The Smurfs and the Magic Flute
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''The Smurfs and the Magic Flute'' (french: La Flûte à six schtroumpfs, lit. ''The Flute of Six Smurfs'') is a 1976
Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
animated film starring the Smurfs, directed by their creator,
Peyo Pierre Culliford (; 25 June 1928 – 24 December 1992) was a Belgian comics writer and artist who worked under the pseudonym Peyo (). His best-known works are the comic book series ''The Smurfs'' and '' Johan and Peewit'', the latter in wh ...
. Although the film premiered in 1976 in Belgium, it was not released in the United Kingdom until 1979, and in the United States until 1983, in the wake of the characters' newfound popularity. Although the Smurfs play a major part, they do not appear until 35 minutes into the film. It is set in the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
and mainly concerns
Johan and Peewit ''Johan and Peewit'' (french: Johan et Pirlouit, ) is a Belgian comics series created by Peyo. Since its initial appearance in 1947 it has been published in 13 albums that appeared before the death of Peyo in 1992. Thereafter, a team of comic bo ...
, a young
squire In the Middle Ages, a squire was the shield- or armour-bearer of a knight. Use of the term evolved over time. Initially, a squire served as a knight's apprentice. Later, a village leader or a lord of the manor might come to be known as a ...
and his jester sidekick. Johan and Peewit were created by Peyo in 1952 and it was in their adventures that the Smurfs were first introduced in 1958. The film was not produced by
Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...
, the creators of ''
The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (french: Les Schtroumpfs; nl, De Smurfen) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was first created and in ...
'' television series, but by
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
'
Belvision Studios Raymond Leblanc (born 22 May 1915 – 21 March 2008) was a Belgian comic book publisher, film director and film producer, best known for publishing works such as ''The Adventures of Tintin'' by Hergé and ''Blake and Mortimer'' by Edgar P. Jaco ...
and Éditions Dupuis. The voice talent from that show was not present in either English version. Instead, the work was handled by a non-union crew whose members had previously appeared in anime dubs for U.S. television for the American dub, while a non-union British crew was used for the UK English dub.Beck (2005), p. 254. A presentation of independent film company Atlantic Releasing in the United States, ''The Smurfs and the Magic Flute'' grossed over US$19 million. The film's success led to the creation of
Clubhouse Pictures Atlantic Entertainment Group, also known as Atlantic Releasing Corporation, was an independent film production and distribution company founded by Tom Coleman and Michael Rosenblatt in 1974. History Their initial releases were mostly geared ...
, Atlantic's children's film division.Beck (2005), p. 255. The English dub of the film was presented in
Dolby Stereo Dolby Stereo is a sound format made by Dolby Laboratories. It is a unified brand for two completely different basic systems: the Dolby SVA (stereo variable-area) 1976 system used with optical sound tracks on 35mm film, and Dolby Stereo 70mm noise ...
sound.


Plot

The film set at a castle during the Middle Ages. One day a merchant brings musical instruments to sell to Peewit, the court jester, but because Peewit is such a terrible musician, the King throws the merchant out before Peewit arrives. However, he has left behind a flute that has only six holes. The King throws it into the fireplace in his room, which starts to emit green smoke. When the fire is put out, Peewit retrieves the flute from the ashes unharmed. He cleans it and starts playing it for the whole castle, realizing that it causes everyone to dance when it is played. That night a man named Matthew McCreep learns from the merchant that the same flute he had been looking for is at the castle. He heads over to the castle and steals the flute from Peewit. The king sends Peewit and the young knight Johan out to catch McCreep, who uses the flute to rob people of their money. However, McCreep uses the flute to stop them. Johan and Peewit then go to the house of Homnibus the wizard. Using a spell called Hypnokenesis, the wizard sends Johan and Peewit to Smurfland where the magic flute was built. Upon arriving, they meet a Smurf who leads them to the village. Papa Smurf greets the two of them and tells them that they will make a new flute in order to counter McCreep's flute. The Smurfs head into the forest and chop down a huge tree to get wood from the tree trunk's very centre as only this kind of wood can be useful in crafting a magical flute. Afterwards, they celebrate with a party. However, just as Papa Smurf is about to give the flute to Johan and Peewit, the two are warped back to the wizard's house. Homnibus tries the spell again but passes out from a headache. Meanwhile, McCreep, who has now stolen over 7,000 gold pieces, arrives at the castle of his secret partner, Earl Flatbroke. McCreep tells Flatbroke of his plan to go to an island to hire people for an army to raise war on the King's castle; two Smurfs had been listening to this. Back at the wizard's house, the Smurfs regroup with Johan and Peewit and give them the magic flute. Then they head to the port of Terminac where McCreep sets sail for the island. However, they are too late. Papa Smurf tells Johan and Peewit about Flatbroke's castle and Johan comes up with a plan. Flatbroke receives a letter from McCreep (written by Johan) to come to the island. He heads over to Terminac to board a ship where Johan and Peewit are also on board in disguise as well as Papa Smurf and three others (Brainy, Clumsy and Hefty). They head to the island where Johan and Peewit tail Flatbroke. Suddenly, Peewit comes face to face with McCreep and they both start playing their flutes to each other. They both become exhausted soon after, but Peewit knocks out McCreep with a final note. With McCreep and Flatbroke being brought back to the castle and all the stolen money recovered, Peewit now has two magic flutes. Johan tells him that the flutes are dangerous and must be brought back to the Smurfs, but Peewit begins to carve a phony flute to give to them instead. At the castle, Johan and Peewit give the flutes back to the Smurfs, and after they leave, Peewit starts playing the flute, only to realize (to his horror) that it has no effect on the townsfolk; it is rather the fake flute he had made, much to his frustration.


