“Smurfs” (2025) is a reboot, not a sequel, and the third American film iteration of Belgian comic artist Peyo’s comic book series “The Smurfs,” which had film adaptations in Europe long before the television series hit US shores in the Eighties. The Intergalactic Evil Wizard Alliance has succeeded in ensnaring three out of four magic books that keep the universe in harmony, but Jaunty Grimoire (Amy Sedaris) seeks refuge in Smurf Village with only Papa Smurf (John Goodman) aware of their presence. Meanwhile the Smurfs and Smurfette are living in blissful ignorance until No Name (James Corden) accidentally gives away their location to one of the wizards, Razamel (JP Karliak), the brother of the Smurfs’ nemesis, Gargamel (also Karliak) and his feline companion Azrael (Rachel Butera). Razamel immediately kidnaps Papa Smurf. Will Smurfette (Rihanna) be able to save Papa Smurf, help No Name find his thing and choose her own destiny? This film is stranger and better at tying together all its multiple storylines while delivering the best soundtrack of 2025 after “Sinners” (2025) and a plethora of animated styles that usually could only be found in a visual archive than most films.
If you do not know anything about “Smurfs,” no homework is necessary. You can jump right in, and the movie uses an opening dance number with Papa Smurf as the DJ to introduce every Smurf with their name appearing on screen. Basically, their name describes what makes each one special, and they usually wear something that functions as a visual symbol of their “thing.” The Smurfs in the village are a placid lot who prefer partying when they are not serving their community according to their gifts so when they are plunged into crisis, they are completely at sea without Papa Smurf to guide them.
Fortunately, Smurfette, the only girl who delivers her backstory fairly early, has dealt with her share of adversity and can follow instructions so through one of many portals that will appear throughout “Smurfs,” many of the Smurfs and Turtle (Marshmello), the Smurfs’ resident bartender, find themselves thrown into Paris alongside human beings while they remain animated. When they hit the real world, they meet a band of more cosmopolitan Smurfs who would fit right into the “Mission: Impossible” franchise: the International Neighborhood Watch Smurfs, Paris Edition, which includes more women than men and implies that there are more Smurfs in other major global cities. Ken (Nick Offerman), Papa Smurf’s brother, leads this group and the expedition. Ken liaises with the Snooterpoots, a group of furballs with eyes and limbs, to help rescue Papa Smurf.
“Smurfs” ends up being a globe-trotting, multidimensional thriller filled with magical schemes in a battle of good versus evil vying for universal domination. With so many characters, plot points, and location changes, it should get confusing, but it is a kids’ movie, so it does not. The ensemble cast is stacked with renown talent though you may not recognize everyone’s voices. Rihanna, who also produces and composes, Corden, Goodman, Sedaris, Marshmello, and Offerman were already mentioned, but the cast also includes Dan Levy, Natasha Lyonne, Sandra Oh, Jimmy Kimmel, Octavia Spencer, Nick Kroll, Kurt Russell, and Hannah Waddingham. If you think that lineup seems like an excessive amount of talent for an animated movie, wait until you hear the soundtrack.
Um, the soundtrack for “Smurfs” is so good that even though it is lined with all bangers, no skip tracks, you will find yourself thinking that you miss having more music when there is only dialogue. Sure, everyone expects new music from Rihanna, “Friend of Mine” and “Anyone,” in addition to her classic “Please Don’t Stop the Music,” but there is so much more. If you do not enjoy electronic dance music or synth music, you should probably avoid this movie. There is an international flavor to this score that is even more diverse than the spots that the Smurfs visit: Afrobeats and Punjabi riffs. No animated movie had to go this hard with dance track after dance track. There is even an allusion to Handel’s Hallelujah. The soundtrack is so elite that it may cloud any objectivity about the film’s overall quality.
Is “Smurfs” (2025) really for kids or people who are too old to go out dancing at night and have kids or teens that want to partake of some herbal remedies while enjoying the animation/live action hybrid that trots through every permutation of Smurf graphic design, real or imagined? There is a trend of younger generation adults who are into Gen X culture, which would include the Saturday morning cartoon NBC lineup with Hanna Barbera’s Smurfs. It feels like a lot of the jokes are more for the adults than the kids, and they are hoping that the graphics will provide enough distraction so that the young ones do not notice. One Zoom joke should have all those virtual office workers rolling in the aisle. Little kids may be too scared to enjoy the film. One fellow critic brought his two children with varying results. One was engrossed, and the other was terrified. Another little one was heard begging to go home. The power of the purse lies with the parents so this may be the movie that appeals to adults that can trick their kids into seeing a movie that is for them too.
Director Chris Miller uses one sequence to explicitly appeal to all these demographics during a chase sequence through an interdimensional abyss that begins with clay before moving to pencils and crayons to the Nintendo videogame old school graphics, anime, a surreal dimension before winding up to today. It is a trip down memory lane and an ode to animation history but more entertaining than the average chase sequence in any movie plus funny to boot. I’ve arbitrarily opted out of animation and kids’ movies because I cannot watch everything, but “Smurfs” was the first time that I felt welcomed back, which may not be a good sign for this film.
It all makes sense when I checked writer Pam Brady’s credits: “South Park,” “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut” (1999), “Just Shoot Me!” and “Team America: World Police” (2004). She is a GOAT. Old school fans may have an issue with the traditional villain being sidelined and playing second fiddle to his brother, but it is consistent with a theme of family bonds not being a guarantee for harmony or love. Also, there are other coming-of-age themes couched as quarterlife crisis: trying to defy parental expectations and family pathology, trying to find direction and your gifts within a community and getting in danger when you allow past trauma to paralyze and isolate you. It is a lot of heavy content that lands relatively lightly. It may be overstuffed but should not be taken for granted because by the end, there are no loose threads.
“Smurfs” is a courageous commercial and artistic endeavor because it takes a beloved creation then makes a quality movie that the filmmakers want to make, not a patchwork quilt of pandering and desperation with fleeting bursts of creativity. It is a fun and wonderful ride, but if your little one is easily frightened, save it for a solo trip to the movies, a group outting or date night.
