Sunday lunchtimes in the 80s were a worrying mix of agrarian drudgery and ill-timed community programming (including local police notices – just to hammer home the message of the Lord’s day). Thank goodness then that there was a weekly journey into the French countryside with the animated adventures of those pesky Smurfs.
The blue spawn were recently resurrected and thrust upon a lukewarmly nostaglic public with two live action/CG films starring Neil Patrick Harris and Hank Azaria as the Smurfs’ nemesis Gargamel. The first film was an oddity, but had spirit enough to get us through to the end credits. The second film had nothing to recommend it, and lies almost forgotten in the cinematic wilderness.
Thank goodness then that Sony are throwing us back into a fully animated world with the forthcoming Smurfs: The Lost Village. The cast has a few notable inclusions, namely Rainn Wilson as Gargamel and Demi Lovato as Smurfette. However there’s also Joe Manganiello as Hefty, Jack McBrayer as Clumsy, Danny Pudi as Brainy and Mandy Patinkin as Papa Smurf. So we hope he says ‘Surf? You keep using that word…’
The new trailer released today gives us a fair idea of what’s in store for our blue friends. The Lost Village of the title is revealed in the latter half of the trailer and the mystery it introduces will no doubt propel us onward through the film.
Smurfs: The Lost Village is released in UK cinemas on the 31st of March, 2017.
Smurfnopsis? Smurfaintly…
In this fully animated, all-new take on the Smurfs, a mysterious map sets Smurfette and her best friends Brainy, Clumsy and Hefty on an exciting and thrilling race through the Forbidden Forest filled with magical creatures to find a mysterious lost village before the evil wizard Gargamel does. Embarking on a rollercoaster journey full of action and danger, the Smurfs are on a course that leads to the discovery of the biggest secret in Smurf history!
