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.