Voice cast


Additional voices

* Original: Jacques Balutin, Angelo Bardi, Jacques Marin * UK: Ed Devereaux, Bill Owen, Harry Dickman, Richard Pescud, Vernon Morris, Stuart Lock, Yael O'Dwyer, Anna MacLeod, Richard Ashley, Paul Felber, Michael Fields, Kalman Glass * US: Patty Foley,
Bill Capizzi Bill Capizzi, also known as Bill Capezzoli, Bill Capeze, Bill Kapezi, and A. Gregory (March 21, 1937 – March 26, 2007), was an American voice actor. Born and raised in Somerville, Massachusetts, and also raised in North Hollywood, California. ...
, Star X. Phifer, Dudley Knight, John Rust, Richard Miller, David Page, Durga McBroom,
Michael Sorich Michael John Sorich ( , born March 23, 1958) is an American actor, writer and director. Biography Sorich has been a prominent and ever-present voice actor for many different characters in the ''Power Rangers'' franchise (until the end of the '' W ...


Inspiration

The film is based on ''La Flûte à six trous'' ("The Flute with Six Holes"), which appeared in the Belgian weekly comic '' Spirou'' magazine in 1958/59. Subsequent book publications renamed it as ''La Flûte à six Schtroumpfs'' ("The Flute with Six Smurfs"), which was also the French title of the film. In 2008, a prequel ''Les Schtroumpfeurs de flûte'' ("The Flute Smurfers") was published, marking the 50th anniversary of the original story to introduce the Smurfs. This story tells of how the Smurfs make the magic flute and how it ends up in the hands of a human merchant.


