The Smurfs 2

The biggest problem with bad movies being successful is that when it comes time to make a sequel, there is no incentive to make something better. If people are willing to settle for lowest-common denominator material, there isn?t much sense in putting in extra effort the second time around. Like many terrible family films before it, this is the origin story of director Raja Gosnell?s The Smurfs 2 and, surprise, surprise, it fully lives up to its rock bottom expectations.

The story begins with Gargamel (Hank Azaria) becoming one of the world?s most popular entertainers, performing sorcery in front of crowds in Las Vegas, New York City, and Paris, but still being desperate to harness more magic from Smurf essence. In an effort to try and generate his own source of power, he creates two grey Smurf-like creatures called the Naughties (Christina Ricci, J.B. Smoove), but finds that they won?t produce Smurf essence he needs without the special spell cast by Papa Smurf (Jonathan Winters) that would turn them blue. In order to learn the enchantment, Gargamel kidnaps Smurfette (Katy Perry), who was also created by the wizard and learned the spell when she was turned into a Smurf. Banding together, Papa Smurf, Grouchy Smurf (George Lopez), Clumsy Smurf (Anton Yelchin) and Vanity Smurf (John Oliver) travel to the real world, enlist the help of their human friends Patrick (Neil Patrick Harris) and Grace (Jayma Mays), and go to Paris to try and save Smurfette.

Much like the first movie, The Smurfs 2 is exclusively filled with humor targeted at the very youngest members of the audience, leaving grown-ups no option other than to cover their faces with their palms and shake their heads. Not only does most of the comedy consist of crappy puns, the movie?s laziness really shines through in the fact that some of the jokes and gags are actually repeated multiple times without any sense of irony or cleverness. The ?catfish? joke made early in the movie when the Naughties capture Gargamel?s cat Azrael in a net is bad enough, but it?s even worse when the exact same joke is used later in the film when Azrael falls into a fountain.? It?s the kind of stuff that makes you wonder if the filmmakers even watched the final cut before it was shipped off to theaters.

Some animated films are at least able to skate by with a less-than-stellar script thanks to quality work by the animators, but in The Smurfs 2 even that aspect is a total mixed bag. There were some moments in the movie where I was honestly amazed by the rendering of the CGI characters ? featuring very life-like (albeit blue) skin and beautiful eyes ? but other moments made it abundantly clear that some of the characters are simply a collection of pixels. One would think that the animation process would be less taxing on a hybrid movie like this one, but it still seems like the team could have used a few more months to get the job done.

Terrible as the script may be, I will at the very least stand up for the film?s central theme. Playing on two separate levels ? both between Papa Smurf and Smurfette and between Patrick and his step-father Victor (Brendan Gleeson) ? the movie makes the argument that where a person comes from doesn?t matter nearly as much as the kind of person one chooses to be, and that is a legitimately great moral to teach young audiences. Of course, it?s handled with all of the subtlety of a sledgehammer to the face, but the quality of the message takes away some of the sting.

I could continue on for a long time explaining the problems with The Smurfs 2, from its continued lack of development for supporting characters to the fact that a good chunk of the movie could be mistaken for a Sony tablet computer commercial, but there are far too many better uses of our short time on this planet. All we can hope for is that audiences recognize how bad the film is so that when 2015 rolls around I don?t have to write a review for The Smurfs 3.

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EXCLUSIVE: The Smurfs Meet the Cast Blu-ray Featurette

Coming to Blu-ray and DVD Friday, December 2nd, is the hit smash comedy The Smurfs, starring Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays, and Hank Azaria as the villainous Gargamel. We have an exclusive look at this upcoming release with the Smurf Speak: Meet the Cast featurette, which looks at how each Smurf was matched with a celebrity voice. Check it out below.

When the evil wizard Gargamel chases the tiny blue Smurfs out of their village, they tumble from their magical world and into ours...In fact, smack dab in the middle of Central Park! Just three apples high and stuck in the Big Apple, the Smurfs must find a way to get back to their village before Gargamel tracks them down.

Find The Smurfs GameThe Smurfs: Comic Book to the Big ScreenGoing GargamelDirector's Commentary (Blu-ray only)Producer, Writers and VFX Supervisor Commentary (Blu-ray only)Deleted & Extended Scenes (Blu-ray only)Smurf Speak: Meet the Cast (Blu-ray only)Progression Reels (Blu-ray only)The Smurfs Fantastic Adventure Game (Blu-ray only)The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol (Blu-ray Gift set only)Smurf-O-Vision: Second Screen Experience (Blu-ray Gift set only)

The Smurfs was released July 29th, 2011 and stars Hank Azaria, Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays, Sofía Vergara, Tim Gunn, Madison McKinley, Meg Phillips, Julie Chang. The film is directed by Raja Gosnell.

