odile). Some of the voice over actors are Jonathan Winters (as Papa Smurf), Katy Perry (as Smurfette), Alan Cumming (as Gutsy Smurf), George Lopez (as Grouch Smurf), Kenan Thompson (as Greedy Smurf), and Jeff Foxworthy (as Handy Smurf)….there’s no doubt the cast is all-star, now hopefully the movie measures up too!! A little background into the Smurfs, for those who weren’t aware (me being one of them): The Smurfs (which in French is Les Schtroumpfs) was originally a comic and TV franchise. These characters were first created and introduced as a series of comic strips by a Belgian cartoonist by the name of Peyo on Oct. 23, 1958, and didn’t become the cartoon series that I remember watching until 1981. The cartoon series was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and aired on NBC from 1981 to 1989. The 3-D version has a similar plot to the series so it shouldn’t be too hard to follow: It’s set in the middle ages and the evil wizard Gargamel and his cat, Azrael, locate the Smurfs’ village and chase them into the woods. The Smurf’s get split up from each other and Clumsy Smurf (voiced by Anton Yelchin) wanders off into a prohibited area of the woods and some of the others follow him, even though they were already warned by Papa Smurf regarding this. Little do the Smurfs know that the forbidden area is magical and they end up being transported into real-life Central Park in New York where they wind up living with a married couple (Patrick and Grace Winslow). Their mission throughout the movie will be to find their way back home to their village and avoid Gargamel and his cat in the process. Does it sound interesting for you and your family?! It’s peeking my interest so I’m thinking I’ll be there…will you?!
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