Latest news with #PapaSmurf
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The character meet-and-greets at Bluewater this summer from Bluey to Peppa Pig
Bluey, Paddington, and Papa Smurf are among the characters delighting children at Bluewater this summer. The Kent shopping centre is hosting a series of free meet-and-greet events every Thursday from July 24 to August 28, featuring popular children's characters and designed to keep families entertained throughout the school holidays. Each day includes five sessions, one of which is adapted for children with special educational needs. James Waugh, centre director at Bluewater, said: "We know families in and around Kent are looking for fun events to keep the little ones entertained through the summer holidays, so we're pleased to offer a free, all-weather option here at Bluewater. "We're looking forward to seeing lots of smiling faces at the centre this summer." The full line-up begins with Papa Smurf and Clumsy Smurf on July 24, followed by Peppa Pig, Mummy Pig, and baby pig Evie on July 31. Bluey and Bingo appear on August 7, with Gabby's Dollhouse on August 14, Hey Duggee on August 21, and Paddington rounding off the summer on August 28. Read more All 24 songs Oasis will sing at London's Wembley Stadium - Full tour setlist All the family shows and activities this summer at Orchard Theatre Dartford Beckenham choir releases 'powerful' cover of chart-topping song Tickets are free but must be booked in advance. Visitors can register for Bluewater's PLUS+ scheme to receive ticket information and booking links. In addition to the character events, families can enjoy Hangloose Adventure, Dinotropolis, the Bluewater Nature Trail, and the Showcase Cinema de Lux. The centre also offers a wide range of family-friendly dining options, including Wagamama, Pho, and Wingstop.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
‘Smurfs' movie review: Rihanna leads a gentle giggle through action and song
A reviewer's work day is sometimes like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates — you never know what you are going to get. Going into the Smurf movie with zero expectations turned out to be a fun experience. The screaming and laughing children in the audience might have contributed to all-round glee. Smurfs (English) Director: Chris Miller Voice cast: Rihanna, James Corden, Nick Offerman, JP Karliak, Daniel Levy, Amy Sedaris, Natasha Lyonne, Sandra Oh, Jimmy Kimmel, Octavia Spencer Run time: 92 minutes Storyline: When Papa Smurf is kidnapped by evil wizards, Smurfette and gang swing to the rescue. Based on Belgian artist Peyo's comic books, Smurfs kicks off with a sweet SpongeBob SquarePants short, 'Order up', where SpongeBob rings the order bell at a diner so often as to drive Squidward round the bend. Then we are in the Smurf village where all the Smurfs are happy in their identities from Hefty (Alex Winter) and Vanity (Maya Erskine) to Brainy (Xolo Maridueña) and Clumsy (Hugo Miller). Only No Name (James Corden) has not found his 'thing' and so does not have a name. It does not matter how much Smurfette (Rihanna), the only female Smurf, and Papa Smurf (John Goodman), the village leader, try to reassure him that his time will come, No Name is sad to be the only Smurf in the village without a thing or a name. In another dimension, wicked intergalactic wizards, Asmodius (Octavia Spencer), Chernobog (Nick Kroll) and Jezebeth (Hannah Waddingham) are planning to leach all the goodness from the world and fill it with darkness. They have captured the three magic books and if they get the fourth, Jaunty (Amy Sedaris), then their evil plans will be complete. Wizard brothers, Gargamel and Razamel (JP Karliak) hope to get a seat at the high table by capturing Jaunty. They kidnap Papa Smurf to find out where the book is. As Papa is being teleported, he tells Smurfette and the others to find his brother Ken (Nick Offerman). Smurfette and gang land in Paris and head to the Australian outback to find and free Papa. All comes right in the end in psychedelic colours and bright bursts of song, including Punjabi music in 'Higher Love' by Desi Trill featuring DJ Khaled, Subhi, Cardi B, and Natania, and 'Balle Balouza' by Natania, Subhi & The Indian Connect. Smurfs has a psychedelic vibe, especially in the nine dimensions, giving a very multiverse feeling and that Parisian club the Smurfs go to is zingy fun. There are gentle laughs to be had with Razamel's video call with the other wizards, when he does not realise he is on mute and his long suffering 'hench-minion' Joel (Dan Levy) asking for a good review on LinkedIn as this is his first job. ALSO READ:The Smurfs - No fun at all Gargamel's cat, Azrael's expressions are a hoot. Poker Face's Natasha Lyonne has fun as the leader of the cake-mad strange beings called Snooterpoots while Sandra Oh is all dangerous posh as Moxie, the leader of the French underground. At 92 minutes, Smurfs whizzes by on a sea of dazzling colours, action and little jokes—enough to keep its very young target audience giggling and the accompanying grown-ups passively entertained. Smurfs is currently running in theatres
