Parents' Guide to

Smurfs: The Lost Village

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Smurfs adventure has girl-power message, some peril.

Movie PG 2017 89 minutes
Smurfs: The Lost Village Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 6+

Based on 8 parent reviews

April M.
April M. Parent
April 23, 2017
age 6+

Girl power, but...

I'm all for empowering girls, but not at the detriment of boys. I did not like the way the boy smurfs were portrayed as bumbling idiots...the weaker & less smart of the 2 sexes. Girl empowerment is not about putting down our boys, and that upset me. Fortunately, my kids did not have the same perception as I did. Overall, my kids enjoyed the film .
2 people found this helpful.
Angelistic-101
Angelistic-101 Adult
November 24, 2019
age 10+

It's okay, but it definitely could have been better!

I will admit that I did enjoy this movie. As someone that's always been somewhat intrigued by the Smurfs franchise but could never actually get into it because of its lack of female characters and lack of an interesting plot, this is probably the first Smurfs movie that wasn't total garbage. The live action films were horrible because they were so bland and forced. Smurfette was mainly treated as a plot device and we were constantly reminded that she's the only girl among a village of like 100 other Smurfs that are all boys. She was just there to be pretty and act like a damsel in distress. But at least in this film she was the main star. However, I am disappointed that we had to wait over 40 minutes before we got to see the lost village and the mysterious Smurfs. For a movie that's supposed to be about a lost village of strong female Smurfs, why did we have to wait so long before they were finally introduced? And why were they barely on screen? They were on screen for like 5 minutes before Gargamel took over and stole the show. I wish we got to know more about them and why there was segregation between the 2 villages. For a species of what appears to be hundreds of Smurfs, why are the boys and girls separated? Why have they been segregated for so long that each village didn't know of the other's existence? It just doesn't make sense to me. But considering Smurfette isn't even considered a 'real Smurf' because of her origin, I'm not surprised if the creator of this franchise never intended to have female Smurfs because Smurfette. But I digress. This movie does have a happy ending.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
1 person found this helpful.
See all 8 parent reviews

What's the Story?

SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE focuses on Smurfette (voiced by Demi Lovato), who, unlike every other Smurf in Smurf Village, isn't male or identified by a descriptive personality trait (e.g. Handy, Brainy, Grouchy, Clumsy, Jokey, etc.). She was originally created by evil wizard Gargamel (Rainn Wilson), and even though later she was magically transformed by Papa Smurf (Mandy Patinkin), Smurfette still wonders how she fits in. One day while adventuring with Hefty (Joe Manganiello), Clumsy (Jack McBrayer), and Brainy (Danny Pudi) near the Forbidden Forest, they're captured by Gargamel, who reveals that he plans to trap all the Smurfs, boil them in a potion, and steal their power. Aiding Gargamel in this endeavor is a map he claims shows where there's another "lost" Smurf village. Smurfette frees her friends and, defying Papa Smurf's orders, they travel beyond the borders of the Forbidden Forest and discover the other group of Smurfs, who all happen to be fierce females. Smurfette must convince the newly found Smurfs, who are led by Smurfwillow (Julia Roberts), that Gargamel may be on his way to kidnap and destroy them all.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (8):
Kids say (16):

While this isn't the sort of animated film that teens and child-free adults will want to see, it's got just enough heart to hook younger audiences and remind them to embrace their uniqueness. The plot is fairly thin, but this is a story aimed at little kids, so that's not too much of a problem. The female Smurfs are like Amazons compared to the Smurf Village cohort. There's warrior archer Smurfstorm (a well-cast Michelle Rodriguez), perky and sweet Smurfblossom (Ellie Kemper), smart and decisive Smurflily (Ariel Winter), and, of course, the wise and maternal Smurfwillow.

Wilson's Gargamel is played in the standard, somewhat over-the-top manner, while his two minions strike the right balance between "dangerous" and "not quite killers." There's a pretty sad moment in the climax that may require hand holding and comfort for the preschool set -- but, never fear, all ends well. This completely animated adventure is notably better than the previous hybrid CGI-live action installments. By focusing on Smurfette, screenwriters Stacey Harman and Pamela Ribon have created a girl-empowerment story that's sure to please young viewers and will finally really answer the question "Who is Smurfette?"

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the messages in Smurfs: The Lost Village. What is the movie sayin about what makes a Smurf a Smurf

  • What really makes Smurfette unique? How does the movie help promote the idea of female empowerment?

  • How do the characters demonstrate teamwork and courage? Why are those important character strengths?

  • If you've seen the other Smurfs movies, how does this one compare? Do you prefer all-animation to the animation/live-action approach? Why or why not?

  • What's the appeal of remaking old cartoons like The Smurfs into movies? Do you think the goal is to share the cartoons with a new generation or to appeal to grown-ups who remember the cartoons from their own youth?

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