'The Smurfs' and 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' are released

In 1958, Belgian cartoonist Peyo created the Smurfs, cute, adorable, and blue-eyed heroes. The Smurfs were released in cinemas between 1980 and 2013, consisting of four full-length films and two shorts.

It was adapted to the cinema with the US productions The Smurfs (2011), The Smurfs 2 (2013), The Lost Village (2017). The Smurfs (2025) was brought to the big screen as a musical live animation by the director and voice actor Chris Miller, who produced Shrek 3 and Puss in Boots animations.

"The Smurfs are like my relatives. Old and new generations grew up with them. Their graphic designs are simple, their colors pastel, and their shapes round. Franco-Belgian comics like The Smurfs, Tintin, and Asterix are filled with life energy. I grew up with Marvel comics and Jack Kirby's sharp graphic style. The vibrancy, optimism, and joie de vivre in The Smurfs deeply influenced me," says Miller, offering viewers a seamless, fast-paced, energetic, and colorful visual feast with his new version of The Smurfs.

In this musical, which blends animation with live action, all the Smurfs come together: Papa Smurf, Smurfette, No Name, Clumsy, Fancy, Camouflage, Special Effects Guy, Worry, and List Guy. No Name is unhappy, searching for an identity, and hasn't yet found his own name. It's Smurfette, unlike the others, who understands him best. And let's not forget the villains: the wizard Gargamel, his cat Azrael, and his brother, Lord Razamel.

THE POWER OF SOLIDARITY

There's a perfect balance in the Smurf village and the universe. When Razamel steals Papa Smurf's Book of Good Spells, which he's kept hidden in the village for centuries, and attempts to rule the universe with evil, the balance is disrupted. The Smurfs step in as guardians of the universe, traveling to Paris, Munich, and Australia, encountering the fiercest Smurfs of all time, the Poohfaces, and traveling across galaxies.

Driven by family, friendship, solidarity, kindness, ethics, and positive values, the Smurfs are strong together. Each Smurf has a distinct personality and emotional trait. They constantly look out for each other, are full of love, and behave sincerely. Miller, who works with puppets and models in natural settings, credits singer and producer Rihanna, who voices Smurfette and composed original songs for the film, with significant contributions. Rihanna, who watched the HannaBarbera series as a young child on Barbados' only television channel in 1980, is the Smurfs' biggest fan. The songs, choreography, and production design are all well-done.

You feel happy while watching the fun, humorous Smurfs voiced by Rihanna, James Corden, John Goodman, Kurt Russell, Octavia Spencer.

YOU CANNOT ESCAPE THE PAST

Directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, the dramatic thriller/slasher I Know What You Did Last Summer is a remake of director Jim Gillespie's original 1997 cult classic.

Twenty-eight years after the massive 1997 massacre in the seaside town of Southport, five friends are involved in a fatal car accident. They abandon the injured driver to die so their futures won't be affected. A year later, Ava, who is preparing for her wedding, receives a card with the message, "I know what you did last summer." They all panic when they learn there's a witness to the murder they shared. Déjà vu of the infamous 1997 massacre begins to unfold.

Starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr., and Sarah Michelle Gellar, along with young actors Madely Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Tyriq Withers, Jonas Hauer King, and Sarah Pidgeon, the cult version also references contemporary ethical values. The production, which conveys the message that you must deal with your traumas or become their victim, has a female technical and creative team.