Sony Pictures found incredible success with two Smurfs movies that combined live-action with CGI animation. But they decided over $900M wasn't quite enough and so they went in a different direction with Smurfs: The Lost Village by going fully animated with an entirely new voice cast.
Swapping out Katy Perry for Demi Lovato as the voice of Smurfette, the film finds the lone female Smurf venturing into the Enchanted Forest to find her true purpose. All of this goes on without Papa Smurf's say-so, of course, which should make her Disobedient Smurf. Joe Manganiello voices Hefty, Danny Pudi is Brainy, Jack McBrayer is Clumsy, with Mandy Patinkin as Papa Smurf and Rainn Wilson voicing Gargamel. Here's the official synopsis:
In this fully animated, all-new take on the Smurfs, a mysterious map sets Smurfette and her best friends Brainy, Clumsy and Hefty on an exciting and thrilling race through the Forbidden Forest filled with magical creatures to find a mysterious lost village before the evil wizard Gargamel does. Embarking on a rollercoaster journey full of action and danger, the Smurfs are on a course that leads to the discovery of the biggest secret in Smurf history!
This looks just as much for the kiddies as the previous two movies which shouldn't come as a surprise. I'm curious to see what Sony does if it underperforms. Do they go back to a hybrid style? Because clearly the franchise isn't going away no matter what. Smurfs: The Lost Village opens April 7th 2017, directed by Shrek 2's Kelly Asbury.
