For those of you too young to remember The Smurfs, it was a Hanna-Barbera cartoon from the 1980s the featured tiny happy-go-lucky blue people that lived in mushrooms and avoided the evil wizard Gargamel. It was definitely one of the shows I fondly remembered from my childhood.
I probably wouldn’t have minded it that much if they released an entirely CGI adaptation that closely followed the plot of the show. However, like all the recent cartoon adaptations, such as Alvin and the Chipmunks and Yogi Bear, the film had to go modern. As such, the film sees the Smurfs heading the New York City and tormenting Neil Patrick Harris and Jayma Mays. Gargamel is there too, played in live action by Hank Azaria.
I really don’t like how the film make makes fun of the Smurfs uses of the word “smurf” as a verb (in this case, replacing profanities). I also wasn’t a big fan of the sexual innuendo involving Smurfette (who for some reason is voiced by Katy Perry) and a Scottish Smurf I don’t believe was even in the cartoon.
Eh, I’m probably a grouchy old man (despite only being in my late 20s) and today’s kids would probably enjoy this film better than I would. Do today’s kids even know who The Smurfs are?