SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE 4K Blu-ray Review

SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE (4K UHD Blu-ray + Blu-ray + Digital HD)

Release Date: July 11, 2016

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Video: 1.85:1 2160p Widescreen

Audio: English Dolby Atmos (TrueHD 7.1 Core), Catalan Dolby Digital 5.1, Cantonese Dolby Digital 5.1, Danish Dolby Digital 5.1, Dutch Dolby Digital 5.1, Finnish Dolby Digital 5.1, Flemish Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, French (Canada) Dolby Digital 5.1, German: Dolby Digital 5.1, Korean Dolby Digital 5.1, Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1, Norwegian Dolby Digital 5.1, Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, Swedish Dolby Digital 5.1, Thai Dolby Digital 5.1, Vietnamese Dolby Digital 5.1

THE RATINGS

The Movie Itself - ★ ★ ★ ★ ✰

Video Quality - ★ ★ ★ ★ ✰

Audio Quality - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Special Features - ★ ★ ★ ½ ✰

Overall - ★ ★ ★ ★ ✰

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THE FILM ITSELF Our Reviewer's Take
Smurfs: The 4K Village.

Reviewed by Gavin King

This review may contain spoilers.

The Smurfs of today are not the Smurfs of yesteryear. Gone are the light, classic roots of the original Peyo cartoon that was beloved in the era of the 1980s. Those were entertaining, respectable, funny, and lovable little vignettes that pretty much held themselves firm as one of the best, and most iconic, cartoons of the golden age. They didn't have convoluted plots, they didn't suffer from complicated, overwrought storylines, and they didn't slam audiences on the head with oversaturated lowest-common-denominator kiddie fare. They were, instead, simple but nevertheless incredibly joyous little cartoons that brought out the inner child in all of us and remind us of a time when every story, plotline, and antic had a meaning to it. (Mind you, I wasn't alive at the time, but I can totally see where the point of view of this comes from when you look at all this through a nostalgia nut's head.) Now, thanks to the success of such live-action hybrids like 2008's Alvin and the Chipmunks and even the big-budgeted Transformers franchise, 2011's The Smurfs came into play, a completely harmless but generally unremarkable viewing experience that missed the spark that made the classic television toon so enjoyable. Of course, a sequel followed, 2013's The Smurfs 2, an even less fun follow-up (if you can believe it) that seemed more of like a cash grab than anything else. Well, folks, take everything I said above and throw it all aside, because Smurfs: The Lost Village is the saving grace to all of that conflict. Now this is more like it. Sony Pictures Animation's latest fully-animated take on the titular Belgian blue creatures looks to be a more faithful take on the original Peyo creation, and it really works. Sure, it may not be a perfect movie - it can be argued that the film falls into the trap of animated movie typicality in a few moments, and it admittedly does get a bit predictable at some points - but the unmissable respect to the 80's cartoon and even the original comic is absolutely appreciated, and Smurfaholics are guaranteed to be overjoyed.

Smurf Storm teaches Clumsy how to ride Spitfire...