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How ‘Smurfs' points to the dire straits of the Best Animated Feature Oscar race
With apologies to Papa Smurf, it's been a rough smurfin' year for theatrical animation. The first half of 2025 has seen a box-office resurgence for family fare with A Minecraft Movie, How to Train Your Dragon and the billion-dollar-grossing Lilo & Stitch all racking up massive numbers. But all three of those movies were live-action features — albeit live-action features that used extensive amounts of computer animation. Stranger still, Lilo and Dragon were remakes of animated movies released by their respective studios, Disney and Universal, over a decade ago. Meanwhile, the animated films that have been released in U.S. theaters in the past seven months are mostly a distant afterthought with audiences and critics. With a 20 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes and dismal tracking numbers, Paramount's attempt to relaunch the Smurfs franchise is unlikely to change 2025's unfortunate trajectory when it opens in theaters this weekend — even with Rihanna onboard as an executive producer and the new voice of Smurfette. More from Gold Derby 'She dies with me': Shari Lewis' daughter talks Lamb Chop's final act - including a new TV show and that song that will never end 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert': Reflecting on its Emmy legacy as cancellation shocks Hollywood That leaves Oscar voters with little to root for — let alone vote for — in the Best Animated Feature category as we head into the second half of the year. Fortunately, there are some bright cartoony spots on the horizon, including In Your Dreams from Netflix, another SpongeBob Squarepants film from Paramount, and Disney's Zootopia 2, which is expected to run wild at the Thanksgiving box office. But in a category with five nominees, a couple more contenders are going to be required. With that in mind, we looked back at the seven biggest animated titles released between January and July and ranked them by their Academy Awards potential. Just call us Oscar Smurf. 7. Sneaks (April 18) Just barely released in theaters during the spring, this talking sneaker comedy didn't even crack $1 million at the domestic box office, despite the presence of an all-star cast including Anthony Mackie, Martin Lawrence, and Macy Gray. Critics' reactions hovered between baffled to bothered, with many noting that despite the similarity to Cars — i.e., giving life to otherwise inanimate objects — the animation quality was light years removed from Pixar. Even in a thin field, Sneaks is likely to remain at the bottom of 2025's animation locker. 6. Smurfs (July 18) Fun fact: the latest Smurfs feature opens in theaters exactly 60 years after their first big-screen outing, 1965's The Adventures of the Smurfs, a now-lost compilation of black-and-white made-for-TV shorts starring the Belgian cartoon characters. A hand-drawn European-made original film followed in 1976 and then Hollywood took over in the 2000s, with Sony releasing three films between 2011 and 2017. None of those movies were Oscar contenders in their respective years and while the latest attempt is a modest improvement — one memorable scene finds Smurfette and her sidekick No Name Smurf (James Corden) racing through different animation styles, from anime to 8-bit video game — it's still, at heart, an I.P. grab. On the other hand, Rihanna does stand a legitimate shot at a Best Original Song nod for one of her earworm-y tunes ... if only so the Oscars can guarantee her presence (and a possible performance) at next year's ceremony. 