Those little blue Smurfs are back for an all-new adventure, this time from director Chris Miller (Puss in Boots, Shrek the Third) and writer Pam Brady (#1 Happy Family USA, Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken, Lady Dynamite).

No Name Smurf (James Corden) doesn’t feel like he fits in. He’s been in Smurf Village for a while, but after trying out over ten thousand jobs, he is still looking for his “thing”. While attempting magic, he inadvertently alerts the evil wizard Razamel (JP Karliak)—Gargamel’s brother—to the hidden location of Smurf’s Village. Over 100 years ago, the evil wizards managed to capture 3 of the 4 sentient magic books, but Jaunty Grimoire (Amy Sedaris) managed to escape and has been protected by Papa Smurf (John Goodman) ever since. If Razamel can get his hands on the book, he and the rest of the Intergalactic Alliance of Evil Wizards—Asmodius (Octavia Spencer), Chernobog (Nick Kroll) & Jezebeth (Hannah Waddingham)—will use their power to destroy all the goodness in the universe.

Razamel, assisted by his devoted henchman Joel (Dan Levy), kidnaps Papa Smurf, but as he is being taken away, Papa tells the other Smurfs to find Ken. They don’t know who this is, but Smurfette (Rihanna) is determined to find him, leading an expedition through a portal to the real world to find Ken (Nick Offerman), and rescue Papa Smurf from Razamel’s castle. She is joined by No Name Smurf, Turtle (Marshmello), Brainy Smurf (Xolo Maridueña), Vanity Smurf (Maya Erskine), Hefty Smurf (Alex Winter), Grouchy Smurf (Chris Miller) and Worry Smurf (illie Lourd). Their journey will take them to several different dimensions, and along the way, they’ll join forces with Moxie Smurf (Sandra Oh) and the Neighborhood Watch Smurfs; Mama Poot (Natasha Lyonne), the leader of the fuzzy Snooterpoots; and discover more about Papa Smurf’s past, including another mystery Smurf named Ron (Kurt Russell).

Sony Pictures Animation had given us three entertaining Smurfs feature films, but now it’s Paramount Animation’s chance to reinvent the franchise, and I think they did a great job. Smurfs feels a bit more modern (the Smurfs utilize some modern technology), while also still keeping a very familiar and nostalgic feel. The writing can be quite sharp and witty at times, and the writers enjoy parodying the franchise itself, especially in the opening introduction of the various Smurfs. There’s a hilarious running gag in the opening act introducing a Sound Effects Smurf (Spencer X), and another hilarious conversation where pretty much every other word is the word “Smurf”. The mission can get a bit wild and off-the-rails at times, but I think younger audiences will enjoy that wackiness even more.

The cast is excellent, bringing together so many talented and familiar actors to fill these iconic roles, while also introducing some fun new Smurfs into the mix, including some cameos. There’s also lots of great music. The film is bookended by two big Smurf Village song and dance numbers, opening with “Everything Goes with Blue” by Tyla, and closing with a Bollywood-inspired cover of “Higher Love”. And throughout the film are other great original songs, such as the heartwarming “Always on the Outside” performed by James Cordon’s No Name Smurf, and “Friend of Mine” performed by Rihanna.

Paramount has only released Smurfs on Blu-ray & DVD for physical media, but it is also available in 4K on Digital. We were sent the Blu-ray release for review, and even in HD, the animation looks spectacular. The animation style runs the gamut, blending 2D and 3D animation for Smurf’s Village, and as the Smurfs find themselves in the real world. But there’s also a crazy sequence that finds some of the characters traveling between various dimensions and exploring all kinds of other styles, from claymation to sketches, to 8-bit video games, to anime, and more. The animation looks crisp, clean and detailed, no matter what form it takes, with bright beautiful colors, and still always feeling like The Smurfs. The Dolby Atmos audio track is also excellent, providing clear dialogue throughout while also showcasing the film’s original score and songs, and filling the room with a highly-immersive ambiance. The Blu-ray offers both the USA and UK audio tracks if folks want to check out alternate versions of some of the minor Smurf roles.

