Smurfs Production Blog (original) (raw)
Team Smurf hops the pond!
The Smurf crew has just returned from the world-famous Abbey Road Studios in London to record the orchestral portion of the SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE soundtrack on the same stage that brought to life the scores of STAR WARS and THE LORD OF THE RINGS. The score, by composer Christopher Lennertz, follows a unique execution, including using handcrafted instruments made of organic material found in forests, which create the sounds for a sequence taking place in the film’s Forbidden Forest.
A musical joke earlier on in the Smurfs Village refers to the song, “Careless Whisper.” Director Kelly Asbury, who also voices Nosey Smurf in the film, catches a peek at the process!
Happy Thanksgiving from Team Smurf!
If you haven’t seen the new American and international trailers for SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE, make sure to join the over 10 million people who checked it out already and head over to Sony Pictures Animation’s YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/sonyanimation. A new Thanksgiving video from our favorite blue friends was also just posted there!
Special treat: scene-stealer Nosey Smurf is voiced by none other than the film’s director, Kelly Asbury. A fun side job through a very busy production schedule, as we are entering the last stretch with animation wrapping next week, and the filmmakers heading to London next month to record its score with composer Christopher Lennertz at the world famous Abbey Road Studios.
We are thankful for all of our followers and our amazing crew, happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones!
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to discover first hand what goes on behind the scenes in animating a feature film like Smurfs: The Lost Village. Director Kelly Asbury will be giving a masterclass and participating in a panel with Production Designer Noelle Triaureau and Animation Supervisor Alan Hawkins this Saturday, November 19 at the CTN Animation Expo in Burbank, taking you into the world of the Smurfs - before it actually existed! Grab your tickets at ctnanimationexpo.com!
SMURFS STATUE INSTALLATION
Two new friends are now welcoming employees and visitors to the Sony Pictures Animation campus: one-of-a-kind, five-foot statues of Papa and Smurfette were created by hand and set up last week under the supervision of Smurfs: The Lost Village character designer and in-house Smurfs expert Patrick Mate. He made sure the Smurfs’ eye circles were exactly the way they are in our fully animated film, and Papa’s brows positioned perfectly on top of his hat to reflect the brand new CG design of the characters which takes its inspiration from the original Peyo comic books.
Papa and Smurfette now stand at the entrance of Sony Pictures Animation’s campus as a friendly, daily reminder of the fun new character design of our movie which is a complete departure from the look of the two hybrid Smurfs movies.
Check back soon for updates on a brand new trailer debuting later this month!
KEEPING TRACK OF PRODUCTION ON SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE WITH SCRIPT COORDINATOR LASHANA RODRIGUEZ
It takes a village! Hundreds of people are working tirelessly every day to make our movie as perfect as possible, and we’re not just talking about animators here. Our crew features many unsung heroes like script coordinator Lashana Rodriguez, whose job includes making sure that every line of dialogue is accounted for during recording sessions and tracking the best takes by each actor. Learn more about the role of one of the many amazing people from the Smurfs: The Lost Village crew!
DIRECTOR KELLY ASBURY ON THIS WEEK’S BRAND NEW SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE TEASER POSTER & TRAILER
How different is SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE from the previous two Smurfs features?
KA: Sony Pictures Animation’s previous two SMURFS movies were live action films in which real humans interacted with more realistically designed and animated Smurfs, and the stories centered as much around the human characters’ issues. SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE has nothing to do with those other films. It is a radically different take on the Smurfs and their imaginary world, fully computer animated, and much closer to the tone and style that creator Peyo initially envisioned.
What was the inspiration for this film?
KA: Many things inspired the type of movie we wanted to make. Everyone involved agreed that the story should be a high-adventure journey, so classic movies like RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and GOONIES came to mind. The richness in color was influenced by the great French Impressionists painters. The Forbidden Forest where the Smurfs venture was envisioned as equal parts Oz, Pandora and Wonderland, filled with dangerous and magical creatures like Smurf-eating Flowers or Boxing and Kissing Plants, to name a few.
What can you tell us about the voice cast?
KA: Demi Lovato has a certain toughness mixed in with a confident brand of femininity, which is perfect for Smurfette. Mandy Patinkin is one of my favorite actors, who can play both comedy and drama, each with honesty and sincerity. Who better then to play Papa Smurf? Rainn Wilson has a unique way of portraying wacky, comical characters, who are self-important, yet deeply insecure and flawed - that’s Gargamel in a nutshell. Joe Manganiello is the manly man, with a big heart, so he’s perfect for Hefty and happens to be a major Smurfs fan. Danny Pudi has a way with nerdiness that encompasses Brainy Smurf’s persona. Jack McBrayer can channel the fumbling nervousness needed to play Clumsy Smurf. All together, they form a wonderful ensemble, each of whom is hugely fun to work with. And there’s other incredible talent in the film which I can’t tell you about just yet.
