Smurfs: Returning Village

Smurfs: Returning Village is a 2020 American computer-animated adventure fantasy comedy film based on the characters by Peyo. A sequel to Smurfs: The Lost Village, it is the fourth film in the Smurfs film series, and is directed by David Bowers and produced by Jordan Kerner and Mary Ellen Bauder Andrews based on a story by Pamela Ribon. It stars the voice talents of Demi Lovato as Smurfette, with Joe Manganiello, Danny Pudi, Jack McBrayer, Mandy Patinkin, Julia Roberts, Eric Anderson, Joe Filippone, Timothy Spall, Rainn Wilson, and Frank Welker.

In the film, after receiving word of the Lost Village planned to be destroyed by Gargamel and Azrael, Smurfette sets out on a mission with her friends Hefty, Brainy, and Clumsy, with Smurf Storm, Smurf Lily, Smurf Melody, and Smurf Blossom, to save the Lost Village. A sequel to Smurfs: The Lost Village was announced in November 2017 following the financial success of the film, with David Bowers overseeing the project as director. Lorne Cameron and Noah Baumbach served as co-directors. Kelly Asbury, the director of The Lost Village, served as an additional animator, making it his last film as an animator and a filmmaker.

The film was produced by Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Kerner Entertainment Company, MRC, LStar Capital, with CGI animation services provided by Sony Pictures Imageworks, and 2D animation sequences by Rough Draft Studios, Munich Animation, Mercury Filmworks, Bardel Entertainment, Toon City Animation, and Top Draw Animation. The film was dedicated to Kelly Asbury, who died on June 26, 2020, a month before the film was released.

Smurfs: Returning Village was released on July 24, 2020 on Netflix, originally scheduled for a theatrical release in April 2020. The film received positive reviews, with praise for its animation, visuals, faithfulness to the source material, voice performances of Lovato, Pudi, McBrayer, Patinkin, and Wilson, musical score by Christopher Lennertz, and plot, though criticized the 109-minute runtime. It is the last Smurfs film to be produced by Sony Pictures as Paramount Pictures would acquire the rights in 2021 to produce a computer-animated film, set for release on February 14, 2025.

Cast

 * Demi Lovato as Smurfette
 * Joe Manganiello as Hefty Smurf
 * Danny Pudi as Brainy Smurf
 * Jack McBrayer as Clumsy Smurf
 * Mandy Patinkin as Papa Smurf
 * Julia Roberts as Smurf Willow
 * Eric Anderson as Stab the Hideous Sasquatch
 * Joe Filippone as TBA
 * Timothy Spall as Frankie Smurf
 * Rainn Wilson as Gargamel
 * Frank Welker as Azrael
 * Dee Bradley Baker as Monty
 * Lyric Ross as Darkest Smurf
 * Owen Wilson as Flamey Smurf
 * Joe Thomas as Icey Smurf
 * Shelley Duvall as Earth Smurf
 * Gordon Ramsay as Baker Smurf
 * TBA as TBA
 * TBA as Queen
 * Bret Marnell as Snappy Bug
 * Bahia Watson as TBA
 * Gabriel Iglesias as Jokey Smurf
 * Tituss Burgess as Vanity Smurf
 * Kelly Asbury as Nosey Smurf
 * Michelle Rodriguez as Smurf Storm
 * Ellie Kemper as Smurf Blossom
 * Ariel Winter as Smurf Lily
 * Ashley Boettcher as Smurf Melody
 * TBA as TBA
 * Kelly Cooney as TBA

Additional voices
Coming soon!

Additional voices (uncredited)
Coming soon!

Development
Coming soon!

Writing and Casting
Coming soon!

Animation
Like the previous film, it was animated completely in CGI, provided by Sony Pictures Imageworks. Keeping it as faithful to the 1980s cartoon as possible, the animation and visual effects team at SPI implemented cartoon-like effects, reminiscent of the original cartoon. In flashback sequences, it was animated in traditional 2D animation, with animation provided by Rough Draft Studios, Munich Animation, Mercury Filmworks, Bardel Entertainment, Toon City Animation, and Top Draw Animation.

Soundtrack
"Main article: Smurfs: Returning Village/Soundtrack"Smurfs: Returning Village: Music from the Motion Picture is the soundtrack album to the film, and includes music from Meghan Trainor, Electric Light Orchestra, Eiffel 65, Katy Perry, Britney Spears, will.i.am, Wiz Khalifa, a-ha, and Lil Mosey. The album was released on July 20, 2020 through Interscope Records.

Track list

 * 1) Electric Light Orchestra - Mr. Blue Sky - 5:03 (shortened to 2:30)
 * 2) Meghan Trainor - I'm a Lady - 2:45
 * 3) Blueberry Faygo - Lil Mosey - 2:42 (shortened to 1:24)

More coming soon!

Release
On March 25, 2020, Sony Pictures Animation announced that they postponed the release of Smurfs: Returning Village from April 12, 2020 to July 24, 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the film industry. It also announced that, instead of releasing it theatrically, it would be released digitally on Netflix. The film was released on July 24, 2020 on the streaming platform, and was rated PG by the Motion Picture Association for peril and humor.

Critical response
Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 79% based on 194 critics, with an average rating of 7.15/10. The site's consensus states, "Its gorgeous animation and heartfelt music helps shed a tear from someone's eye, and Smurfs: Returning Village is, in many animation aspects, a deserved and well-thought out second story to tell of the three-apple-high blue creatures." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 63 out of 100 based on 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".