Discover the cast of the Smurfs 2025

Fans have begged Rihanna to get back in the studio for years. And, by that, I can’t imagine any of them meant specifically to voice Smurfette in an obnoxious reboot (and fourth American-made film) of the Smurfs, playing second fiddle to James Corden. Posters for Smurfs have repeatedly screamed at us that, “Rihanna is Smurfette”– as if that’s meant to trigger some kind of ecstatic revelation in itself. But, why, exactly, is Rihanna Smurfette? And why has it been deemed necessary for Smurfette to always be voiced by a pop star (first Katy Perry, then Demi Lovato), despite not being any more or less musical than the rest of the Smurfs?

This is the kind of untraceable logic the Smurfs franchise has always operated on. The first two films, a blend of live action and CGI, tossed the magical little denizens of a mushroom village, originally dreamt up by Belgian comics artist Peyo, into the real world to go bother Neil Patrick Harris. The third was a fully animated reboot. All three were under Sony. Now Paramount is having a crack. And this Smurfs might just be the worst of the lot, because it’s simultaneously derivative and so crammed with new Smurfs lore that it may make you yearn for the comparatively humble hijinks of Marvel’s multiverse.

We start with talk of the pan-universal strife caused by a pact of evil wizards hellbent on stealing the four magical books that keep all things in balance. The last tome, named Jaunty Grimoire and voiced by Amy Sedaris, escapes to Smurf Village to hide. But, when she hears No Name Smurf (Corden) sing a self-pitying little ditty about how he has no personality, Jaunty feels bad for him and grants him some of her magic. See, the Smurfs are traditionally named after their defining trait, à la “Hefty Smurf”, “Clumsy Smurf”, or “Worry Smurf”. No Name hasn’t thought of simply settling for “Poor Self-Image Smurf”.

Smurfs Story. A short story exploring a journey between papa smurf and others

One day, a terrible drought struck the forest. The hot sun beat down relentlessly, and the river that supplied water to the Smurf Village dried up to a mere trickle. The garden, the pride and joy of Farmer Smurf, began to wilt, and the mood in the village turned from cheerful blue to a worried shade of indigo.

Papa Smurf, ever the voice of reason, called an emergency meeting. “We must find a new source of water, and quickly! I fear the Great Oak River has completely evaporated.”

Hefty Smurf immediately volunteered. “I’ll go upstream and investigate, Papa Smurf. Nothing can stop Hefty!”

But Papa Smurf had another idea. He needed brains over brawn this time. “No, Hefty. I need you to stay here and keep morale high. I’m sending Handy Smurf, Brainy Smurf, and the perpetually gloomy Grouchy Smurf.” Grouchy piped up with an expected, “I hate droughts and I hate walking upstream!”

The trio set off, trekking past cracked earth and drooping ferns. Handy brought his toolbox, Brainy carried a map he’d drawn himself, and Grouchy just carried a grudge.

They hiked for hours until they reached the source of the blockage: a massive pile of rocks and fallen logs jammed into a narrow canyon mouth, expertly piled up like a dam.

“Great Smurfs above!” exclaimed Brainy, adjusting his glasses. “This is clearly the work of some large, nefarious creature, likely the dreaded rock trolls who roam this region.”

“It’s just rocks, you Smurf,” Handy said, rolling up his sleeves. “A few well-placed charges and we can blast this open.”

“Wait!” Brainy interrupted, adjusting his spectacles again. “Dynamite could cause a landslide! According to my calculations, based on the velocity of the original river flow, we must carefully select the foundational rocks to destabilize the structure without a catastrophic collapse.”

While Brainy and Handy argued tactics, Grouchy wandered off slightly, muttering to himself. He spotted something shiny and stuck between two logs: a fisherman’s hook attached to a sturdy rope left behind by a giant.

“I hate complicated plans,” Grouchy mumbled. He tied the hook around a massive, loose central log that both Handy and Brainy had dismissed as too big to move. He then called back to his friends. “Hey, you two eggheads! Stop flapping your gums and pull this rope!”

Handy and Brainy rushed over, skepticism written on their faces. “That log is impossible to move manually, Grouchy,” Brainy sniffed.

“Just pull!”

They heaved on the rope together. The log, the very keystone of the jam, suddenly shifted with a tremendous groan. The entire pile of debris shuddered, trembled, and then burst apart with a thunderous roar. Water trapped behind the dam surged forward in a mighty wave.

The three Smurfs scrambled onto high ground just in time. They watched as the water rushed downstream, carving its path back toward the village.

Soaked but triumphant, they began the journey home. When they arrived back at the village, the river was flowing freely again. The Smurfs cheered their return.

Papa Smurf praised their teamwork. “You see? Brains, brawn, and even a little bit of Grouchy determination saved the day!”

Grouchy just wiped water from his face and said, with a slightly proud tilt of his cap, “I hate being a hero,” earning a laugh from everyone in the village. The garden was watered, and peace was restored to the happy blue community.