All Smurfed up!

The Smurfs (2011)
Certified: U
Duration: 102 minutes
Directed by: Raja Gosnell
Starring: Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays, Hank Azaria, Sofia Vergara, Tim Gunn
Voices of: Jonathan Winters, Katy Perry, Fred Armisen, Alan Cummng, Anton Yelchin, George Lopez
KRS release

If your children liked The Chipmunks, Hop, Yogi Bear and Beverly Hills Chihuahua, there is a very good chance they will like The Smurfs as well. Directed by Raja Gosnell in the same style as his Scooby Doo features, The Smurfs is a rollicking ride of puns and humour. Children will find The Smurfs to be cool while adults will be awash with nostalgia.

The Smurfs are a race of magical, mini troll-like creatures that stand out because of their colour –blue. Their nemesis is evil wizard Gargamel (Hnak Azaria) who is always trying to catch them to get hold of their magical power. However, their village is protected by a magical force field which is broken when a rare blue moon appears.

When the latter phenomenon happens, six of these Smurfs find themselves in modern day Central Park, New York. Led by the wise Papa Smurf (Jonathan Winters), the other Smurfs are: the bumbling Clumsy (Anton Yelchin), the grumbling Grouchy (George Lopez), the feminine Smurfette (Katy Perry), the very intelligent Brainy (Fred Armisen) and the brave Gutsy (Alan Cumming). Gargamel is soon on their tracks.

Patrick (Neil Patrick Harris), who works as an advertising executive, and his wife Grace (Jayma Mays) end up taking the mini blue creatures in. Patrick is having a hard time at work and could soon end up jobless. However, an idea inspired by the Smurfs may well turn his luck around.

The creation of Belgian cartoonist Peyo, the TV series The Smurfs successfully makes the leap to feature-length format. Nothing much has changed: Gargamel is still the bad guy, each Smurf’s character is still encapsulated in its name and the set-up is still the same with slapstick humour being the dominating factor. However, the mix of live action and animation is very well executed. Director Raja Gosnell keeps proceedings moving smoothly and at a fast enough pace to keep his young audience interested.

Hank Azaria as the cheesy Gargamel is given all the chance to ham it up. Katy Perry as Smurfette enjoys having the spotlight on her as she is the only Smurf girl in the blue troupe. While Sofia Vergara as Neil Patrick Harris’s boss is also given the chance to be as obnoxious as possible.

The film also works as an advert for as it really glosses over the city and its attractions. The Smurf characters all live up to their namesakes: for example, Clumsy is very clumsy; but at the same time, they deliver simple lessons to their audience. Adults will enjoy movie references ranging from The Seven Year Itch to Midnight Cowboy.

With all the Smurf that is spoken during the film, chances are your kids will try to speak the language for the rest of the day! One can be sure that a sequel or two are on the way.