9 Feb – We are going to be seeing a whole lot of blue, with Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation setting to create a number of "Smurfs" projects. In a statement released by the two studios, it was revealed that they are set to team up with LAFIG Belgium and IMPS to produce multiple Smurf movies, including an animated musical film that will begin production this year. To be written by Pam Brady of "South Park" fame, the upcoming musical is tentatively scheduled for a December 2024 release.
"Nickelodeon is the home to some of the world's most popular family franchises and we're honoured to add The Smurfs to that roster," Ramsey Naito, president of animation for Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation, said in his statement. "We're excited to tell a story that stays true to its origins, but with a Smurf-tastic musical twist that excites new audiences and builds on the Smurfs franchise and universe of wonderful characters and stories." At the same time, Nickelodeon has also ordered a second 26-episode season of the original CG-animated TV series, after launching the first season in September 2021. Based on the property created by Belgian artist Pierre Culliford, "The Smurfs" was previously made into a hybrid live-action and computer animated movie in 2011, with its sequel released two years later.