Production and release

Peyo Pierre Culliford (; 25 June 1928 – 24 December 1992) was a Belgian comics writer and artist who worked under the pseudonym Peyo (). His best-known works are the comic book series ''The Smurfs'' and '' Johan and Peewit'', the latter in wh ...
, the creator of the Smurfs, oversaw the production of ''La Flûte à six schtroumpfs'' at Brussels' Belvision in 1975.Beck (2005), p. 254. The film was based on Peyo's comic album of the same name, and the ninth to feature his duo of characters,
Johan and Peewit ''Johan and Peewit'' (french: Johan et Pirlouit, ) is a Belgian comics series created by Peyo. Since its initial appearance in 1947 it has been published in 13 albums that appeared before the death of Peyo in 1992. Thereafter, a team of comic bo ...
. The music score was written by
Michel Legrand Michel Jean Legrand (; 24 February 1932 – 26 January 2019) was a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and jazz pianist. Legrand was a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to many son ...
, a recent Oscar winner for ''
Summer of '42 ''Summer of '42'' is a 1971 American coming-of-age film based on the memoirs of screenwriter Herman "Hermie" Raucher. It tells the story of how Raucher, in his early teens on his 1942 summer vacation on Nantucket Island (off the coast of Cape ...
'' and the original '' Thomas Crown Affair''.Beck (2005), p. 254. It was released a year later in its native Belgium, and in some European territories subsequently. A book adaptation of the film, by
Anthea Bell Anthea Bell (10 May 1936 – 18 October 2018) was an English translator of literary works, including children's literature, from French, German and Danish. These include '' The Castle'' by Franz Kafka, '' Austerlitz'' by W. G. Sebald, the ''In ...
, was published in Great Britain by
Hodder and Stoughton Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hachette. History Early history The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged 14, with Messrs Jackson and Walford, the official publishe ...
in 1979 (). The film was first dubbed and released in English in the United Kingdom by Target International and Roehall Pictures in 1979, but it was not until the success of
Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...
's ''
The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (french: Les Schtroumpfs; nl, De Smurfen) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was first created and in ...
'' cartoon that ''Flute'' began to gain widespread attention: in the early 1980s, Stuart R. Ross, head of First Performance Pictures Corporation, and also the North American rightsholder to the Smurfs characters themselves, acquired the American rights to the film for US$1,000,000. In doing so, he sold those rights to
Tribune Entertainment Tribune Entertainment (formerly Mid-America Video Tape Productions, WGN Continental Productions, Tribune Productions and Tribune Entertainment Company) was a television production and broadcast syndication company owned and operated by Tribune Br ...
(television),
Vestron Video Vestron Video was the main subsidiary of Vestron, Inc., a home video company based in Stamford, Connecticut, that was active from 1981 to 1993, and is considered to have been a pioneer in the home video market. The name is now used for a collect ...
(home video), and Atlantic Releasing (theatrical).Beck (2005), p. 254. The American English dubbing for the film was not provided by the Hanna-Barbera cast members, but by non-union talent who were contributing at the time to American versions of imported anime. John Rust, the director of this dub, appeared as one of the voices.Beck (2005), p. 254. The North American release of ''Flute'', courtesy of Ross' First Performance and Atlantic, despite not doing well critically grossed US$11 million out of a maximum 432 venues, the highest on record for a non-
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
production until ''
The Care Bears Movie ''The Care Bears Movie'' is a 1985 animated musical fantasy film directed by Arna Selznick from a screenplay by Peter Sauder. This was the second feature film from the Canadian animation studio Nelvana (after the 1983 film ''Rock & Rule''), ...
'' in 1985,Beck (2005), p. 255. and was among Atlantic's all-time top five movies at the box office. Thanks to its success, Atlantic released several more animated features, many of which were distributed by their short-lived children's subsidiary,
Clubhouse Pictures Atlantic Entertainment Group, also known as Atlantic Releasing Corporation, was an independent film production and distribution company founded by Tom Coleman and Michael Rosenblatt in 1974. History Their initial releases were mostly geared ...
.Beck (2005), p. 255. The theatrical poster for the film boasted, "It's the Smurfs' ONE and ONLY full-length motion picture...ever!" Prior to ''Flute'', however, a black-and-white compilation feature, '' Les Aventures des Schtroumpfs'', was released in Belgium in the mid-1960s, and had been forgotten by the time this film debuted in the UK in 1979 and the US in 1983. The film features
Papa Smurf Papa Smurf is one of the protagonists from the comic strip the Smurfs. Most Smurfs are said to be about 100 years old, but at the advanced age of 546 (553 in the 1980s series episode "The Littlest Giant"), Papa is the oldest Smurf and the leader ...
, Brainy Smurf, Grouchy Smurf, Hefty Smurf (named "Strong-man Smurf" in the UK dub)
Handy Smurf This is a list of ''The Smurfs'' characters appearing in the original The Smurfs (comics), comics series, The Smurfs (1981 TV series), televisThe Smurfs (2021 TV series), ion shows, Smurfs Bubble Story game and the The Smurfs (film), 2011 movie ...
,
Clumsy Smurf This is a list of ''The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (french: Les Schtroumpfs; nl, De Smurfen) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''T ...
, Greedy Smurf (named "Sweetie" in the American dub), Poet Smurf, Farmer Smurf, and a new character, Festive Smurf ("Actor Smurf" in the American dub) – who loved to sing and dance and whose priority was wanting to have a party. However, unlike the Hanna-Barbera cartoons, all the Smurfs (with the exception of
Papa Smurf Papa Smurf is one of the protagonists from the comic strip the Smurfs. Most Smurfs are said to be about 100 years old, but at the advanced age of 546 (553 in the 1980s series episode "The Littlest Giant"), Papa is the oldest Smurf and the leader ...
, Grouchy Smurf, and Brainy Smurf) look alike and do not have their trademark attributes, just like in the original comics. The humor is also closer to the one from the comics. Rather than being symbolically ''thrown away'', Brainy Smurf is constantly being whacked with a hammer by the other Smurfs simply for ''talking too much''. As their characters weren't yet introduced when the story the film is based on was published, the characters of
Gargamel Gargamel is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the '' Smurfs'' show and comic books. He is a wizard and the sworn enemy of the Smurfs. His main goals are to destroy the Smurfs, eat them, or transform them into gold. Appearance ...
,
Azrael Azrael (; , 'God has helped'; ) is the angel of death in some Abrahamic religions, namely Islam, Christian popular culture and some traditions of Judaism. He is also referenced in Sikhism. Relative to similar concepts of such beings, Azrael ...
and
Smurfette Smurfette (French: La Schtroumpfette) is one of the protagonists from the comic strip ''The Smurfs''. Smurfette was created by the evil wizard Gargamel, the Smurfs' archenemy, in order to spy on them and sow jealousy. However, she decides that ...
are not present in the film. The UK dub is different from the American version. Many of the names are changed (for example, Johan and Peewit's names become John and William, respectively), and several Smurfs are called by different names. The UK dub also gives The Smurfs almost the exact same voice (with the exceptions of a few of them like Papa Smurf and Grumpy Smurf), unlike the US dub which gives The Smurfs more distinctive voices from one another. There are two dubs of the movie in the United States, in one of which Johan is referred to as John, much like the UK dub, and Papa Smurf has a higher pitched voice; this dub is only available on VHS in the United States. The version broadcast on television has Johan's name restored with all lines mentioning his name redubbed, and Papa Smurf has a completely different voice. Due to the different voice cast than the TV series, some of the characters either sound partly or completely different than in the series, and Peewit's name stayed intact in all American dubs. The film was originally released on VHS and
laserdisc The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as DiscoVision, MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diam ...
in September 1984 by the aforementioned Vestron Video. In 1987, Children's Video Library released the film in a 43-minute cut, excising over half an hour of material, reissued later in the decade by the discount
Video Treasures Anchor Bay Entertainment (formerly Video Treasures and Starmaker Entertainment) was an American home entertainment and production company. It was a subsidiary of Starz Inc. Anchor Bay Entertainment marketed and sold feature films, television ser ...
and Avid Home Entertainment labels. Tribune Entertainment Company, then a syndicator, picked up the syndicated rights of the film for a barter basis as a special. In 2008, Televista released the movie on DVD, which carried the second American dub as seen on television sourced from a 35mm print, MorningStar Entertainment also had plans for a DVD release that same year, but they scrapped it for unknown reasons. In 2010, a remastered edition of the UK dub was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK by
Arrow Films Arrow Films is a British independent film distributor and restorer specialising in world cinema, arthouse, horror and classic films. It sells Ultra HD Blu-rays, Blu-rays and DVDs online, and also operates its own subscription video on-dema ...
and Fabulous Films and in 2012, the two companies partnered with Shout! Factory for a Region 1 DVD release in North America. Due to Arrow Films' ownership of the movie, the American dub has not been released on any platform since Televista's DVD.


