“Smurfs” is a franchise most are familiar with. Created by Peyo, a Beguilm cartoonist, the idea was to create something that will inspire the minds of a generation. He picked up his pencil and created a comic series with the help of Pierre Culliford. After years of work, the comic made its debut in 1958.
The comic was simple, on the surface at least. Papa Smurf, a very tiny blue being leads the Smurfs who all have one personality trait. Brainy is smart, Clumsy is clumsy, Grouchy is always mad, Hefty is strong, etc.
All of them want to live peacefully, but everything changes when Gargamel, an evil wizard, “accidentally” discovers their village, which leads him to his plan to capture all the Smurfs with the help of various people and animals.
23 years later, “The Smurfs” cartoon released in 1981.
The cartoon was incredible but wasn’t able to reach the heights of the comic, averaging about 20,000 viewers each time it aired.
The episodes felt aimless, the Smurfs going on random adventures was entertaining but nothing special.
In 1989, the series was left on a cliffhanger as Peyo sadly passed away due to a heart attack.
The Smurfs company wasn’t finished and knew they had to continue this saga.
After years of waiting, “The Smurfs” (2011) film was released on July 29.
No one was prepared for such an earth-shattering, mind-blowing and jaw-dropping experience.
This movie had many great elements that allowed for the large audience it received.
Firstly, the characters. After years of perfecting the brand, “The Smurfs” company finally realized what made the comics so special.
They are loud, obnoxious, and constantly making potty jokes which helps portray traits to represent modern youth.
Should parents steer their children more toward reality, or should they let them goof off and enjoy life until they are older? These questions are constantly echoed throughout the movie and never give you an answer.
Neil Patrick Harris is a main protagonist of this movie and is noticeably terrified of these blue creatures when he first meets them. However they grow on him, and that is the extent of his character.
This is intentional as it makes him a placeholder for the viewer.
Gargamel is a 4-dimensional character not bound to the limitations of the human mind. He starts off as a loser, as he can’t capture the Smurfs, people constantly call him ugly and no one seems to care for him.
He takes this adversity and makes a big business of anti-aging cream. He finds success, which makes everyone start to love him.
This is clearly a critique on society and how we don’t care much for “ugly” people until they get famous.
When his goal of capturing the Smurfs is stumped yet again, society goes back to calling him a loser. He does know his capability and will not stop his plan no matter how many setbacks he faces.
The main theme of this film is product placement. There are approximately 46 products advertised throughout the movie and it’s a clever critique.
There are about 45,000 more themes that could be discussed, but this is the most important ones.
With so many stories of Smurfs spanning over 40 years, there is still plenty of content to decipher.
Beautiful doesn’t even do the franchise justice, and we should be grateful that we lived through such an event.
