Latest news with #Hanna-Barbera
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Forget Smurfs, take your children to see Bad Guys 2 this summer
The perfect heist shouldn't be limited by pesky logistics. In theory, then, it's something animated characters can pull off better than anyone. Your Clooneys, Cruises, Pitts or Bullocks may have a bunch of swanky capers studding their résumés, but the opening sequence of The Bad Guys 2 out-dazzles them all. Out in time for the summer holidays, this sequel to DreamWorks' 2022 hit about a quintet of animal outlaws will make kids feel cool and parents cool for taking them. It starts with a flashback to the good old days – by which it means, the bad old days, when this now-reformed gang of five (a wolf, a tarantula, a shark, a piranha and a snake) were unrepentant criminals. A head-spinning car chase through Cairo – after the heroes have glitter-bombed the palace of a rich sultan – is a spiffing showcase for the visual style, which uses computer animation (fusing 2D and 3D) to look as hand-drawn as the filmmakers can pretend. As a yahooing Mr Wolf (voiced by Sam Rockwell to sound eerily like Clooney) makes his getaway with the crew, we really kick into gear. The animation style is a Hanna-Barbera/Looney Tunes throwback, a comic book being sped up and slowed down. It's frisky and inspired. There's a plot, too, which is a good deal less sluggish than Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, while also being almost needlessly intricate if you decide to bother following it. (Basic version: a gold-lusting trio called The Bad Girls lure our heroes into one last job, and they fall for the ruse.) There's really no need to over-concentrate, though. We're in this for the set pieces, the razzle-dazzle, and anarchic comeback vibes, backed up with muscle by Daniel Pemberton's music (of Ocean's 8 fame). We accept the esprit de corps between these creatures, all much-maligned figures in the animal kingdom, and the gambit that they're good guys deep down. We still want to watch them do bad things. Craig Robinson's Mr Shark is nominally a master of disguise – somehow no one sees through it, even when he's donning a moustache and wig to pose as an Italian florist, say. The script defaults to easy running gags of this ilk (Mr Piranha emits toxic green gas when he's nervous). This is the weak spot: coarse material it knows kids will lap up. It isn't wrong. It just misses the verbal wit of, say, a Brad Bird (who wrote and directed The Incredibles and Ratatouille) to seduce the rest of us with devil-may-care suavity. Even so, anyone interested in animation needs to pay attention to what these films are doing. The writing formula may be crude, but the whiz-bang aesthetic is sensational.
Los Angeles Times
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Our reviewer wanted to like the new ‘Smurfs' movie, but it totally blue
We're nearing the home stretch for kiddie summer movies, moms and dads. Stay hydrated and nourished, because your multiplex chaperone duties aren't truly over until early August or so, when the fare turns distinctively adult-themed before going full prestige in the child-unfriendly zone of fall awards season. But with the messy, strained 'Smurfs' on offer this weekend, a tired parent may want to bail early and find a last-minute sleepaway camp to shove the little ones off to instead, because this latest big-screen version of the cute-culture behemoth may test your tolerance for all things wee and cerulean. As legacy management goes, it's more trial than celebration. Even if you grew up with Belgian artist Peyo's utopian woodland humanoids (rendered with Hanna-Barbera efficiency for cheap '80s television), nostalgia isn't on offer here — just the usual running tap of attention-driven wackiness, creating a fast-growing puddle of gags, colors, songs (including pop icon Rihanna's contributions) and believe-in-yourself platitudes that feel random, not earned. As deployed by 'Shrek' franchise veteran Chris Miller ('Puss in Boots'), animation is less a storied artistic method with which to enchant, so much as a whiz-bang weapon of mass distraction, scalable and noisy. The Smurfs themselves have come in for something of an origin makeover. No longer simple, communal mushroom-village inhabitants with happy lives centered on personality quirks and avoiding a mean wizard, in this telling (written by Pam Brady) they hail from a line of ancient, cosmic guardians of goodness, a background that feels