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Scott Bowles of ''[[USA Today]]'' enjoyed Azaria's performance calling him "the human standout" and saying "He and his distrusting cat, Azrael, steal scenes". He also called Jonathan Winters "wonderful" as Papa Smurf.<ref name="USA Today"/> Neil Genzlinger of ''[[The New York Times]]'' said Azaria was "quite funny". About the film's content, he said "Those grown-up winks, along with an array of New York locations, make ''The Smurfs'' a surprisingly tolerable film for adults. As for their children, well, who knows with kids? But at least the writers have cleverly built in enough Smurfology that today's youngsters will be able to get the basics of the blue universe".<ref name="NYTimesReview"/> Betsy Sharkey from the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' gave the film a negative review saying, "Director Raja Gosnell starts with the innocence but then loses his way in trying to pull off the hipster spin the script by J. David Stern, David N. Weiss, Jay Scherick and David Ronn is shooting for." and "There are many good actors wasted as voices — Alan Cumming, Fred Armisen and Winters among them — and in the flesh, though the greatest disservice is to Azaria".<ref name="LAReview"/>
Scott Bowles of ''[[USA Today]]'' enjoyed Azaria's performance calling him "the human standout" and saying "He and his distrusting cat, Azrael, steal scenes". He also called Jonathan Winters "wonderful" as Papa Smurf.<ref name="USA Today"/> Neil Genzlinger of ''[[The New York Times]]'' said Azaria was "quite funny". About the film's content, he said "Those grown-up winks, along with an array of New York locations, make ''The Smurfs'' a surprisingly tolerable film for adults. As for their children, well, who knows with kids? But at least the writers have cleverly built in enough Smurfology that today's youngsters will be able to get the basics of the blue universe".<ref name="NYTimesReview"/> Betsy Sharkey from the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' gave the film a negative review saying, "Director Raja Gosnell starts with the innocence but then loses his way in trying to pull off the hipster spin the script by J. David Stern, David N. Weiss, Jay Scherick and David Ronn is shooting for." and "There are many good actors wasted as voices — Alan Cumming, Fred Armisen and Winters among them — and in the flesh, though the greatest disservice is to Azaria".<ref name="LAReview"/>

The response from fans of the original Smurfs comics and the [[The Smurfs (TV series)|animated series]] that followed was also negative. Many expressed disgust with the fart jokes and crude humor that wasn't present in the comics and/or the series. Others felt the two new Smurf characters created specifically for the movie were unnecessary.


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 00:26, 30 July 2011

This article is about the 2011 film. For the 1965 Smurf film, see Les Aventures des Schtroumpfs. For the 1976 film, see The Smurfs and the Magic Flute.
The Smurfs
Teaser poster
Directed byRaja Gosnell
Screenplay byJ. David Stem
David N. Weiss
Jay Scherick
David Ronn
Story byJ. David Stem
David N. Weiss
Produced byJordan Kerner
StarringNeil Patrick Harris
Jayma Mays
Sofía Vergara
Hank Azaria
CinematographyPhil Meheux
Edited bySabrina Plisco
Music byHeitor Pereira
Production
companies
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release dates
  • July 29, 2011 (2011-07-29) (United States)
  • August 10, 2011 (2011-08-10) (United Kingdom)
Running time
102 minutes
CountryTemplate:Film US
LanguageEnglish
Budget$110 million

The Smurfs is a 2011 American 3D family film based on The Smurfs comic book series created by Peyo and the 1980s animated TV series it spawned. It was directed by Raja Gosnell and stars Neil Patrick Harris, Jonathan Winters, Hank Azaria, Jayma Mays, and Sofía Vergara. It is the the first CGI/live-action hybrid film in The Smurfs trilogy.[1] During early production the film was known as The Smurfs Movie.

After five years of negotiations, Jordan Kerner bought the rights in 2002 and was in development with Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies until Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation obtained the film rights in 2008. Filming began in March 2010 in New York. After having the release date changed three times, Columbia Pictures released The Smurfs on July 29, 2011.