Reception

Of ''The Smurfs and the Magic Flute'', animation historian
Jerry Beck Jerry Beck (born February 9, 1955, in New York City) is an American animation historian, author, blogger, and video producer. Beck wrote or edited several books on classic American animation and classic characters, including '' The 50 Greates ...
wrote in his ''Animated Movie Guide'':
Is the film any good? It is passable entertainment for Smurfs completists only. Otherwise, mom and dad will have a tough time sitting through this one. There are no standout sequences, nothing particularly endearing, nor is it artistically interesting. It is a bland television cartoon stretched out to fill 74 minutes. As part of 1980s pop culture, the Smurfs are classic icons, and nostalgia value alone might be worth giving the film a look.Beck (2005), p. 254.
The film was a big hit at the box office, the highest on record for a non-Disney production until and was among Atlantic's all-time box office blockbuster.


See also

*
List of animated feature films These lists of animated feature films compiles animated feature films from around the world and is organized alphabetically under the year of release (the year the completed film was first released to the public). Theatrical releases as well as ...


References


Sources

* Beck, Jerry (2005). ''The Animated Movie Guide''. . Chicago Reader Press. Retrieved 5 April 2007.


External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smurfs and the Magic Flute, The 1976 films 1976 animated films 1970s fantasy comedy films 1970s musical comedy films Animated films based on comics Atlantic Entertainment Group films Belgian animated films Belgian children's fantasy films 1970s children's comedy films 1970s children's fantasy films Belgian fantasy comedy films Films scored by Michel Legrand Films based on Belgian comics Films set in the Middle Ages The Smurfs in film Utopian films 1976 comedy films 1970s children's animated films 1970s French-language films French-language Belgian films 1970s American films es:La Flûte à six schtroumpfs