The Blu-ray disc is packed in a standard HD keepcase along with a glossy cardboard slipcover and an insert with instructions on how to redeem an HD digital copy of the movie (Note, if you choose to redeem via Apple, it will redeem in 4K!). The disc also contains over 20 minutes of bonus material, including behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast/filmmakers and two music videos. There are also three additional Lyric Music Videos included in the extras of the Digital version of the film.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:29:32)

Blu-ray:

• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English (USA) Dolby Atmos, English (UK) 5.1 Dolby Digital, English (USA) Audio Description, English (UK) Audio Description, Danish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish (Latin America) 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, French (Canadian) 5.1 Dolby Digital, Japanese 5.1 Dolby Digital, Dutch 5.1 Dolby Digital, Norwegian 5.1 Dolby Digital, Finnish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Swedish 5.1 Dolby Digital,
• Subtitles: English, English SDH, Danish, Spanish (Latin America), French, French (Canadian), Japanese, Dutch, Norwegian, Finnish, Swedish

Digital:

• Digital Copy redeemable via Apple TV (4K) or Fandango at Home (HD). This is not Movies Anywhere compatible.
• Code subject to expiration, may not be valid after 10/28/2027

Extras :

• Blue in the Booth: Voicing the Smurfs (5:13)
  The cast and director talk about the film’s voice cast. Includes recording booth footage, and interviews with director Chris Miller, editor/animation director Matt Landon, and stars Rihanna (“Smurfette”), James Corden (“No Name”), Daniel Levy (“Joel”), Sandra Oh (“Moxie Smurf”), Marshmello (“Turtle”), Amy Sedaris (“Jaunty”), Natasha Lyonne (“Mama Poot”) & Nick Offerman (“Ken”).
• There’s A Smurf Like Me: Blue, Old and New (4:05)
  The cast talk about their characters, what they would do if they were a Smurf, and more. Includes interviews with director Matt Landon, animation production designer Max Boas, and stars Natasha Lyonne, Nick Offerman, Rihanna, Daniel Levy, James Corden, Sandra Oh, Jimmy Kimmel (“Tardigrade”) & Amy Sedaris.
• A World They’ve Never Seen: Animating Smurfs (5:22)
  The animators talk about mixing various styles of live action and animation. Includes concept artwork, rough animation, and interviews with animation art director Margaret Wuller, animation production designer Max Boas, editor/animation director Matt Landon, director Chris Miller, and Rihanna.
• Composing the Blue (4:31)
  The filmmakers discuss creating he film’s score and marrying it with the original songs. Includes behind-the-scenes footage of the orchestra, and interviews with director Chris Miller & composer Henry Jackman.
• In The Club With DJ Snake (2:56)
  The filmmakers discuss filming the club scene in Rome (doubling for Paris). Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Chris Miller & DJ Snake.
• “Higher Love” by DESI TRILL featuring DJ Khaled, Cardi B, Natania and Subhi (Music Video) (2:57)
• “Friend of Mine” by Rihanna (Music Video) (3:30)
• Lyric Videos
  Stylized lyrics appear on screen in time with the music. These are not on the disc, just the included digital copy. Play All, or select from:
  • “Friend of Mine” by Rihanna (Lyric Video) (3:28)
  • “Higher Love” by DESI TRILL featuring DJ Khaled, Cardi B, Natania and Subhi (Lyric Video) (2:57)
  • “Everything Goes with Blue” by Tyla (Lyric Video) (2:20)

Final Thoughts:

Smurfs is an entertaining new reinvention of the classic Smurfs franchise that I would certainly welcome more of. It has an interesting story, great original songs, witty/humorous writing, fun characters, and an amazing voice cast. The film is very rewatchable. The Blu-ray release looks and sounds great, and includes some entertaining bonus material and a digital copy of the film. The release comes recommended for fans of the film or of the Smurfs in general. I didn’t know we needed yet another reboot of the franchise, but after watching this movie, I’m happy we got one.