Plot

In the Middle Ages, the evil wizard Gargamel (Hank Azaria) discovers the Smurfs' village and chases them into a wooded area. The Smurfs get scattered and Clumsy Smurf (voiced by Anton Yelchin) wanders into a "forbidden" grotto and some of the other Smurfs follow. Since it's also a blue moon, a magical portal within the grotto transports them into present-day Central Park in New York.[2] They take shelter with married couple Patrick and Grace Winslow (Neil Patrick Harris and Jayma Mays) and try to find a way back to their village before Gargamel finds them.[2][3]

Cast

Live action

  • Neil Patrick Harris as Patrick Winslow
  • Jayma Mays as Grace Winslow, Patrick's wife who is pregnant with their first child.
  • Hank Azaria as Gargamel, the arch-nemesis and antagonist of the Smurfs who plots to use the Smurfs as part of a spell which would turn lead into gold. As opposed to the television show where Gargamel's goal is use the Smurfs as the key ingredient in an alchemical formula to create gold, in the film he wants to capture them to serve as charms, "whose mystical essence will make his inept magic more powerful — and dangerous".[2] To look the part of Gargamel, Azaria wore a prosthetic nose, ears, buck teeth, eyebrows and a wig (to make the process easier, he shaved his head). The initial make-up test took three hours, but by mid-production the process took 90 minutes to complete. Azaria was transformed over 50 times and spent approximately 130 hours in the make-up chair.[4]
  • Sofía Vergara as Odile, an executive at a French cosmetics company who is the boss of Patrick Winslow
  • Tim Gunn as Henri, an Executive Assistant at a major cosmetics company

Joan Rivers, Liz Smith, Tom Colicchio, Olivia Palermo and Michael Musto make cameos in the film at a fictional Anjelou cosmetics product launch.[4]

Voice

Further information: List of The Smurfs characters
  • Jonathan Winters as Papa Smurf. Winters also provided the voice of Grandpa Smurf in the original cartoons.
  • Katy Perry as Smurfette. Perry was chosen by the filmakers before ever auditioning for the role. Perry said, "They had done a blind test where they took certain voices from previous interviews and matched them with the character. They liked my voice without even knowing who it was, and when they found out it was me, they thought that would work out. My personality was just a plus!"[4]
  • Fred Armisen as Brainy Smurf
  • Anton Yelchin as Clumsy Smurf. Yelchin commented on his character's personality change from the cartoons series saying, "I was familiar with Clumsy from the TV series, where he had that Southern twang. I went back and watched that, and then Raja, Jordan and I talked about it. We decided to make Clumsy a little simpler, a little sweeter. His voice is pitched higher than my normal speaking voice – it‘s full of joy, optimism, and enthusiasm for life. Clumsy isn't trying to mess anything up for anybody — he's just clumsy, and actually, he‘s tired of being clumsy".[4]
  • Alan Cumming as Gutsy Smurf, one of two Smurfs created specifically for the film and who is Scottish, wears a kilt, and has sideburns. The character is also described the "action hero" of the film.[4]
  • George Lopez as Grouchy Smurf. To prepare for his role of being "grouchy", Lopez did not drink coffee, made sure he had bad breath and picked the busiest time to get to the studio.[4]
  • Jeff Foxworthy as Handy Smurf
  • Paul Reubens as Jokey Smurf
  • Gary Basaraba as Hefty Smurf
  • John Oliver as Vanity Smurf
  • Kenan Thompson as Greedy Smurf
  • B. J. Novak as Baker Smurf
  • Wolfgang Puck as Chef Smurf
  • Adam Wylie as Panicky Smurf the second of two Smurfs created specifically for the film.
  • Frank Welker as Azrael the cat.[5] Welker provided the voice of Hefty Smurf in the original cartoons. Four cats played the role of Azreal with some scenes being done with CGI by Tippett Studio. Animal trainer Larry Madrid had a "rare Burma cat" that was used to educe snarls from the other cats since they did not like him.[4]

