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If this summer’s big-screen adaptation of .php>The Smurfs left you feeling a little less than smurfy, you’ll be happy to spend the holidays with the lovable blue creatures from your childhood in the two-part DVD release, The Smurfs Holiday Celebration.
This holiday release features two holiday specials. In The Smurfs Christmas Special (from 1982), kids are reminded that “goodness makes the badness go away” when the Smurfs’ festive holiday celebration is interrupted by a couple of children who are left alone in the forest after their grandfather is injured. The evil but bumbling wizard Gargamel makes a deal with a mysterious stranger to capture the children—but the Smurfs set out to foil their plan and bring the children home safely (and in time for Christmas).
The holiday festivities taking place in Smurf Village are bright and cheerful, complete with a giant Christmas tree, some fluffy Christmas pudding, and lots of music (which will permanently plant itself inside your brain, whether you like it or not). The rest of the episode, however, is surprisingly dark, with the Smurfs battling both their usual nemesis, Gargamel, and the creepy stranger who’s set on revenge as the two lost children fear for their grandfather’s life. For that reason, some younger viewers might find it a bit too scary—but, of course, everything works out in the end.
In 1987’s ‘Tis the Season to Be Smurfy, most of Smurf Village is busy preparing for another holiday celebration while newer characters Grandpa Smurf and Sassette visit a nearby town to see how humans celebrate Christmas. While they’re there, they stop a robbery in progress and meet a sweet old toymaker and his ailing wife, who could use a little bit of holiday cheer.
With a larger cast of characters and crisper, more detailed animation, it’s clear that this special was produced later in the show’s run. Unfortunately, not all of the changes are for the better—like the addition of characters the perplexing Wild Smurf and the cute but rather shrill Sassette.
Still, this holiday special is loaded with action and adventure, as the Smurfs race through the streets of the human town, stopping crimes along the way. At the same time, it also has lots of heart—and viewers will learn a few not-so-subtle lessons about doing the right thing and giving to others (instead of just receiving) at Christmastime.
The humor may not be as wacky—and the animation not as eye-popping—as it is in most of today’s animated adventures, but these two holiday specials are still sweet and lovable, with plenty of smurfy adventures and some adorable characters teaching valuable lessons.
If you still have fond memories of the classic Saturday morning cartoon, you’ll enjoy this little blue blast from holidays past—and you’ll want to share it with your own kids, too.