The teaser poster & tomorrow’s teaser trailer hint at a mysterious forest, what can you tell us about what’s new in this film?
KA: Without giving too much away, all I’ll say is that this new movie takes the Smurfs - and the audience - on a journey into a Forbidden Forest, a fantastical world like no other, filled with crazy plants, insects and animals. Most of all, there are surprises at every turn. The colors, shapes and overall environment are transportive and exciting, just the way a fun adventure movie should be. And the clever humorous tone should delight audiences of all ages–Smurfs fans or not!
Happy summer! To kick off Sony Pictures Animation’s annual barbecue party, we screened a work-in-progress version of SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE featuring the first lit shots and lots of animation to all employees, who gave the movie thunderous applause. It makes all the hard work worth it! As the audience left the theater, they were greeted by the official new life-sized Smurfs walkabout, making their very first appearance. This was a surprise even to director Kelly Asbury, who did not know they’d show up, and loved the way they turned out. These are prototypes getting tweaked before mass production, but you can get a little peek at Brainy’s sidekick in the movie, Snappy, on his wrist. The party then kicked in as we soaked each other in a dunk tank, climbed blow-up castles & took Smurf-themed photos in a photo booth. And the best part? Getting down to summer jams with the big blue creatures. Hope everyone has a Smurf-tastic summer, and check out the video below!
REMEMBERING NINE CULLIFORD (1930-2016)
Nine Culliford, from her maiden name Janine Devroye, wife of Peyo, creator of the Smurfs, passed away this Tuesday aged 86. Everyone in the Smurfs family remember 1946 as an important year for Pierre Culliford, as it was the year when he took the artist name of Peyo, published his first board and met Janine Devroye.
She would later become his wife, the mother of his children Veronique and Thierry, and his most trusted associate.
It is Nine who suggested to paint the Smurfs in blue, because she felt that the color stood out much better on the green backgrounds of a forest environment.
Since the passing of her husband in December 1992, Mrs Peyo carried on taking an active part in the development of the comics by giving color advises, just like she had been doing since 1958. It is now Véronique and Thierry Culliford’s task to perpetuate the work of their parents.
Peyo’s family and everyone currently hard at work on SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE are now missing a great lady. The image of Smurfette featured in this post was drawn in loving memory of Nine by character designer Patrick Mate and painted by production designer Noelle Triaureau.
Producer Jordan Kerner recalls “Nine was a true lady. She was generous, beautiful and strong. She was so very intelligent and tasteful. She is with Peyo now. No doubt enjoying a village and friends awash in the blue she loved so much. Nine was a gem. As we stood together on the Paris Opera House Stage, with a full audience (a set for one of our Smurfs movies), she hugged me, and Veronique translated, that she could never have dreamed of this moment. Seeing that smile made the complex journey worthwhile. Nine stood side by side with Peyo to create characters, a village, and an entire environment, which has given so much joy to the world. She is in the hands of angels. May she Smurfily rest in peace.”
Adds director Kelly Asbury, “My thoughts are with the Culliford family and everyone at Lafig. I never had the pleasure of meeting Nine, but her Smurfy legacy will live on and on, in the many personas embodied by all those adorable blue citizens of Smurf Village… and beyond. I’m proud to be able to count myself - even in the smallest way - among those who will help carry on Peyo’s and Nine’s life’s work.”
SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE which marks a return to Peyo’s style and tone in full animated form is being dedicated to Nine Culliford. May she rest in peace.
SMURFY SUMMER SCREENING
We hosted a screening of SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE on the Sony Pictures Animation campus for marketing executives. Since about 50 seats were still available in our Ray Harryhausen Theater we also invited as many kids from summer camp under the seal of secrecy to get their reaction.
Great news and big relief: everyone LOVED IT! The version we screened featured a lot of story boards and about 100 animated shots, but in spite of that, adults and kids alike laughed throughout, teared up a bit and applauded loudly at the end.
Feedback to the filmmakers has been unanimous that this is the very best Smurfs movie they’d ever seen. We are all celebrating after a hard day–and of course a few years of work with only 6 more months of production to go.
We wish you and your family a wonderful Fourth of July weekend!
HAPPY GLOBAL SMURFS DAY
We’re celebrating Global Smurfs Day! Share and tag the friend you cherish most!