Voice Cast: Don Messick (Papa Smurf, Azrael), Paul Winchell (Gargamel), Lucille Bliss (Smurfette), Danny Goldman (Brainy Smurf), Michael Bell (Johan, Lazy Smurf, Handy Smurf, Grouchy Smurf), Frank Welker (Peewit, Hefty Smurf, Poet Smurf), Hamilton Camp (Greedy Smurf, Harmony Smurf), Henry Polic II (Tracker Smurf), William Callaway (Clumsy Smurf, Painter Smurf), Alan Oppenheimer (Vanity Smurf, Homnibus), June Foray (Jokey Smurf), Marshall Efron (Sloppy Smurf), Henry Corden (Graco), Kenneth Mars (Yves)

smurfsFirst introduced to the public in 1958 in Belgian comic strips, The Smurfs really took hold in the United States during the eighties, when from 1981-89 they were part of the Saturday morning lineup. I was there nearly every time the series aired until about 1984. By then, at nearly twelve, I considered myself to old for such kid stuff, but held on to my collection of stuffed Smurfs and figurines for a few more years.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, the Smurfs, riding a wave of ‘80s nostalgia, are scheduled to return to theaters in a new live action movie on July 29, 2011. As such, this is the perfect opportunity for Warner Bros. to release A Magical Smurf Adventure, a collection of ten episodes from the animated series of the 1980’s.

If Warner is hoping to drum up interest from those eagerly awaiting the film, this two disc set should do the trick. Like all Smurfs compilations, this set offers both fifteen and thirty minute episodes, each featuring opening and closing credits. Some of the episodes also have introductions from Smurfette or Papa Smurf and “we now return to the Smurfs” commercial break transitions. The ten episodes on this set originally aired in 1982 during the series second season.

For those not particularly familiar with the Smurfs, here’s a little background: the Smurfs are small (three crab apples high), blue, mostly male creatures. They dress in white (though Papa Smurf dons a red cap). Smurf Village contains 100 residents; bearded Papa Smurf is their leader and blonde haired Smurfette is the only female. For all the Smurfs, their names fit their personalities. Lazy Smurf is often found napping, and so forth.

The Smurfs’ archenemy is is Gargamel, a balding, garish, human wizard whose life revolves around capturing the Smurfs and boiling them as part of stews and/or potions. Growing up, I always had an immense dislike for Gargamel, and that hasn’t changed. In three of the episodes on this disc, “The Magic Fountain,” “The Cursed Country,” and “The Ring of Castellac” the Smurfs align with Johan and Peewit, whose comic series launched by Smurfs creator Peyo in 1947 provided the world’s introduction to the Smurfs in 1958. The two boys are mischievous, but lovable adventurers.

Here’s a lists of the episodes on the set:

Disc 1:

  1.  Smurf Van Winkle (14:13) (Originally aired November 13, 1982)
  2.  Revenge of the Smurfs (14:13) (Originally aired September 25, 1982)
  3.  The Magic Fountain (26:07) (Originally aired October 16, 1982)
  4.  Smurf Me No Flowers (13:50) (Originally aired November 27, 1982)
  5. The Cursed Country (22:02) (Originally aired September 18, 1982)

Disc 2:

  1. The Blue Plague (24:07) (Originally aired October 30, 1982)
  2.  The Ring of Castellac (25:45) (Originally aired November 6, 1982)
  3. A Mere Truffle (24:21) (Originally aired November 27, 1982)
  4. Gormandizing Greedy (14:06) (Originally aired October 9, 1982)
  5. Sister Smurf (12:09) (Originally aired September 25, 1982)

 

Shown in 1.33:1 aspect ratio, the picture shows its age. Faded throughout, colors aren’t nearly as vibrant as one might hope. Each episode also has a thick, inconsistent border. Thankfully, the transfer contains no discernable specks, dirt, or scratches.

The audio comes in a simple single channel, in other words, nothing to write home about. Since A Magical Adventure is widely dialogue driven it does the job just fine. The audio track is unusually sparse, offering no dubs and only English SDH subtitles on the show itself.

The set includes the following special features:

  • Smurf Speak (2:15): Using clips and a narrator, we learn the many uses for the word Smurf.
  • Smurftastic Moments (5:00): This short featurette counts down ten highlights from this set’s episodes with a narrator, animated numbers, and some video editing effects.