The Smurfs and the Magic Flute

Synopsis of Movie

Pierre “Peyo” Culliford’s little blue forest creatures had been around since 1958, but the craze didn’t hit the U.S. until Hanna-Barbera’s Smurfs cartoon came to Saturday mornings in 1981. Soon, the mushroom-dwellers were the biggest thing on television, and the craze spread to the world of toys, lunchboxes, video games and any other merchandising tie-in imaginable. The Smurfs had starred in their own animated feature in 1976 in their native Belgium, and in 1984 the movie came across the Atlantic with dubbed voices as The Smurfs and the Magic Flute.

The movie co-stars original Smurf buddies Johan and Pee Wee (a.k.a. Peewit, a.k.a. Pirlouit), a brave human prince and his consort, respectively. The two are trying to retrieve Johan's stolen magic flute, endowed with the power to make all listeners dance uncontrollably. With the help of a hypnotizing wizard, Johann and Pee Wee recruit Papa, Brainy, Hefty and the bunch to aid their cause. The ever-generous Smurfs build a duplicate flute, helping Johan prepare for a showdown with the thief, a cad named Oilycreep.

While the movie was by no means a blockbuster, it certainly didn’t hurt the Smurf cause. The cartoon continued to rule the airwaves for the better part of the decade, and small plastic Smurf figurines kept flying off toy store shelves, but the blue guys kept their activities to the small screen from that point on.

See also: The Smurfs (Saturday morning)

Movie Release History

1976 - The Smurfs and the Magic Flute

Movie Sub Categories

animated
sci-fi/fantasy

Movie Studio

First Performance Pics./Wang Co.

Cast

Voices Patty Foley
Voices Durga McBroom

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