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EXCLUSIVE: Troy Quane and Kurt Albrecht Talk The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol

Dec 2, 2011 by Brian Gallagher

It isn't uncommon for an animated movie such as The Smurfs to include a bonus short film on the Blu-ray or DVD release. The Smurfs hits the shelves on three-disc Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD release on December 2, and the three-disc Blu-ray will include the holiday-themed short The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol, which puts a smurfy spin on the classic holiday tale by Charles Dickens. I recently had the chance to speak with The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol director Troy Quane and producer Kurt Albrecht at Sony Pictures Animation, where we got to screen this wonderful animated short, which mixes in the old-school hand-drawn animation with the new style shown in The Smurfs. Take a look at what the director and producer had to say below.

Can you talk about how early this whole project came about? Was this developed at the same time as the actual movie, or was it much later?

Troy Quane: Much later.

Kurt Albrecht: The movie was in mid-production.

Troy Quane: Basically, a year ago today. The movie was in mid-production, when they came up with this idea of wanting to do more Smurfs material. Knowing the DVD was coming out at Christmas, it felt right to put it in this world. I think it was December 21 when I came on, and we all sort of agreed that Christmas Carol fit with these characters and the story we could tell with them. So, over the Christmas holiday, the writer and I worked together with the script, and then we came into the new year and launched into it. From the moment they said go, to the moment we handed it in, it was just under nine months.

Kurt Albrecht: I remember that because I bailed on you when my son was born in January. The script is getting locked down and I say, 'I'm going away for a couple of weeks. Good luck Troy. You'll figure it out.' No, but it came together really well. Part of the impetus to do it was The Smurfs was looking good and everyone was feeling good about it. The word franchise starts to get thrown around, and it's a property that's worthy of that. I think the recognition levels for The Smurfs are huge, as evidenced by the worldwide box office on the feature.

Troy Quane: Personally, when they came to me, I jumped right on it. I grew up in Canada, so we would get the French-language Peyo comics when I was a kid. For me, it was a real personal thing. I was a huge fan, even before the TV show, so, when the opportunity came up, I was all over it.

I really enjoyed seeing the hand-drawn style again as well.

Troy Quane: Well, that's just it. It fit nicely within the structure of our storytelling. It didn't feel tacked on. We really worked to make it feel like it flowed into our style of storytelling. It gives us that dream-like moment where he's learning things from these ghosts. I started my career as a 2D animator, so it was fun to get to play in that sandbox again.

Kurt Albrecht: He was perfect for this. He's good at drawrings (Laughs).

When I was watching it, a lot of memories came flooding back. Did you have that same wave of nostalgia when you'd watch your work?

Troy Quane: Absolutely. It's my passion, it's what got me into this industry, so I had to balance being the director and being a fanboy (Laughs). It was definitely a balancing act.

I saw you couldn't get Katy (Perry) back as Smurfette, but you have some of the other voice actors back like George Lopez and Hank Azaria.

Troy Quane: All of the original cast was really eager to come back for it.

Kurt Albrecht: She was actually the first one to agree to do it. She was really into it, but it fell right in the middle of her tour. I mean, the bulk of her tour, she wasn't even in this country. Right at the end of our production time, she was back in the U.S., but she performs like every two or three nights. It's amazing. When I started looking into it, I was in constant contact with her managers. 'I see Katy has three days off in Texas. We'll come and find her!' It just never worked out though.

Troy Quane: The rest of the cast, they jumped right on board. Even Hank Azaria came in and did the voice of Gargamel.

It was fun to marry that old-school look of the character and hearing Hank's voice. It's a very cool mixture.

Troy Quane: It's funny. He knows his way around a sound booth. He's a pro. He was in there, and there was this whirlwind and then we were all a little bit stunned afterward.

A cloud of dust emerges...

Troy Quane: Exactly. Then you're like, 'Did we get it?' When you listen to the tracks, every track is perfect.

Kurt Albrecht: It's like this hurricane came through. It's like, 'OK, he's been doing this a lot longer than we have.' We were lucky to get him.

Is there anything else you're working on here at SPA that you can talk about?

Troy Quane: I'm developing two films for the studio, at the moment. One hasn't been announced yet, so I can't talk about that, and the other is Popeye. It's still super early. We're still trying to figure out what it would be like to bring Popeye into our time period. Not physically, but relatability wise. He's a great character and, like The Smurfs, there is a huge amount of mythology and history behind it. It's exciting to get to work with.

Do you have any idea who would voice him?

Troy Quane: We're nowhere near that. We just worked out an outline and we're working with the writers.

I remember when that was first announced, I thought, 'Who would voice Popeye?'

Troy Quane: It's amazing. As soon as you say the word Popeye, it's amazing to see how many people jump out of the shadows with their Popeye impressions. Everyone's got a Popeye voice. I think when we get to that point, we'll all be amazed with how many people have a Popeye impersonation in their back pocket. That will be exciting, and yeah, that's the trick about bringing these characters to a new generation. You want to be true to who they were, and, at the same time, you have to make them accessible to today's audiences. That's part of the challenge and part of the fun.

This will be in 3D too?

Troy Quane: Yeah, full feature animation 3D. That will be fun, seeing this character who you're normally used to seeing in two dimensions, suddenly in 3D.

What would you like to say to the few people who didn't see The Smurfs in theaters to get them to pick up the Blu-ray set with this wonderful The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol short?