Out in the forest, there's a little town known as Smurf Village, where a three-apples-high race of blue little creatures known as the Smurfs inhabit and do their business. Each Smurf has a meaning, literally. There's Clumsy Smurf (voiced by Jack McBrayer), who seems to be an innocent fellow but almost always seems to get himself worked up into a tizzy thanks to his lack of balance. Then there's Brainy Smurf (voiced by Danny Pudi), who means well with his book full of facts but no Smurf seems to enjoy having a fun factoid thrown into their daily routines. There's Hefty Smurf (voiced by Joe Manganiello), too, who's a buff dude that's always trying to look the most muscular out of the many Smurfs in the village. There's tons others as well, whether Baker Smurf (voiced by Gordon Ramsay), Grouchy Smurf (voiced by Jake Johnson), Nosy Smurf (voiced by Kelly Asbury), and even Table-Eating Smurf... I'm assuming all he does is eat tables? Point is, all of the Smurfs are named after what they do best. But then take Smurfette (voiced by Demi Lovato). She's different than the Smurfs working hard around her in the village. For starters, she's a girl, and the only girl Smurf in all of Smurf Village. Second, her name doesn't have a meaning, like the rest of the Smurfs. Raising the question; What is an "-ette?" It's a tough question to answer in town, apparently. Even Brainy's new invention, the Smurfy Thing-Finder, can't decipher the definition. One day, Smurfette decides to take a quick stroll out into the forest. She finds a Smurf hat lying in the woods and tries to catch the attention of the Smurf who could have lost it. She's eventually caught by the evil wizard Gargamel (voiced by Rainn Wilson) who traps her in his lair and uses the hat Smurfette found to create a potion that reveals a map to a supposed "lost village". Her friends Brainy, Hefty, and Clumsy save her from the wizard just in time, but when they return back to Smurf Village, Papa Smurf grounds the four for sneaking out without permission. The next night, however, Smurfette sneaks back out to the forest with her pals to try and find what lies beyond the forest and to see if there is a different race of Smurfs evidenced by the pickup of the Smurf hat. Team Smurf gets into all sorts of adventures - crazy flowers, colorful but vicious fireflies, and a friendly Glowbunny Smurfette names Bucky - but no obstacle will stop them on their journey to find out if Smurfette really is the only girl Smurf out there. But they'd better be careful, as Gargamel, his cat Azrael (voiced by Frank Welker), and his new pet vulture Monty (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) are hot on their tail, ready to catch a Smurf by any costs.

Smurfs: The Lost Village ditches all the modernizations and hipness that practically molded its live-action predecessors. What's graced here is a more faithful, nostalgic representation of the Smurfs and their environments, almost as the way Peyo would have envisioned it. The movie doesn't see live-action-looking Smurfs darting around New York City, screwing around in an FAO Schwartz toy store, causing mischief in an apartment, being inspirations for an ad involving a blue moon, or childishly gloating the words, "Ooh! Google!". The movie doesn't set its point of view on the Smurfs being in an environement outside theirs, at least speaking in the sense of our real world. The movie's character designs aren't almost disconcertingly human-like, with realistic eyes or human-reminiscent skin. Smurfs: The Lost Village rather takes the blue characters we all know and love and converts them and the locations around them into an end product that Peyo himself would be proud of. The Smurf characters themselves are more appreciably cartoonized, with the trademark big eyes and movements that would be considered as very animation-friendly. There's very few, if any, nostalgic stone unturned. The Smurf Village is designed in a way that the 80's cartoon would have personified it as. Animation smears, multiples (with the best example being when Monty the vulture gets caught on a conveyor belt), and stretching are apparent, a trademark with old-fashioned animation. The film gets its target audience right on the money, and it delivers, offering fans of the old toon with a wonderfully inventive amount of throwback and introducing newbies and younger viewers to a world that's many years past us and has, unfortunately, been replaced with unneeded live-action adaptaions.

Team Smurf!

The digital craftsmanship on the film is absolutely gorgeous. It sees a wonderful, impressive, and very seamless mix of the aformentioned reminiscence and a beautifully animated, eye-gougingly colorful utopia. For cartoon-based CGI animation, it doesn't get much better, visual-wise, than this. You have got to give credit to the folks over at Sony Pictures Animation for handcrafting a realm that balances these two factors with effortless and visaully-intoxicating ease. When the Smurfs enter the forest and explore all the surprising sights and entities, such as the Venus-Fly-Trap-like flowers and the rainbow of fireflies (emphasis on that fire), the digital artists introduce viewers to a world that's not only extremely colorful in every sense of the term but in addition to that a beautifully designed phenomenon that might even get the adults in the audience engaged knowing that there was plenty of hard work burned into the final cut. The characters are irresistibly cute and funny but also well-developed in their personality attributes. Brainy is a guy who wants to share to the world some thought-provoking did-you-knows but ends up getting scoffed at in the long run. Clumsy wants to try his hardest to fit in but his, well, clumsiness gets in the way of it. Hefty is a cool, calm, collected dude who's buff but realizes the meaning of teamwork and emphasis in the most daunting of moments. These Smurfs are human, metaphorically speaking, and they have real human emotions, too. They're not just guys that go around showcasing the meaning of their names by doing what they do. They're more than what their names tell them to be, and they're not afraid to show it in situations that require it.