Production

Development

In 1997 producer Jordan Kerner sent the first "of a series of letters" to The Smurfs' licensing agent Lafig Belgium expressing interest in making a feature film. It was not until 2002 after a draft of Kerner's film adaptation of Charlotte's Web was read by Peyo's heirs, that they accepted Kerner's offer. Peyo's daughter Véronique Culliford and family had wanted to make a Smurfs film for years and said that Kerner was the first person to pitch a film that shared their "vision and enthusiasm".[4] Kerner soon began developing the 3-D CGI feature film with Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies.[6][7] In 2006, Kerner said the film was planned to be a trilogy and would explain more of Gargamel's backstory. He stated, "We'll learn [more] about Gargamel and Smurf Soup and how all that began and what really goes on in that castle. What his backstory really was. There's an all-powerful wizard… there’s all sorts of things that get revealed as we go along".[6] Early animation footage was leaked on the internet in early 2008.[8] The filmmakers were allowed to create three new Smurfs for the film – Panicky, Crazy, and Gutsy.[4]

In June 2008, it was announced that Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation obtained the film rights from Lafig Belgium.[9] Kerner said the current project started with Sony during a conversation with the chairman-CEO Michael Lynton, who grew up watching The Smurfs in the Netherlands. Kerner explained, "He relished them as I do and suggested that it should be a live-action/CG film. Amy Pascal felt equally that there was potentially a series of films in the making".[7] Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third writers, David Stem and David Weiss wrote the screenplay along with Zookeeper writers Jay Scherick and David Ronn; Stem and Weiss also wrote the story. Raja Gosnell directed.[7][10] Quentin Tarantino was in talks to play Brainy Smurf.[11]

Filming and animation

On a budget of $110 million,[12] principal photography began in New York City on March 26, 2010.[13] In May, scenes were filmed in the SoHo of Manhattan.[14] That month, scenes were shot all night for five nights in a row at F.A.O. Schwartz toy store.[4] Production was temporarily halted after a worker fell 30 feet from a set at toy store on Fifth Avenue and 58th Street; he later recovered in a hospital.[15] Other locations used for filming were Belvedere Castle, the Russian Tea Room, Rockefeller Center, and Brooklyn's Prospect Park.[4] A Belvedere Castle set was built as an exact replica of the real castle, but is two-thirds the actual size and has wooden grates as floors to create additional contrast. Gargamel's dungeon under Belvedere Castle, which included the "Smurfalator", was built on a soundstage. It took three months to build because some parts were hard to come by. Production eventually found the rare parts at garage sales, flea markets, on eBay and Craigslist.[4]

The Smurf characters were created during post-production by Sony Pictures Imageworks. In order to help cinematographer Phil Meheux and his team light up a scene were the Smurfs would be added, they used 7½-inch tall models to stand in during set-up and rehearsal. He said, "We can then position the light so that it falls right. The actors know where the Smurf will be when it is animated later, so their eyelines will match. Then we can take out the model and shoot the scene, and they look quite real, fitting the real backing that we're giving them. It looks like they're part of the surroundings".[4] Also during the process the Imageworks visual effects team used a new camera system to precisely record the on-set lighting, so it could be applied later in the computer.[4] When time came to film a scene that would include actors and Smurfs, each Smurf was represented by a different colored dot and the actors had to remember which dot was which Smurf.[4] 268 Imageworks employees spent 358,000 hours animating the Smurfs.[4]

Release

The film's North American theatrical release date was originally December 17, 2010, but it was pushed to July 29, 2011.[16] It was pushed back again to August 3, 2011.[17] On March 25, 2011, the release date was reverted back to July 29, 2011.[18] For marketing, Sony teamed up with marketing partners in the United States and Canada to promote the film with McDonald's Happy Meals and with Post Foods brand cereal with special blue-and-white cereal box.[12]

Box office

Exhibitor Relations predicts The Smurfs will rank third its opening weekend with $24 million but analyst Jeff Bock adds that the film "could be a dark horse and do better than expected".[19]

Reception

Critical response

The film received generally negative reviews from film critics. As of July 2011, review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 19% of 58 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 4.0 out of 10.[20] On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 36 based on 16 reviews.[21]