Kurt Albrecht: I think, specific to A Christmas Carol, it's a chance to see a whole new classic, hopefully, and the only way you'll get to see it is to buy the Blu-ray, in this particular case. I think The Smurfs film is one of those repeat viewers. You can pop it in and just watch the craziness.

Troy Quane: Yeah, you can just pop it in and have fun. Sit back with your popcorn and enjoy the ride.

Great. Thanks so much. I really enjoyed the short.

Troy Quane: Oh, good. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

You can watch The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol on The Smurfs' three-disc Blu-ray edition, which hits the shelves nationwide December 2.

The Smurfs was released July 29th, 2011 and stars Hank Azaria, Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays, Sofía Vergara, Tim Gunn, Madison McKinley, Meg Phillips, Julie Chang. The film is directed by Raja Gosnell.

The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol was released December 2nd, 2011 and stars Jack Angel, Fred Armisen, Hank Azaria, Gary Basaraba, George Lopez, Melissa Sturm, Anton Yelchin. The film is directed by Troy Quane.

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The Smurfs Blu-ray Invades Sony Pictures Animation

Dec 2, 2011 by Brian Gallagher

The Smurfs take over Sony Pictures Animation with the new Blu-ray releaseBack in June, I was invited to the Sony Pictures Animation facility to get an early look at The Smurfs, so it's only fitting that I came back to SPA for an event celebrating The Smurfs on three-disc Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD December 2. The three-disc Blu-ray includes the brand new animated short The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol, a smurfy version of the classic Charles Dickens story. The short centers on Grouchy (George Lopez), who is normally rather happy during Christmas, but is his usually cantankerous self this year. Papa Smurf brews up a potion to get Grouchy back into the Christmas spirit, which features the Smurfs of Christmas Past, Present, and Future.

I got to watch this animated short at SPA, which is a lot of fun, especially for longtime fans of the original animated series, since most of the short is done in the traditional hand-drawn style fans of the original animated series will recognize. It's a wonderful trip down memory lane for those like me who grew up on the original show, with many of the voice actors returning from the The Smurfs movie such as George Lopez as Grouchy, Anton Yelchin as Clumsy, Fred Armisen as Brainy, and Hank Azaria as Gargamel. It was interesting watching the old-school version of Gargamel with the new-school voice of Hank Azaria.

We also had the chance to preview some of the special features on Blu-ray, including the Smurf-O-Vision Second Screen Experience, which allows users an interactive experience in sync with the movie on the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. When you watch the movie and have Smurf-O-Vision synced in with the movie, you can open Jokey Smurf's presents, fill up your screen with Smurfberries or mushroom houses, pop popcorn, or even zap Gargamel with a lightning strike. If the young boy sitting next to me was any indication, kids will love these activities, especially the Gargamel lightning strike. That kid must have zapped Gargamel 100 times in just a few minutes, and he was having a blast doing it. to download this app for your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch.

There are also several other interactive activities the kids will love on this Blu-ray, including the GoldRun app for your iPhone or iPad, where you can literally take a picture with one of the Smurfs. There are six different Smurfs, such as Brainy, Grouchy, and Papa Smurf, which you can add into your own photos with this app. You can to download this app from the Apple store. If the kids loved zapping Gargamel, I have to imagine they'd get a kick out of a Smurf standing next to them in a photo.

This Blu-ray set also includes a holiday-themed add-on for the popular Smurfs Village game, which is available for Apple and Android devices. This add-on can only be accessed through the Blu-ray, which includes new holiday quests and characters from The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol.

The Smurfs Blu-ray will also be the first title to feature Sony's new UltraViolet Digital Copy, an innovative new version of the digital copy which puts your movies in "the cloud." Users can sign up for a free account at UVVU.com, and then you can either stream The Smurfs directly from their servers, or download your own copy onto your laptop or smartphone. Here's what Jeremy Glassman had to say about this emerging technology.

"What you do is, your Blu-ray disc comes with a code, and you're actually able to add the digital rights for The Smurfs to your UltraViolet digital library, and you're able to stream the movie, or download a copy to your PC or Mac. It's an entirely new way to watch a movie. You can watch it at home streaming or on the go."

Jeremy Glassman also mentioned that you can add up to six friends or family members to your UltraViolet account, who can access your library. This UltraViolet Digital Copy really takes your viewing experience to the next level, with this Cloud-based platform that allows the flexibility to stream the movie from the UltraViolet servers, or download a copy to watch on various devices. Other upcoming titles which will feature UltraViolet Digital Copy are The Hangover Part II on December 6, Colombiana on December 20, and Final Destination 5 on December 27.

That about wraps it up from my day at Sony Pictures Animation for The Smurfs, which arrives on three-disc Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD December 2.

The Smurfs was released July 29th, 2011 and stars Hank Azaria, Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays, Sofía Vergara, Tim Gunn, Madison McKinley, Meg Phillips, Julie Chang. The film is directed by Raja Gosnell.

The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol was released December 2nd, 2011 and stars Jack Angel, Fred Armisen, Hank Azaria, Gary Basaraba, George Lopez, Melissa Sturm, Anton Yelchin. The film is directed by Troy Quane.

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