beholden to the superhero mindset overriding so much popcorn gruel these days. Conversely, the baddies, wizard brothers Gargamel and new antagonist Razamel (both amusingly snarled into existence by voice actor JP Karliak, channeling Harvey Korman), belong to — what else? — an Evil Alliance set on world domination. Everything about the story, from opening to closing dance party, feels like it was made up on an especially unimaginative playdate by bored kids who'd rather be watching TV. A Smurf called No Name (James Corden) wants to be known for something, like his trait-defined pals Hefty, Vanity, Grouchy, Baker and Clumsy. Close friend Smurfette (Rihanna), the village's confident, outgoing badass, tries to buck him up, but he sings a boring who-am-I lament anyway. Papa Smurf (John Goodman) is kidnapped through a portal, the first of many. There's a missing magical book given the name Jaunty (Amy Sedaris). The Smurf rescue party goes to a disco in Paris. Then the Australian Outback. Outer space too. Natasha Lyonne voices the leader of an underground species of what look like scratchy couch pillows. Razamel hates Gargamel. Papa has a red-bearded brother, Ken (Nick Offerman tiringly doing Nick Offerman), and we learn later, a long-lost sibling named Ron (Kurt Russell). All these brothers, yet I still wouldn't say family dynamics are a going emotional concern. Sometimes everyone floats in the air. Mostly, it'll be your mind. But turn away for one second, and the characters will have likely gone to another dimension. Because, of course, multiverses are really popular now too. Like the kind in which no voice cast member was likely in the same city as any other when they phoned in their lines. At least the animators looked like they stayed busy. At one point, when dimension-palooza hurtles our tiny blue posse into different animation modes — claymation, pencil drawings, 8-bit video graphics — there's a whiff of the delightful, meta-zany chaos of classic cartoons. But for the most part, 'Smurfs' hews to the textbook silliness of CGI-generated action and attitude humor, only this time so needlessly zigging and zagging it barely has time to convincingly sell its ultimate message of strength in togetherness. An incoherent movie is hardly the vessel for that kind of lesson. When it ends, though, it'll definitely feel like an example of kindness.
Time of India
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Could Leonardo DiCaprio be the next Captain Planet? Here's what we know
Captain Planet's fans have a reason to rejoice. The eco-conscious superhero may return after three decades. Leonardo DiCaprio and Greg Berlanti are executive producers. The live-action adaptation is reportedly in development. Netflix has not confirmed the project. Tara Hernandez is writing the series. The original show aired between 1990 and 1996. It tackled environmental issues. More than three decades after Captain Planet and the Planeteers first aired, the eco-conscious superhero may soon return to screens in a new avatar. With Oscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio and acclaimed producer Greg Berlanti attached as executive producers, the much-talked-about live-action adaptation is reportedly in the works. While Netflix hasn't officially confirmed the project, buzz around its development has fans both nostalgic and curious. A Long-Awaited Comeback If everything falls into place, the upcoming series could mark the long-awaited return of the iconic eco-warrior after more than three decades. However, the project has not been officially confirmed by the streaming platform and they have declined to comment on the reports. The Origins of Captain Planet Aired between 1990 and 1996, Captain Planet and the Planeteers—along with its follow-up The New Adventures of Captain Planet—was produced by DIC Entertainment and Hanna-Barbera. Created by Barbara Pyle and media mogul Ted Turner, the show aimed to tackle pressing environmental issues by wrapping them in the exciting world of superheroes and villains, hoping to engage younger audiences, according to Variety. Ed Asner, Whoopi Goldberg , and LeVar Burton were featured as voice actors in the show. New Series, New Team The upcoming Captain Planet live-action series is being penned by Tara Hernandez, best known for creating Mrs. Davis for Peacock. She has also been a writer on hit shows like The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon, bringing a mix of sharp wit and storytelling experience to the project.
