You can see it's age, and it was back from when I was 3 and saw this in the cinema. Good for a 70's retro party night. If you crave dark and edgy Smurfs watch Avatar.
16 Reviews
The Vidiot Reviews...
capone6666 July 2017
The Smurfs and the Magic Flute
Earning money with a musical instrument is possible on the right subway platform.
Mind you, the musician in this animated movie is making money through magic.
When the king's jester Peewit (Cameron Clarke) gets a hold of a magical flute that can make people spontaneously dance when played, he attracts the attention of a merchant McCreep (Mike Reynolds), who steals the wind instrument to rob villagers.
Now, Peewit and a knight's squire named Johan must use a wizard's spell in order to convene with the mystical blue-skinned forest creatures that first forged the flute if they hope to change McCreep's tune.
Written and directed by the Smurf's creator Peyo, this 1976 hand-drawn feature from Belgium set the standard of what would go on to become the 1980s Saturday morning cartoon phenomenon; mostly because it feels like three episodes pieced together.
Incidentally, when Smurf's hear the magic flute played they turn rabid.
Green Light
vidiotreviews.blogspot.ca
Earning money with a musical instrument is possible on the right subway platform.
Mind you, the musician in this animated movie is making money through magic.
When the king's jester Peewit (Cameron Clarke) gets a hold of a magical flute that can make people spontaneously dance when played, he attracts the attention of a merchant McCreep (Mike Reynolds), who steals the wind instrument to rob villagers.
Now, Peewit and a knight's squire named Johan must use a wizard's spell in order to convene with the mystical blue-skinned forest creatures that first forged the flute if they hope to change McCreep's tune.
Written and directed by the Smurf's creator Peyo, this 1976 hand-drawn feature from Belgium set the standard of what would go on to become the 1980s Saturday morning cartoon phenomenon; mostly because it feels like three episodes pieced together.
Incidentally, when Smurf's hear the magic flute played they turn rabid.
Green Light
vidiotreviews.blogspot.ca
Ah, what wonderful childhood memories
Cornelius Chesterfield9 September 2002
I used to be obsessed with comic books as a child. When we weren't playing soccer, me and my friends would ride our bikes to the city library where we'd spend the day reading their gigantic collection, and then take an average of 12 back home with us twice a week. Asterix, Les Tuniques Bleues, Chick Bill, Iznogoud, Thorgal, Achille Talon...all amazing series which I have to thank for my excellent proficiency in the french language. The library also had several movies the public was free to watch, including this one, one of my absolute favorites. I had forgotten all about it until I recently caught it on television while channel jumping...the wave of memories it stirred up at the moment made me cry, I'm not embarassed to say it.
This one-hour cartoon movie unites both the Les Schtroumpfs (the Smurfs) series and the Johan Et Pirlouit series, both by belgian comic book immortal Peyo. Pirlouit, the lovable midget prankster, gets his hand on a magical flute made by les schtroumpfs that forces whoever listens to its melody to dance uncontrollably. You can imagine what he does with it :) However he makes the mistake of demonstrating its power in front of Torchesac, a wandering traveller spending the night in the castle, who subsequently steals it and uses it to rob people by making them dance until they pass out of fatigue. Now Johan and Pirlouit must get it back at all costs, so they head to the magical kingdom of les schtroumpfs to ask for their help.
This movie is extremely old so the animation isn't up to par with what you see today, however it has something today's cartoons don't have: great humor and excellent dialogue. C'est inoui, halfway through the movie I couldn't help but feel pity for today's kids who grow up on cartoons where the dialogue is dumbed down as much as possible, or made cookie-cutter in the sense that there MUST be a moral lesson in the end. It's like they were americanized. This movie isn't like that, the dialogue contains vocabulary and sentence syntax of high level, it feels exactly like reading french comics.
The music is great as well, highlights are the "flute fight" between Pirlouit and Torchesac and the song "Un Petit Schtroumpf", which is probably one of the best musicals moments in film.
This one-hour cartoon movie unites both the Les Schtroumpfs (the Smurfs) series and the Johan Et Pirlouit series, both by belgian comic book immortal Peyo. Pirlouit, the lovable midget prankster, gets his hand on a magical flute made by les schtroumpfs that forces whoever listens to its melody to dance uncontrollably. You can imagine what he does with it :) However he makes the mistake of demonstrating its power in front of Torchesac, a wandering traveller spending the night in the castle, who subsequently steals it and uses it to rob people by making them dance until they pass out of fatigue. Now Johan and Pirlouit must get it back at all costs, so they head to the magical kingdom of les schtroumpfs to ask for their help.
