The Smurfs Go CGI
Paramount Brings Peyo's Classic Cartoons To The Silver Screen
Paramount Pictures thinks that there's still gold in them thar Smurf hills, and that's why they're putting them in theatres.
Movie site Coming Soon managed to score some in-progress images from the upcoming flick, which show how Paramount's artists are putting the little blue guys (and gal) up on the big screen. There's also a French language documentary talking about The Smurf phenomenon (available only in Windows Medial Player).
Given that Paramount hasn't nailed down a specific release date for The Smurfs yet, this is an indication that it may either end up becoming a "dump picture" (released during a slow period like January), or downgraded to a direct-to-DVD release. IMDb claims a November 2008 debut for The Smurfs, while Wikipedia maintains that the film (part one of a rumoured trilogy) will only be released in 2010.
John Lithgow and former SNL'er Julia Sweeney are rumoured to be attached to the project, along with recently ousted Astro Boy director Colin Brady and scriptwriter Herbert Ratner III.
History of The Smurfs
The Smurfs (or Les Schtroumpfs) got their name when creator Peyo (real name Pierre Culliford) used the word as a malapropism when asking for the salt a dinner. They first made their debut, back on October 23, 1958, in Belgium's Le Journal de Spirou. Peyo initially created the 100 blue creatures, that were "only 3 apples high," to support his main creation, the medieval comic Johan and Pirlouit. However, they became so popular that they were spun off into their own series in 1959, regularly handing the hapless wizard Gargamel his . . . you know.
In 1965, the first Smurf cartoons were created for Belgian television, and were an instant hit. The Smurfs eventually became so popular that UNICEF even used the blue cartoon figures in a 25-second spot to help spotlight the plight of former child soldiers in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The short, which featured warplanes bombing a Smurf village, was made with Peyo's support and shown after 9 p.m. so that Belgian children wouldn't see it.
In 1976, American entrepeneur Stuart R. Ross spotted The Smurfs while vacationing in Belgium and convinced Peyo to sell him the North American distribution rights. Once back in the U.S., Ross hooked up with toymaker Wallace Berrie and Co. to distribute The Smurfs PVC figurines and other associated merch. The toys were so successful that NBC executive Fred Silverman (whose daughter collected Smurfs) decided to create a Saturday morning animated show based on the characters.
Hanna-Barbera produced The Smurfs Saturday morning cartoon in 1981, and it was an immediate hit, spinning off television specials on an almost-yearly basis. The Smurfs received multiple Emmy nominations during its 8-year run, winning the Outstanding Children's Entertainment Series award in 1983. Declining ratings killed off the show in 1989, but The Smurfs went into syndication, the 272 episodes showing regularly on Boomerang.
You can check out the initial images of The Smurfs, and the featurette, by clicking here. The Smurfs movie will come out sometime before the great wolf Fenris devours the sun. But that's not for certain.
Fun Fact: Since The Smurfs traditionally live in a community where everyone shares everything, and everyone contributes to the greater good, many critics have condemned the characters as a thinly-veiled advertisement for Communism. Their white Phrygian caps were supposed to be a marker for the Ku Klux Klan (strange, since the organization has no foothold in Europe).
Others accused Gargamel of being a Jewish parody, and capitalism taken to its obvious conclusion. Most of these claims have been given the respect they deserved (ie: none).
However, the one accusation that managed to stick was Peyo's sexist attitude towards women in general, and Smurfette in particular. This was the artist's description of the character, as told through his interpreter, to the suits at NBC.
"She seduces, she uses trickery rather than force to get results," said Peyo about Smurfette. "She is incapable of telling a joke without blowing the punch line. She is a blabbermouth but only makes superficial comments. She is constantly creating enormous problems for the Smurfs but always manages to blame it on someone else."
The translator continued, saying: "I did my best to minimize the sexist nature of this description, but one of the participants at the meeting asked: 'Would she at least be able, when the Smurfs are in danger, to take a decision that can save them?'
"When I translated this to Peyo, he looked astounded. 'Come on now, do they expect me to make her a (female) gym teacher?' I obviously did not translate this remark."