Time Magazine
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Magazine
Everything You Need to Know About Smurfs
In Smurfs, out in theaters July 18, a Smurf is blue that he doesn't have a specific task to do in Smurf Village. Voiced by James Corden, he's just known as No Name Smurf. The Smurfs are a village of creatures who live in mushroom houses that consider themselves one big happy family, and each Smurf plays a role in maintaining the community, like Doctor Smurf, Calendar Smurf, and Camouflage Smurf. They are led by Papa Smurf, and he treats the Smurfs like they are all his children. In Smurfs, Smurfs start every day by break-dancing, with Papa Smurf as the DJ. In the movie, Papa Smurf (John Goodman) is kidnapped, and No Name Smurf and the one female Smurfette (Rihanna) are on a mission to rescue him from the clutches of evil wizards. During the search, No Name Smurf discovers that his 'thing' is magic, and he can create magic portals to transport the Smurfs to different dimensions, including the lair where the evil wizards are holding Papa Smurf hostage. Thus, he will forever be known as Magic Smurf. Smurfs is Hollywood's fourth smurf movie in a franchise that dates back to 1958, the brainchild of Belgian comic artist Pierre 'Peyo' Culliford. Here's a look at the origins of the Smurfs and where the movie Smurfs fits in the history of the Smurfs. What is a Smurf? The Smurfs have a few defining characteristics: They are six inches tall, blue in color, and have their own language. Peyo's wife Nine made the decision to color them blue. She colored his illustrations up until his death in 1992. She thought red would make them look angry, and yellow would make them look sickly. If they were green, they'd look lost in the scenery. The other key defining characteristic of the Smurfs is their language. They use the word Smurf as a verb, so in the 2025 movie Smurfs, the Smurfs often use it as a substitute for a profanity—'That sounds like a load of Smurfs' and 'I think I just Smurfed my pants.' A brief history of Smurfs The first Smurfs illustrations were published in Oct. 1958. They were supposed to be side-kicks in a comic strip series called Johan and Peewit, but they were so popular that they were given their own comic strip. Some of the comic strips reflect the postwar era in which they were invented. According to Matt Murray, a self-proclaimed 'Smurfologist' and author of The Art of Smurfs, 'The creators of the comics grew up during the Nazi occupation of Belgium and that affected the way that they told stories and how they thought about the world. And, in fact, there's a Smurf comic called King Smurf, or Smurf King, depending on who's translating it. That is actually a parable about Hitler.' The first Smurfs movie was The Smurfs and the Magic Flute (1976), produced by a Brussels animation studio. Afterwards, little rubber Smurf figurines started to be handed out to people filling up their gas tanks, and when an American TV executive got hold of one, the famed animation studio Hanna-Barbera produced a TV show that came out in 1981. 'That is what we consider the birth of Smurf media because it hits American television,' says Murray. 'Not only does it hit American television, it gets better ratings than Dallas, the number-one primetime soap opera at the time.' Origins of Smurfette Smurfette, the sexy female character in the comic strip, was introduced in April 1966. 'She was created by Gargamel, who's the villain of the series, to cause disruption and chaos in the Smurf Village, which, up until that point, was entirely male,' Murray says. 'She flirts with everybody, and everybody falls in love with her, and everybody starts fighting over her.' The Smurfette in Smurfs is a strong female lead character. Though she was created by an evil wizard, she has distanced herself from him, and considers herself a Smurf through-and-through. She is the one who organizes the Smurfs to save Papa Smurf. She bonds with No Name Smurf because she knows what it's like to feel like an outsider in Smurf Village, and she counsels him while picking Smurfberries as he's trying to figure out who he is. Lessons from the Smurfs As Smurfs shows, sometimes it can take a little while for people to figure out what makes them special—as in No Name Smurf's case—but everyone does have something that makes them special. Murray hopes the Smurfs will inspire viewers to think more about how they relate to the larger world and how they can positively contribute to their own communities. 'Coming together for the collective good is something that we could focus on now, something that's a little lacking in the world,' he says. 'That is in the Smurfs, and hopefully people can get that out of the Smurfs."
