Found this in USA Today and had to laugh:
Smurf’s up, but for which stars?
Smurftastic! Those little blue creatures, created in 1958 as Les Schtroumpfs by Belgian cartoonist Pierre Culliford (aka Peyo) before starring in their own ’80s NBC Saturday morning cartoon series, are finally coming to the big screen. Sony is developing a movie that’s part live-action, part animation. And since it’s still considered totally smurfy to cast celebrities as voices of cartoons (à la Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy in the Shrek films), USA TODAY envisions who would have ideal vocals for the diminutive mushroom dwellers.
Their similarites:
- Brainy Smurf: Self-professed know-it-all genius. Wears black glasses.
- Stephen Colbert: Know-it-all host of Comedy Central’s Colbert Report. Wears glasses.
Well, that’s amazing. That would be such a cool combination.
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When I heard that they’d be doing a Smurf movie I kinda groaned because the plot of the show just barely worked for the show. And what are they gonna do about the fact there’s like only one female in a village full of men Smurfs?
Okay, so, yeah, it would be great to hear Stephen’s voice coming from Brainy Smurf, but do we honestly need a Smurf movie?
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The Smurfs was probably one of the most sexist cartoons to ever air. I can’t imagine why they’d want to turn it into a movie. Smurfette was just insulting. Even when I was a kid, I could see there was something wrong with it.
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I just looked it up. Apparently, there’s going to be a greater female presence in Smurf village.
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I don’t know, in the pantheon of the most sexist cartoons I can recall, G.I. Joe would have to be way up there. That one also had, what, one female (maybe two)? And I have this vague recollection that the guys all had these ridiculously high-powered firearms, and she had something like a crossbow. Way to play up equality.
But yeah, looking for reasons not to wince when re-examining gender and cartoons can be a tough slog. And The Smurfs were just one example.
Funny how looking back at these cartoons from my more grown-up feminist perch can annoy me so much, when looking back at fairy tales barely makes me bat an eye …
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I wasn’t a big fan of the Smurfs (actually I greatly disliked them), but anything with both David Archuleta AND Stephen Colbert would be on my must-watch list. :P
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Oh wow, I saw on yahoo today that one of the most popular searches of the day was “smurfs,” and I thought “WTF!?” I see now. And yeah, Stephen would seem to be a good match to voice Brainy Smurf. haha.
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A Smurfs movie is a terrible idea. But if they insist on creating this abomination, Stephen would make a great Brainy. But Joe Simpson as Papa Smurf? No. No, no, no, no, no, no, noooooo. Ew. And instead of Hayden whatsername as Smurfette, I think Amy Sedaris could probably do more with the role.
On a side note, I love the photo of Stephen they used. Sexy. :)
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