Keith Staskiewicz of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a D+ saying, "The Smurfs may be blue, but their movie is decidedly green, recycling discarded bits from other celluloid Happy Meals like Alvin and the Chipmunks, Garfield, and Hop into something half animated, half live action, and all careful studio calculation".[22] Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a negative review saying, "This numbingly generic Smurf-out-of-water-tale is strictly for those who stand closer to three apples tall." Ending the review he said, "Having previously helmed two Scooby-Doos and a Beverly Hills Chihuahua, director Raja Gosnell could probably have done this one in his sleep, which is likely where all but the most attentive of caregivers will helplessly find themselves drifting."[23]

Roger Moore of the Orlando Sentinel gave it two out of four stars saying, "The good news about the big-screen 3D version of The Smurfs that’s opening at your neighborhood multiplex is that it’s not the insipid and some say "socialist" Smurfs you remember from 1980s TV". He called the slapstick "very small-kid friendly" and called the adult-friendly jokes "pretty mild stuff". He closed his review saying, "Yeah, the Smurfs are still sickeningly sweet and upbeat. But if you’ve got kids, it's not nearly as torturous to sit through as you might have feared".[24] Justin Chang of Variety gave the film a positive review saying, "For a movie largely concerned with the misadventures of a character named Clumsy, The Smurfs is not without a certain deftness: Adorable and annoying, patently unnecessary yet kinda sweet, it's a calculated commercial enterprise with little soul but an appreciable amount of heart". He went on to say, "While hardly sophisticated enough to transcend its strictly-for-kids designation, the script does wink knowingly in the direction of attentive adults" but added "the pic keeps its self-parodying instincts mostly in check. More time is spent espousing earnest, family-friendly lessons about the importance of embracing adventure, realizing your self-worth and, in one unexpectedly touching tete-a-tete between Patrick and Papa Smurf, being a good dad".[25]

Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle gave the film a mixed review. He said, "For those who have viewed the commercials, even a passable big-screen The Smurfs will seem like a miracle. But this is the rare movie where the worst parts are in the promos". He called Harris' performance an "honest effort in a thankless role" but said that Azaria as Gargamel "Hidden under prosthetics, [Hank Azaria] compensates for his lack of good lines and repulsive makeup by overacting". He closed his review saying, "Harris, mostly acting against Marshmallow Peep-sized animated creations, is convincing and likable throughout. No doubt he will poke fun at his participation in this film the next time he's hosting an awards show, but don't be fooled. It takes a good actor to save a bad movie".[26] Ty Burr of The Boston Globe gave it a negative review saying, "There is creepy animal CGI. There is needless 3-D. There are random movie quotes. The voice of Grouchy is provided by George Lopez, who truly has to be stopped. In all, the worst parts of The Smurfs can probably be summed up in two words: Smurf rap". Burr echoed Harlaub's praise for Harris' performance by saying, "Harris manages to class up whatever he touches, even if the sight of him repeatedly hitting himself with an umbrella probably won't go on the career highlight reel". About Azaria, he said, "[Azaria] gets to put on a baldy wig and fake buck-teeth and overact as broadly as he can. A little of this goes a long way unless you're 6 years old, which is the point". He also added that Sofia Vergara "shares the screenplay's confusion as to what, exactly, she's doing here".[27]

Scott Bowles of USA Today enjoyed Azaria's performance calling him "the human standout" and saying "He and his distrusting cat, Azrael, steal scenes". He also called Jonathan Winters "wonderful" as Papa Smurf.[28] Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times said Azaria was "quite funny". About the film's content, he said "Those grown-up winks, along with an array of New York locations, make The Smurfs a surprisingly tolerable film for adults. As for their children, well, who knows with kids? But at least the writers have cleverly built in enough Smurfology that today's youngsters will be able to get the basics of the blue universe".[29] Betsy Sharkey from the Los Angeles Times gave the film a negative review saying, "Director Raja Gosnell starts with the innocence but then loses his way in trying to pull off the hipster spin the script by J. David Stern, David N. Weiss, Jay Scherick and David Ronn is shooting for." and "There are many good actors wasted as voices — Alan Cumming, Fred Armisen and Winters among them — and in the flesh, though the greatest disservice is to Azaria".[30]

The response from fans of the original Smurfs comics and the animated series that followed was also negative. Many expressed disgust with the fart jokes and crude humor that wasn't present in the comics and/or the series. Others felt the two new Smurf characters created specifically for the movie were unnecessary.