5. The King of Kings (April 11) Faith-based features rarely factor into the Oscar race in any medium, but this animated retelling of Jesus' life does boast an impressive vocal cast — including Mark Hamill, Uma Thurman, Kenneth Branagh, and Oscar Isaac as Christ himself. (Funnily enough, Isaac played Jesus' earthly dad, Joseph, in the 2006 film The Nativity Story opposite Keisha Castle-Hughes as Mary.) The Angel Studios-distributed movie also earned a solid $60 million at the box office, suggesting it found an audience outside of the genre's traditional crowd. But reviewers did note the saccharine tone and the mixed quality of the animation, which could be the deciding factor with Oscar voters. 4. KPop Demon Hunters (June 20) A surprise Netflix smash when it dropped on the service in June, this delightful fusion of KPop and demon slaying has deservedly gone viral with younger audiences. The streaming service gave the movie an Oscar-qualifying limited theatrical run in New York and Los Angeles, which means it is eligible for the Animated Feature statuette. But the punk-rock title may prove to be a hindrance as voters sift through their many, many screeners. Let's hope their kids persuade them otherwise. 3. Dog Man (Jan. 15) Believe it or not, the feature film version of Dav Pikey's beloved series of graphic novels remains the year's highest-grossing cartoon released in U.S. theaters with a $97 million tally. That alone makes it a strong contender for nomination, but Dog Man also offers beautifully stylized animation that brings the comic book characters to life and, as many have noted, the story is essentially RoboCop for kids. Not for nothing, but that Paul Verhoeven classic did receive a special achievement Oscar for Sound Effects Editing and was also nominated in the sound and film editing categories. Case closed. 2. Elio (June 20) If it were released by any other major studio, Elio's mixed reviews and behind the scenes troubles would effectively end its Oscar campaign before it began. But the movie hails from Pixar, which has an industry-best track record of 19 Oscar nominations and 11 wins in this category for such contemporary classics as Finding Nemo, Up, and Coco. Even less-loved titles like Incredibles 2, Luca, and Elemental have earned nominations — and the studio is still hoping that Elio could stage an Elemental-like resurgence. In other words, Elio may be down, but he's not out. 1. Ne Zha 2 (Feb. 16) While stateside animated features have been struggling commercially, China struck box-office gold with Ne Zha 2, which has crossed the $2 billion mark abroad. Roughly $20 million of that total came from the sequel's limited U.S. theatrical release in February. But expect that tally to grow now that A24 is releasing an English-language version in August with an eye towards entering the Oscar race. The vocal cast for that new release include Michelle Yeoh and presumably more A-listers to be named later, which should provide it with an extra boost among voters. Leaving aside its astonishing commercial success, Ne Zha 2 is among the most visually vibrant cartoon adventures of 2025, bringing Chinese mythology to the big screen in eye-popping ways. Best of Gold Derby Everything to know about 'The Batman 2': Returning cast, script finalized Tom Cruise movies: 17 greatest films ranked worst to best 'It was wonderful to be on that ride': Christian Slater talks his beloved roles, from cult classics ('Heathers,' 'True Romance') to TV hits ('Mr. Robot,' 'Dexter: Original Sin') Click here to read the full article. Solve the daily Crossword
USA Today
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Is there a post-credit scene in Smurfs?
The summer of movies continues this weekend, with the animated children's movie Smurfs hitting theaters on July 18. The light-hearted family flick features the voice talents of John Goodman (Papa Smurf), Nick Offerman (Ken), Rihanna (Smurfette), James Corden (No Name Smurf), Dan Levy (Joel), Natasha Lyonne (Mama Poot), Amy Sedaris (Jaunty), Sandra Oh (Moxie Smurf) and many more. The story follows Smurfette, No Name and the merry band of Smurfs as they attempt to join forces with Ken to save Papa Smurf from the evil wizard Razamel (JP Karliak). Things get dicey for the blue heroes, but they find out more about themselves and what they are capable of as they fight to prevent the destruction of the world they know and love. Moviegoers heading to the theaters might want to know if they should stick around once the credits start to roll for any bonus mid or post-credit scenes. WARNING: Light spoilers for Smurfs follow! While there's not a massive plot or sequel related addition at the end of the movie, there is a fun mid-credit scene that features Razamel in a micro-universe as his assistant Joel watches on a screen before turning it off. Smurfs is in theaters now.
