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THE Smurfs are set to make their first 3D trip to the big-screen this September in a live-action/CGI adaptation of the popular franchise.
The film, directed by Raja Gosnell , features the voice-over skills of Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays, Sofia Vergara, Katy Perry and Hank Azaria.
The plot revolves around the evil wizard Gargamel, who chases the Smurfs out of their village, through a magical portal, and into our world.
They land in the middle of New York’s Central Park and must find a way to get back to their village before Gargamel tracks them down and steals their magical blue essence.
The Smurfs were created in 1958 by Belgian artist Pierre ‘Peyo’ Culliford for a comic book. The ‘Schtroumpfs’, as they were called, were immediately popular – generating a wave of letters demanding more.
Over the next 50 years, they became a phenomenon, coming to life in comics, television series, films, videogames and live shows.
The characters’ cross-generational appeal has only grown as children who grew up on the Smurfs are now parents themselves, keen to introduce their children to the franchise.
