Animation alone is a beautiful sight to see, but it cannot hold a film up on its own. That's what Smurfs: The Lost Village tries to disprove, but it proves it all over again. The colorful environments are a joy to look at, from the Smurf Village to the Forbidden Forest. Sony Pictures Animation does a fantastic job with the movements of each character, making it seem like it's a wacky cartoon you would see on television, but not sacrificing smooth transitions.
When it comes to characters, however, the film starts to go downhill from there. Hefty, Brainy, Clumsy, and even Smurfette each have a quirk to them, but when that quirk is put in their names, it makes them generic. Show, don't tell. I also think that the villain, Gargamel, is your generic wizard villain with little-to-no interesting actions out of him whatsoever. Smurfette, by the way, is what I would call a Mary Sue. She's talented in whatever she wants to be talented in given the situation, she's loved by all of the Smurfs except for the villain who created her, and when [spoiler] something really bad happens to her, the Smurfs all cry and bring her back to life through the power of love, which is not explained. [/spoiler] She may have a great design, but her character is as generic as it gets.
I also do not like the soundtrack. Putting songs in a movie that has lyrics describing what is going on is the complete opposite of what I said before: Show, don't tell. There is even an obvious song choice in there which I won't say what it is, but if you have been on the internet long enough to learn a song about blue, you'll know what I'm referring to.
Overall, while this movie has gorgeous animation, everything else drags it down. It is a fair film, and if you are a Smurfs fan, it is a decent film for you. Keep your expectations low, and don't be blue.

**An adventure to unleash the secret.**

After an average reception for the first two films, I did not expect one more in the series. They should have been dropped it, yet the film was not that bad. It was simple and cute, somewhat better than the previous ones. Basically, there's no story, everything was an adventure and the story came out of it. The adventure of four Smurfs to outdo their arch-rival, Gargamel. They were racing to find the secret village, but with different agendas. They had to face many hurdles before getting close to their destination. After that what came was a surprise. Not for us, but the Smurfs, and following, the story ended with the result of the battle that fought.

From the director of 'Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarrom' with prominent actors behind the voice-over. Not one of the most expected animation of the year, but some people were, like the kids. The children won't go alone to the theatres, it always has to be with parents/elders/guardians. That is a complicated combination, and the filmmakers has to work on that. Which means making a film that can be enjoyed by them both. So this film is more a children's, but surely some grown ups too can enjoy it. Otherwise, it is a decent film, that's not deserved the poor box office respond it's got. That means, show it to your kids, even if you are not interested in it. That's how it should be!

_6/10_