Latest news with #Gargamel
Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Our reviewer wanted to like the new ‘Smurfs' movie, but it totally blue
We're nearing the home stretch for kiddie summer movies, moms and dads. Stay hydrated and nourished, because your multiplex chaperone duties aren't truly over until early August or so, when the fare turns distinctively adult-themed before going full prestige in the child-unfriendly zone of fall awards season. But with the messy, strained 'Smurfs' on offer this weekend, a tired parent may want to bail early and find a last-minute sleepaway camp to shove the little ones off to instead, because this latest big-screen version of the cute-culture behemoth may test your tolerance for all things wee and cerulean. As legacy management goes, it's more trial than celebration. Even if you grew up with Belgian artist Peyo's utopian woodland humanoids (rendered with Hanna-Barbera efficiency for cheap '80s television), nostalgia isn't on offer here — just the usual running tap of attention-driven wackiness, creating a fast-growing puddle of gags, colors, songs (including pop icon Rihanna's contributions) and believe-in-yourself platitudes that feel random, not earned. As deployed by 'Shrek' franchise veteran Chris Miller ('Puss in Boots'), animation is less a storied artistic method with which to enchant, so much as a whiz-bang weapon of mass distraction, scalable and noisy. The Smurfs themselves have come in for something of an origin makeover. No longer simple, communal mushroom-village inhabitants with happy lives centered on personality quirks and avoiding a mean wizard, in this telling (written by Pam Brady) they hail from a line of ancient, cosmic guardians of goodness, a background that feels beholden to the superhero mindset overriding so much popcorn gruel these days. Conversely, the baddies, wizard brothers Gargamel and new antagonist Razamel (both amusingly snarled into existence by voice actor JP Karliak, channeling Harvey Korman), belong to — what else? — an Evil Alliance set on world domination. Everything about the story, from opening to closing dance party, feels like it was made up on an especially unimaginative playdate by bored kids who'd rather be watching TV. A Smurf called No Name (James Corden) wants to be known for something, like his trait-defined pals Hefty, Vanity, Grouchy, Baker and Clumsy. Close friend Smurfette (Rihanna), the village's confident, outgoing badass, tries to buck him up, but he sings a boring who-am-I lament anyway. Papa Smurf (John Goodman) is kidnapped through a portal, the first of many. There's a missing magical book given the name Jaunty (Amy Sedaris). The Smurf rescue party goes to a disco in Paris. Then the Australian Outback. Outer space too. Natasha Lyonne voices the leader of an underground species of what look like scratchy couch pillows. Razamel hates Gargamel. Papa has a red-bearded brother, Ken (Nick Offerman tiringly doing Nick Offerman), and we learn later, a long-lost sibling named Ron (Kurt Russell). All these brothers, yet I still wouldn't say family dynamics are a going emotional concern. Sometimes everyone floats in the air. Mostly, it'll be your mind. But turn away for one second, and the characters will have likely gone to another dimension. Because, of course, multiverses are really popular now too. Like the kind in which no voice cast member was likely in the same city as any other when they phoned in their lines. At least the animators looked like they stayed busy. At one point, when dimension-palooza hurtles our tiny blue posse into different animation modes — claymation, pencil drawings, 8-bit video graphics — there's a whiff of the delightful, meta-zany chaos of classic cartoons. But for the most part, 'Smurfs' hews to the textbook silliness of CGI-generated action and attitude humor, only this time so needlessly zigging and zagging it barely has time to convincingly sell its ultimate message of strength in togetherness. An incoherent movie is hardly the vessel for that kind of lesson. When it ends, though, it'll definitely feel like an example of kindness.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Rihanna and James Corden team up for one of the worst films I've ever seen
