'Smurfs' movie to bring tra'la'la' joy with Christmas release

'The Smurfs' movie poster courtesy of www.pvcblue.com

The animated favorite “The Smurfs” has a release date set for the film adaption of the children’s classic, December 17th, 2010, bringing a smile to “Smurf” fans around the world.

The film is a combination of live-action footage and CGI special effects that will depict the lovable blue creatures in a “smurfy” 3-dimensional format, such as the recent hits “Alvin and the Chipmunks,” “Scooby-Doo,” and “Underdog.”

Columbia Pictures secured the distribution and production rights to the “Smurf” film franchise with hopes of matching the box office of “Alvin and the Chipmunks’” $217 million domestic gross and world-wide gross of $360 million in 2007.

The “Smurfs” were created and introduced to the world by the Belgian cartoonist Pierre Culliford, better known as Peyo, in 1958 for the Belgian comic’s magazine Le Journal de Spirou. During the 1980’s the comic strip was transformed into the Saturday morning cartoon called “The Smurfs,” being produced by the legendary animation studio Hanna-Barbera, and leaping the franchise to the “Smurfs” popularity peak.

Actor John Lithgow is attached to portray the villainous Gargamel as a live action character that is to be blended with the CGI “Smurfs.” “Saturday Night Live” alum Julie Sweeney has also been rumored to have a role in the film.

The film has already been tossed through multiple directors beginning with Colin Brady, the director of 2006’s “Everyone’s Hero,” and finally landing with Raja Gosnell, best known for his direction of the “Scooby Doo” films of 2002 and sequel in 2004 as well as the more recent film “Beverly Hills Chihuahua."

Christmas just got “Smurfy” for the year 2010.

For more info: IMDB.com; Smurfs.com; Box Office Mojo