But out of all the character developments in the film - from the relaxed leader of the village Team Smurf finally scopes out, Smurf Willow (voiced by Julia Roberts) or the spunky, energetic Smurf Blossom (voiced by Ellie Kemper) - it's expectedly Smurfette who shines the bright light here. She's the only female Smurf in a town of all male Smurfs. She's trying to figure out her purpose in the village, what she means to society, and if she really does mean anything at all. What director Kelly Asbury and writers Stacey Harman and Pamela Ribon (known for writing Moana) do to draw out the conflicts of the character is something really incredible. They perfectly showcase the struggles of what it's like to be the odd one out in a world of people who are the same. Feeling isloated, feeling out-of-place, feeling just flat-out different. It's relatable stuff, and that's something the filmmakers at Sony Animation nail at doing. They understand Smurfette's feeling, and it's what makes her such a three-dimensional character, one sure to go down in history with the greats. With all of those positives said, the movie is not perfect. There's a handful of moments where it seems like it wants to take the easy road out and slightly smidge it into a basic adventure film at times, and the ending goes into a predictable territory that doesn't bring much new to the table. When it all wraps up, though, it's not really that much of a concern. It's a lovable, fast-paced, zany, impressively-thought-out, and gorgeously-designed feature that may not get nominated for any Oscars or Golden Globes but stands its own extraordinarily well and makes for a great viewing on family movie night.


SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE 4K Blu-ray - Video Quality

According to the Deluxe Digital Cinema portal, Smurfs: The Lost Village was finished on a 2K digital intermediate, which supposedly makes this 2160p presentation an upscale from that source. Detail levels see a mild, but noticable, uptick across the board, whether Smurf skin, their finely-woven hats, or Smurfette's blonde hair. The image as a whole is sharper. This is good for environments, as they're more defined and clearer on the UHD where on the Blu-ray's 1080p video presentation was just excellent as in a plain-as-day Blu-ray sort of way. Sure, it's an upscale, but it's a strong one, too, thanks to the sharpness the UHD brings. The HDR palette sees something of a more nuanced color scheme. Those titular Smurfs are still blue as ever, but they're something of a very an ever-so-slightly lighter blue. This isn't the most jaw-dropping use of HDR on a UHD. Still, though, there's nuance here throughout the Smurf Village, Smurfy Grove, or in Gargamel's lair. Black levels do look a bit too white-pushed through this reviewer's eyes and the LG 4K TV utilized for this review, but it's nothing to cause concern or alarm about. Of course, there's zero macroblocking, banding, or aliasing anywhere in this presentation. This isn't the sort of UHD where those who only own the Blu-ray will be missing out, but those who do have the UHD will appreciate its finer points, especially in detail levels.

SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE 4K Blu-ray - Audio Quality

Smurfs: The Lost Village featured a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless track on its Blu-ray release, but the UHD changes things up a bit and trades the 5.1 track out for a Dolby Atmos soundtrack. The differences between the two are obvious and the Atmos track makes for the preferred listen. Which isn't to say that the 5.1 track is bad, because it by no means is. The Atmos track to be sure is more a revision than a true relevation, but those who take a listen to it will be very, very happy with the result. This listen is a bit more dynamic when it comes to character movement and panning. A good example is the scene where Smurfette leaves the bench Grouchy possesses. As she exits, she comes back for a few seconds in the far left. We can hear her voice more prominently in the left front channel. The scene where Brainy's Smurfy Thing-Finder malfunctions on Smurfette is bassier, more realistic, and more dynamic. Improvements like these are what change a terrifc track into an truly outstanding track, all the way. The overheads engage in a handful of moments, obviously not in every single scene but bringing life to some of the movie's more action-filled sequences like the attack on Smurfy Grove with a startlingly effective effect. The dialouge is still completely audible and clear throughout the entire experience. It's one of the finer Atmos listens on the market today, and those who purchase this iteration of Smurfs: The Lost Village will be in for a track that is absolutely no slouch.

SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE 4K Blu-ray - Special Features

Except for the commentary track, all supplements are only located on the included 1080p Blu-ray disc.

- Emoji Sneak Peek A look at the upcoming animated film about the popular Emoji.

- Filmmaker Commentary Kelly Asbury (Director), Alan Hawkins (Animation Supervisor), and Brandon Jeffords (Head of Story) deliver a wonderful commentary track. It's maturely but lightly spoken, exploring characters, animation, story origins, and so much more. "And there's Smurfette... everyone's little blue sweetheart."

- Deleted Scenes Each deleted scene features an introductory background of the deleted scene and its original place in the film. Deleted scenes include the following: Smurfberry Blast, Brainy's Experiment, Bridge Escape, and Gargamel's Lair.

- Kids at Heart! The Making of Smurfs: The Lost Village This featurette takes a walkthrough across the film's process, including animation, casting, the joys of making a film of this caliber, and more. At some points children stand in for the adults to simulate that the filmmaking experience was a entertainingly childlike one. This is a very fun, very light supplement, and, as I always say, fans will love it.

- The Lost Auditions The film's voice actors and actresses humorously audition for roles they didn't quite get the part of.

- Demi Lovato Meets Smurfette How did Demi Lovato get to be the part of Smurfette?

- Lost Village Dance Along Kids can get off the couch and on their feet with this dance-along.

- Smurfify Your Nails Learn how to design your nails Smurfs: The Lost Village style!

- Baker Smurf's Mini Kitchen A Gordon Ramsay-voiced Baker Smurf cooks up Smurf-size donuts.

- Meghan Trainor: "I'm a Lady" Music Video As seen in the credits.

- Making the Song "You Will Always Find Me In Your Heart" The filmmakers discuss how this song impacts the movie's final act's emotional impact.

- The Sound of the Smurfs Composer Christopher Lennertz and the filmmaking gang talk about the themes of the film's bouncy score.

- Draw Your Favorite Smurfs Learn how to draw Smurfette, Brainy, and Clumsy Smurf in no time.

- See More Smurfs! The Smurfs 1 & 2 trailers, The Legend of Smurfy Hollow trailer, Smurfs: A Christmas Carol trailer, and Smurfs: Bubble Party trailer.

SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE 4K Blu-ray - Overall Recommendation

In the supplement Demi Lovato Meets Smurfette on this release, Smurfette and Demi Lovato mention something about "the sequel, Smurfs: The Found Village". And who knows! Smurfs: The Lost Village is, hands-down, the best recent Smurfs film yet, easily stepping away from the overly modern and too-hip stride that was 2011's The Smurfs and its 2013 sequel. It's a little predictable towards the final act, but the sheer visual craftsmanship on the film as well as its faithfulness to the original beloved Peyo creation is much appreciated. Kids are going to love it, and adults will breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the try-hard aspect of its predecessors from a few years back is gone here. Sony's 4K Blu-ray presentation isn't the best UHD out there, but it's still definitely worth a watch in the format thanks especially to the improved detail. Atmos audio is nothing short of amazing aural excellence, and the 1080p Blu-ray's supplements are still nice. I'm docking a point off of the overall score due to Sony's inability to include the 3D Blu-ray in the combo pack, but this is still a great UHD release for anyone who's interested. It's worth the extra moolah in my opinion. Highly recommended!

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