Readers familiar with the comic book characters the Smurfs will be aware that one of their most longstanding customs is swapping in the word 'Smurf' for various nouns in their ordinary speech. It's a habit which can also be usefully adopted by anyone trying to review the little blue forest sprites' latest film in a way suitable for publication in a family newspaper, because it allows one to succinctly spell out just what a colossal pile of 'Smurf' the whole thing is. The trailers suggested a sylvan singalong adventure in the same vein as the (rather fun and lovely) Trolls films from DreamWorks: alas, Smurfs makes even the middling Trolls 3 (Trolls Band Together) look like late-period Hayao Miyazaki by comparison. It has all the charm and personality of a dented traffic cone and features perhaps the single most tin-eared screenplay – in which Papa Smurf is kidnapped by the villainous wizard Gargamel, and Smurfette leads a globe-trotting mission to free him – that I have ever encountered in my two decades as a critic. 'Well, that was quite the successful spite mission,' says Gargamel in one scene (spite mission?) – while elsewhere a sentient spell book called Jaunty keeps saying 'cha cha cha!', very annoyingly, for no discernible reason, and a second sidekick character, a slow-witted turtle, uses 'what the shell?' as a mild surrogate expletive not once, but twice. Did ChatGPT take a pass at the script? And if not, should it have? You'd pity the cast, if not for the fact that – easy cheque aside – it's unclear why any of them are in it. John Goodman, Nick Offerman and Kurt Russell play various Smurf elders (naturally the Smurfs are no longer just playful magical creatures but are descended from ancient guardians of the blah blah blah), while Smurfette, the village's lone female Smurf, is voiced in a husky contralto by the R&B singer Rihanna: perhaps the person who sounds least like a Smurf on all of planet Earth, with the arguable exception of Tom Waits. James Corden, formerly of the first two Trolls films, co-stars as the bluntly named No Name, who has yet to work out his signature Smurf ability – like Hefty Smurf, Brainy Smurf and the others. The upshot of this is much unfortunate (and unintentional?) double-entendre-laden dialogue in which Corden constantly complains about 'not being able to find [his] thing', conjuring mental images to freeze the blood. The plot involves a handful of Smurfs boomeranging around a few seemingly randomly selected live-action locations – Paris, the Australian Outback, a motorway just outside of Munich – while Gargamel's brother Razamel (JP Karliak) tries to catch them in the hope of stealing the sentient spell book (he's welcome to it) and thereby restoring the power of an ancient wizarding cabal. The animated characters mesh quite nicely with these real-world backdrops – and the artists generally find workable ways to replicate the classic spirited comic strip style in three-dimensional space. But a baleful cut-price air looms over the whole exercise: even a conceptually imaginative dash through a number of alternative stylistic dimensions – claymation, 8-bit video game, anime and so on – looks like an afterthought, hastily cobbled together to give the trailer more juice. (And was also transparently cribbed from the 'abstract thought' sequence in Inside Out.) But will it keep the kids quiet for an hour and a half? Probably not, though it is loud enough that you won't be able to hear them complain.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
DFW Goes Blue as The Smurf Experience Opens in Texas
The indoor adventure land through the magical world of the Smurfs makes its U.S. Debut in Arlington on May 7, 2025 ARLINGTON, Texas, April 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Get ready to shrink down, turn blue and journey into the land of the Smurfs to help save the world from the evil wizard, Gargamel! With sold out crowds and over 2 million happy visitors across Europe, The Smurf Experience is officially making its U.S. debut in DFW, Texas for a limited time. Opening May 7, 2025, at Arlington's Esports Stadium located at 1200 Ballpark Way, Arlington, TX 76011, this 13,000-square-foot, fully immersive attraction will transport families into the heart of Smurf Village. The 75-minute experience will feature nine mission-based zones filled with interactive scavenger hunts, obstacle courses, virtual reality adventures, meet-and-greets with beloved Smurf characters and more. It's hands-on, high-energy and full of Smurftastic fun for kids and parents alike. The Smurf Experience is not to be missed and is only in Texas until the end of the Summer. Tickets are now available at with options for the whole family. "The Smurfs may be small, but their journey has been anything but. From their origins in Europe in the 1950's to their