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 from a screenplay written by Pamela Ribon, Michael McCullers, Eyal Pobell and >Jonathon E. Stewart, and produced by Jordan Kerner and Mary Ellen Bauder Andrews. 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, Frank Welker, Lyric Ross, Owen Wilson, Joe Thomas, Shelley Duvall, Ariana DeBose, Bahia Watson and Gabriel Iglesias.

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, originally scheduled for a theatrical release in 2019. 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 Coachy Smurf
 * Ariana DeBose 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
 * Joe Whyte as TBA
 * Kelly Cooney as TBA
 * Joyce Arrasita as TBA

Additional voices
Coming soon!

Additional voices (uncredited)
Coming soon!

Development
Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation were already developing a script for The Smurfs 4. Plans for a third sequel were later scrapped, with a completely computer-animated reboot to be produced instead.

David Bowers was confirmed as director in TBA, It was revealed that the film would explore the origins of the Smurfs, and feature a new take on the characters, with designs and environments more closely following the artwork created by Peyo, the creator of the Smurfs franchise.

Jordan Kerner served as producer, with Mary Ellen Bauder co-producing. On TBA, Sony Pictures Animation confirmed the original title of Smurfs To The Rescue, along with a first look at the film. On TBA, it was confirmed that the film had been retitled to Smurfs: Returning Village.

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.

Music
On TBA, it was confirmed that Christopher Lennertz would be composing the score for the film. In TBA, it was reported that singer Halle Baily had recorded a song for the film titled "Hueca", which was released as a single.

Soundtrack
"Main article: Smurfs: Returning Village/Soundtrack"Smurfs: Returning Village: Original Soundtrack Album is the soundtrack album to the film, and includes music from Ava Max, Florence and the Machine, Kendrick Lamar and Nicki Minaj. The album was released on July 21, 2020 through Arista Records.

Original score
Smurfs: Returning Village: Original Motion Picture Score is the licensed soundtrack for the film, and was released through Sony Classical digitally on July 25, 2020.

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 "action, peril and mild rude 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".