Time Magazine
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Magazine
Everything You Need to Know About Smurfs
In Smurfs, out in theaters July 18, a Smurf is blue that he doesn't have a specific task to do in Smurf Village. Voiced by James Corden, he's just known as No Name Smurf. The Smurfs are a village of creatures who live in mushroom houses that consider themselves one big happy family, and each Smurf plays a role in maintaining the community, like Doctor Smurf, Calendar Smurf, and Camouflage Smurf. They are led by Papa Smurf, and he treats the Smurfs like they are all his children. In Smurfs, Smurfs start every day by break-dancing, with Papa Smurf as the DJ. In the movie, Papa Smurf (John Goodman) is kidnapped, and No Name Smurf and the one female Smurfette (Rihanna) are on a mission to rescue him from the clutches of evil wizards. During the search, No Name Smurf discovers that his 'thing' is magic, and he can create magic portals to transport the Smurfs to different dimensions, including the lair where the evil wizards are holding Papa Smurf hostage. Thus, he will forever be known as Magic Smurf. Smurfs is Hollywood's fourth smurf movie in a franchise that dates back to 1958, the brainchild of Belgian comic artist Pierre 'Peyo' Culliford. Here's a look at the origins of the Smurfs and where the movie Smurfs fits in the history of the Smurfs. What is a Smurf? The Smurfs have a few defining characteristics: They are six inches tall, blue in color, and have their own language. Peyo's wife Nine made the decision to color them blue. She colored his illustrations up until his death in 1992. She thought red would make them look angry, and yellow would make them look sickly. If they were green, they'd look lost in the scenery. The other key defining characteristic of the Smurfs is their language. They use the word Smurf as a verb, so in the 2025 movie Smurfs, the Smurfs often use it as a substitute for a profanity—'That sounds like a load of Smurfs' and 'I think I just Smurfed my pants.' A brief history of Smurfs The first Smurfs illustrations were published in Oct. 1958. They were supposed to be side-kicks in a comic strip series called Johan and Peewit, but they were so popular that they were given their own comic strip. Some of the comic strips reflect the postwar era in which they were invented. According to Matt Murray, a self-proclaimed 'Smurfologist' and author of The Art of Smurfs, 'The creators of the comics grew up during the Nazi occupation of Belgium and that affected the way that they told stories and how they thought about the world. And, in fact, there's a Smurf comic called King Smurf, or Smurf King, depending on who's translating it. That is actually a parable about Hitler.' The first Smurfs movie was The Smurfs and the Magic Flute (1976), produced by a Brussels animation studio. Afterwards, little rubber Smurf figurines started to be handed out to people filling up their gas tanks, and when an American TV executive got hold of one, the famed animation studio Hanna-Barbera produced a TV show that came out in 1981. 'That is what we consider the birth of Smurf media because it hits American television,' says Murray. 'Not only does it hit American television, it gets better ratings than Dallas, the number-one primetime soap opera at the time.' Origins of Smurfette Smurfette, the sexy female character in the comic strip, was introduced in April 1966. 'She was created by Gargamel, who's the villain of the series, to cause disruption and chaos in the Smurf Village, which, up until that point, was entirely male,' Murray says. 'She flirts with everybody, and everybody falls in love with her, and everybody starts fighting over her.' The Smurfette in Smurfs is a strong female lead character. Though she was created by an evil wizard, she has distanced herself from him, and considers herself a Smurf through-and-through. She is the one who organizes the Smurfs to save Papa Smurf. She bonds with No Name Smurf because she knows what it's like to feel like an outsider in Smurf Village, and she counsels him while picking Smurfberries as he's trying to figure out who he is. Lessons from the Smurfs As Smurfs shows, sometimes it can take a little while for people to figure out what makes them special—as in No Name Smurf's case—but everyone does have something that makes them special. Murray hopes the Smurfs will inspire viewers to think more about how they relate to the larger world and how they can positively contribute to their own communities. 'Coming together for the collective good is something that we could focus on now, something that's a little lacking in the world,' he says. 'That is in the Smurfs, and hopefully people can get that out of the Smurfs."