increasing global popularity, we are excited to bring the world of the Smurfs to life for families in DFW! Based on the success of the attraction in Europe, we believe US audiences will thoroughly enjoy the launch of The Smurf Experience," said SBX Group's CEO, Danny Fritz. "When my father first drew these little blue characters decades ago, I don't think he ever imagined that they'd one day jump off the pages and be able to physically interact with families around the world. It is wonderful to see The Smurf Experience bring the Smurfs, their story and their values to life in such a meaningful way," said Véronique Culliford, Founder & President of Peyo Company and daughter of Peyo. Located inside Arlington's Esports Stadium at the Arlington Museum of Art and just steps away from AT&T Stadium, Globe Life Field and Six Flags Over Texas—The Smurf Experience is perfectly placed in the heart of Arlington's entertainment district. Timed perfectly with the release of Paramount Pictures' new Smurfs movie (hitting theaters July 2025), this summer-long adventure builds on the excitement of the big screen. The film stars Rihanna as both a producer and the voice of Smurfette. She's also behind the soundtrack's hottest musical hits. The Smurf Experience lets fans step into the world of the Smurfs ahead of the film's release—creating unforgettable moments for families to share together. The Smurf Experience was designed by Belgium-based agency Cecoforma in collaboration with Smurf parent entity Peyo Company. SBX Group, a leader in entertainment attractions, is working with Cecoforma and Peyo Company to adapt the experience for North American audiences. SBX is also partnering with Leap Event Technology as the Official Ticketing Provider for The Smurf Experience in North America. Leap provides a suite of technology, marketing, and data solutions for some of the world's biggest sports and entertainment brands. About SBX GroupSBX Group is a leading global entertainment agency with two distinct divisions: talent and attractions. The talent division represents the business interests of renowned athletes and high-profile media personalities. SBX cultivates strategic partnerships, joint ventures, owned brand IPs, and charitable initiatives, maximizing their clients' commercial success and personal brand impact. The attractions division specializes in creating, owning, and operating captivating live entertainment experiences. This includes innovative touring productions and permanent installations in major entertainment hubs. For more information, visit About Cecoformacecoforma SA is a leading events and communications company headquartered in Belgium. From its bases in Brussels and Liege it organises annually over 1000 events, conferences and exhibitions with integrated communication and marketing campaigns all over the world. cecoforma operates two business units: one focusing on providing services to institutional and public sector clients, and one conceiving, designing and manufacturing immersive cultural experiences to the wider public. Acquired in 1992 by its owner, Stephan Uhoda, cecoforma has enjoyed continual growth and now boasts a team of 120+ professionals working hard behind the scenes to creating engagement activities that matter to our clients' audiences. The Smurf Experience was designed by Cecoforma along with designer and artistic director Marcos Viñals Bassols, in collaboration with Smurf parent entity Peyo Company. For more information, visit and About The Smurfs ™/ Peyo CompanyBlue and cute, standing only three apples high, the Smurfs value team spirit, loyalty, optimism, fun and respect for nature. They might be hard to tell apart at first, however, each Smurf has his or her own particularity. They live in a village full of mushroom-shaped houses, hidden in the heart of a magic forest where few people venture to go. Born in a comic book in 1958, Peyo's little blue characters have been spreading happiness and entertaining kids and families for generations. The Smurfs animated series (2021) is airing worldwide on Nickelodeon and is available on Netflix. A new Smurfs movie produced and distributed by Paramount Pictures/Nickelodeon Animation and starring Rihanna as Smurfette has been recently announced with a summer 2025 worldwide theatrical release. For more information, visit Media Contacts:The Vokol GroupKatie Mudd, 393832@ 214.676.4254Dana Cobb, 393832@ 972.955.9747 View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE The Smurf Experience Sign in to access your portfolio