References

  1. ^ "NPH Set for The Smurfs?". Fused Film. March 4, 2010. Retrieved March 26, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  2. ^ a b c Breznican, Anthony (June 16, 2010). "First look: Big Apple will be Smurf turf, in 3-D". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
  3. ^ "Here's Hank Azaria as Gargamel in The Smurfs". ComingSoon.net. CraveOnline Media. April 30, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "The Smurf's Production Notes" (PDF). Sony. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
  5. ^ "The Smurfs". Zap2it. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  6. ^ a b Morris, Clint (November 27, 2006). "The latest on Smurfs movie and Mighty Ducks 4". Moviehole.net. Archived from the original on December 13, 2007. Retrieved March 29, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  7. ^ a b c Siegel, Tatiana (June 9, 2008). "Col, SPA send 'Smurfs' to bigscreen". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  8. ^ "First Look at the Big Screen Smurfs". ComingSoon.net. CraveOnline Media. February 16, 2008. Retrieved March 29, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  9. ^ "Columbia, SPA Bringing Smurfs to the Big Screen". ComingSoon.net. CraveOnline Media. June 10, 2008. Retrieved March 29, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  10. ^ "Scooby-Doo Director Takes on Smurfs". ComingSoon.net. CraveOnline Media. July 8, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  11. ^ Abramowitz, Rachel (March 29, 2010). "Quentin Tarantino as Brainy Smurf? Think again". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
  12. ^ a b Kaufman, Amy (July 28, 2011). "Movie Projector: 'Cowboys & Aliens' will trample 'Smurfs'". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  13. ^ Goldberg, Mark (April 5, 2010). "THE SMURFS Begins Production in New York". Collider.com. Retrieved April 6, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  14. ^ "The Smurfs take Manhattan". New York Post. News Corporation. May 11, 2010. Retrieved June 20, 2010.
  15. ^ Schram, Jamie (May 21, 2010). "Film-set fall: Ouch, that 'Smurfs!!'". New York Post. News Corporation. Retrieved June 20, 2010.
  16. ^ "The Smurfs Movie Release Pushed Back". ReelzChannel. September 14, 2009. Retrieved March 25, 2010. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  17. ^ "The Smurfs". ComingSoon.net. CraveOnline Media. Retrieved March 25, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  18. ^ "Sony Bumps Up 'The Smurfs' To July 29". Deadline.com. March 25, 2011. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
  19. ^ Pomerantz, Dorothy (July 28, 2011). "The Smurfs Try to Make it Big". Forbes. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
  20. ^ "The Smurfs (2011)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
  21. ^ "The Smurfs Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  22. ^ Staskiewicz, Keith (July 27, 2011). "The Smurfs Review". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
  23. ^ Rechtshaffen, Michael (July 28, 2011). "The Smurfs: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  24. ^ Moore, Roger (July 28, 2011). "Movie Review: The Smurfs". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  25. ^ Chang, Justin (July 28, 2011). "The Smurfs". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  26. ^ Hartlaub, Peter (July 29, 2011). "Smurfs are back with antics, lots of animated adventure". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
  27. ^ Burr, Ty (July 29, 2011). "Ty Burr Says Cast Members Inject Fun Into The Smurfs". The Boston Globe. The New York Times Company. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
  28. ^ Bowles, Scott (July 28, 2011). "Fans of old 'Smurfs' may feel a little blue". USA Today. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
  29. ^ Genzlinger, Neil (July 28, 2011). "The Smurfs (2011) Review". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
  30. ^ Sharkey, Betsy (July 29, 2011). "Movie review: 'The Smurfs'". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved July 29, 2011.

Further reading

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