‘Smurfs’ Blu-ray Review
Features the voice of: Rihanna, James Corden, Nick Offerman, JP Karliak, Daniel Levy, Amy Sedaris, Natasha Lyonne, Sandra Oh, Jimmy Kimmel, Octavia Spencer, Nick Kroll, Hannah Waddingham, Alex Winter, Maya Erskine, Kurt Russell, John Goodman | Written by Pam Brady | Directed by Chris Miller
Pierre Culliford, known better as Peyo, created a tremendous world unlike anything we ever witnessed before with the world of The Smurfs. As kids who didn’t watch the adventures of the little blue creatures on TV? Or see the many films and “specials” that followed? In 2025 the Smurfs would be rebooted [again] for a new generation with the feature film from Paramount Pictures entitled simply Smurfs. This new animated feature films boast of a pretty amazing cast, including Rihanna, James Corden, Nick Offerman, JP Karliak, Daniel Levy, Amy Sedaris, Natasha Lyonne, Sandra Oh, Jimmy Kimmel, Octavia Spencer, Nick Kroll, Hannah Waddingham, Alex Winter, Maya Erskine, Kurt Russell and John Goodman.
Now, Paramount Home Entertainment are releasing this new version of Smurfs on Blu-ray and digital so that your whole family can enjoy this new adventure over and over again for years to come.
Smurfette (Rihanna) leads the crew on a daring rescue mission to save Papa Smurf (John Goodman) after he is mysteriously kidnapped by the evil wizards, Razamel and Gargamel. The Smurfs team up with new friends on an epic adventure that takes them into the real world, where they discover that their true destiny is to save the universe.
First off, Paramount did a great thing in bringing in director Chris Miller – he really knows his stuff when it comes to making animated features, as he wrote and directed Shrek the Third, directed Puss in Boots and worked on many Dreamworks Pictures films, even lending his voice to some.
Is this Smurfs ever going to become a “classic” like the show that inspired it? Doubtful. But it is entertaining! Especially if you love popular music as there’s a ton of it in this film. This should be enjoyable for young and old alike!
Smurfs has been transferred to Blu-ray in 1080p and presented in 2.39:1 aspect ratio. The audio options are an English Dolby Atmos, a French Dolby Digital 5.1, a Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 and an English audio description track. Finally, there are options for subtitles in English, French and Spanish.
As expected with a modern animation, the transfer on this Blu-ray is tremendous. The picture is crisp and clean with no compression issues, the colours are so amazing – the blues of the Smurfs set off by the greens and the colours of the world around them pop. Thankfully, this is not a bare bones Blu-ray as some “kids” titles are; Paramount have loaded some nice bonus features on this disc, take a look at what is included:
Special Features:
- Blue in the Booth: Voicing the Smurfs – Meet the spectacular all-star cast who voice the Smurfs.
- There’s A Smurf Like Me: Blue, Old and New – The cast shares their process to bring both classic and new characters to life.
- A World They’ve Never Seen: Animating Smurfs – See how filmmakers came up with the animation styles featured in the film and the evolution from rough animatic to finished art.
- Composing the Blue – Award-winning composer Henry Jackman takes you through the original score that complements the film’s fun songs.
- In The Club With DJ Snake – World-famous DJ Snake makes a cameo in the film and brings the party to life in the disco bash scene.
- “Higher Love” by DESI TRILL featuring DJ Khaled, Cardi B, Natania and Subhi – Music & Lyric Video
- “Friend of Mine” by Rihanna – Music & Lyric Video
- “Everything Goes with Blue” by Tyla – Lyric Video
Bonus features often elevate a release, and this Blu-ray is no exception. The behind-the-scenes featurettes, particularly those exploring how the team reimagined these characters for a new generation of moviegoers, add real depth and appreciation to the experience.
***½ 3.5/5
If you enjoyed the newer versions of The Smurfs, like The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol, The Smurfs: Legend of Smurfy Hollow, and Smurfs: The Lost Village, this new film will be right up your alley. So, head over to Amazon and order your copy of Smurfs on Blu-ray now.
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