New York Post
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
‘Smurfs' is one of the worst movies of the year — I Smurf-ing hated it!
movie review SMURFS Zero Stars Zero stars. Running time: 92 minutes. Rated PG (action, language and some rude humor). In theaters. It's Hanna-Barbaric. I have just endured a film in which an army of little creatures cruelly tortures humans. No, not 'Gremlins.' That's a good movie. It was 'Smurfs.' And the punished human was me. I Smurf-ing loathed it. Remember those tiny blue Belgian gnomes that are best known in the US for their charming 1980s Hanna-Barbera cartoon show? Well, now they're being voiced by James Corden and Rihanna with all the energy of an automatic voicemail message. And, as 'Smurfs' is also a musical, they sing too. However, don't go looking for our pint-sized pals to 'La la la la la la! Sing a happy song!' 7 James Corden and Rihanna voice No Name and Smurfette in 'Smurfs.' AP Most of the numbers are uncomfortable club beats and ear-drum-busting downers. The lame and out-of-place tunes by Rihanna and others are totally unconcerned with the fact that they're coming out of the mouths of indigo leprechauns. Corden, as No Name Smurf, awkwardly pretends to be Sam Smith as he croons a sappy pop ballad called 'Always On The Outside' about his womp-womp search for purpose. The interminable dirge boasts such inspired lyrics as 'Does happy ever after really ever happen?' Answer: Not for anyone unlucky enough to have bought a ticket to 'Smurfs.' 7 Papa Smurf (John Goodman) is kidnapped by Razamel. AP No Name, you see, has no defined role in Smurf Village. Unlike Papa Smurf (John Goodman), Smurfette (Rihanna), Brainy Smurf (Xolo Maridueña) and the rest, he's pointless. 'Isn't it grand to live in a place where everybody has a thing?,' tauntingly asks Papa. No Name's quest for a raison d'être is supercharged when Papa is Smurfnapped by Razamel, the evil wizard Gargamel's evil-er brother. Raz needs Papa's magic book to rid the world of goodness. 'Smurfs' has got that covered, methinks. 7 Natasha Lyonne voices Mama Poot, the leader of the Snooterpoots. 7 Gargamel and Azrael in 'Smurfs.' So Corden, Rihanna and the rest gotta Carpool Karaoke their way around Paris, Munich and the desert to find him, being sure to do nothing clever or watchable along the way. JP Karliak's high-pitched vocal performance as both sinister 'amel siblings, like a sniveling leaf blower, is extremely irritating. That could be due to the witless, truly terrible script he's forced to read or that his fellow actors (Nick Offerman, Dan Levy, Natasha Lyonne) all talk as if they're ordering a Double Quarter Pounder with cheese. Rihanna is especially lifeless. The lines these cash-checking celebs utter are a garbage bag of modern jokes that are already beyond tired in 2025. 7 Rihanna attends the premiere of 'Smurfs' in LA on July 13, 2025. REUTERS 7 John Goodman attends the 'Smurfs' premiere in NYC on July 15, 2025. Getty Images Razamel, for example, has to do work video calls from his castle with the Alliance of Evil Wizards. He forgets to un-mute himself. 'Why wouldn't I use my podcast microphone for my Zooms?!,' he then yells at his stereotypical henchman Joel (Levy). And Lyonne voices Mama Poot, the leader of an annoying new species called the Snooterpoots. They're wigs with eyes, headed straight to the toy store. 7 James Corden poses for cameras at the 'Smurfs' world premiere in Brussels on June 28, 2025. AP 'Every yahoo thinks they can navigate the multiverse!,' she barks at No Name. Great. Just when every moviegoer has grown sick and tired of it, the multiverse has infiltrated the poor helpless Smurfs. You can guess how director Chris Miller's movie ends. Well, except the bonkers part when Kurt Russell barges in as a Richard the Lionheart-esque warrior. Ultimately, No Name finds his 'thing.' And his purpose is better and more extraordinary than any other smurf's. Good for him. Too bad his touchy-feely triumph ends one of the worst movies you'll see all year.