This movie is extremely old so the animation isn't up to par with what you see today, however it has something today's cartoons don't have: great humor and excellent dialogue. C'est inoui, halfway through the movie I couldn't help but feel pity for today's kids who grow up on cartoons where the dialogue is dumbed down as much as possible, or made cookie-cutter in the sense that there MUST be a moral lesson in the end. It's like they were americanized. This movie isn't like that, the dialogue contains vocabulary and sentence syntax of high level, it feels exactly like reading french comics.
The music is great as well, highlights are the "flute fight" between Pirlouit and Torchesac and the song "Un Petit Schtroumpf", which is probably one of the best musicals moments in film.
Pleasant But Uninteresting Cartoon Film From The Original Smurfs Comic Books
ShootingShark6 November 2011
Warning: Spoilers
In the Middle Ages, Peewit the court jester comes into possession of a strange flute which causes anybody who listens to it to dance until they fall asleep. Little does he know it is a magic flute made by the mysterious Smurfs ...
Belgium isn't particularly well known for its significant contribution to world cinema and I'm afraid this movie doesn't change that impression. It does at least have the distinction of being the first animation to feature les Schtroumpfs / the Smurfs, the highly popular creation of cartoonist Peyo (Pierre Culliford), and was made several years prior to the US TV show by Hanna-Barbera. My problem with the Smurfs is that they're too cutesy - all looks and no personality, despite what one of the (rather dreary) songs in the movie says. They are peripheral characters in the story at best, and heroes Johan and Peewit (renamed John and William in the English language version) are pretty bland and monotonous. The plot is pleasant enough, as is Michel Legrand's score - but the musical numbers by Yvan Delporte are fairly excruciating. The movie's best feature is its layouts and backgrounds, which are beautifully drawn and create a lovely medieval atmosphere of castle ramparts, rustic forests and market squares. A harmless cartoon feature, but not very stimulating for anybody above the age of six. English title - The Smurfs And The Magic Flute.
Belgium isn't particularly well known for its significant contribution to world cinema and I'm afraid this movie doesn't change that impression. It does at least have the distinction of being the first animation to feature les Schtroumpfs / the Smurfs, the highly popular creation of cartoonist Peyo (Pierre Culliford), and was made several years prior to the US TV show by Hanna-Barbera. My problem with the Smurfs is that they're too cutesy - all looks and no personality, despite what one of the (rather dreary) songs in the movie says. They are peripheral characters in the story at best, and heroes Johan and Peewit (renamed John and William in the English language version) are pretty bland and monotonous. The plot is pleasant enough, as is Michel Legrand's score - but the musical numbers by Yvan Delporte are fairly excruciating. The movie's best feature is its layouts and backgrounds, which are beautifully drawn and create a lovely medieval atmosphere of castle ramparts, rustic forests and market squares. A harmless cartoon feature, but not very stimulating for anybody above the age of six. English title - The Smurfs And The Magic Flute.
This movie is dumb.
invisibleunicornninja8 April 2018
When I was little I was forced to sit down and watch this movie. Though my brother was somehow entertained, I was really bored. This movie drags on forever. It probably would've worked better as a short film. I will give it credit though, the animation is pretty good, as well as the concept. Too bad it fails at the execution. There are too many plot holes, the jokes drag on, and most of this movie is unnecessary filler.
The pre-Hanna-Barbara Smurfs
Hailey-78 March 2007
Most of us, remember "The Smurfs" as the Hanna-Barbara show from the 80s, right? Well, this isn't the Smurfs you grew up with. This movie was released in Belgium before anyone in the US knew what they were and later dubbed into English in 1983 to appease the masses yearning for those little blues freaks of nature. Well in the movie, Johan, a young knight and his annoying dwarf sidekick Peewee find a magic flute and a bad guy (not Gargamel!) steals it or something and they have to find it or something, they learn that the flute was made by the Smurfs, who live in an dimension or something so they drop acid or what and go to this other dimension. They meet the Smurfs, well more or less Papa Smurf and his crew. There's no Smurfette, no Baby, no Smurflings etc and they all sing and speak in unison. Hefty doesn't and have a tattoo and Brainy can't shut up. Johan and PeeWee explains to Papa what happened, and the Smurfs have to cut down another tree and make another flute to help Johan and PeeWee. I don't really what happens next all I remember is it end with Pee Wee throwing a hissy fit or something. Any way the Smurfs don't appear until like an hour in the movie, so it's kind of boring, mostly!
Great movie
joanman5 June 2003
Hello from Barcelona. Yes, this is a great movie. The smurfs don't appear until minute 35 or so but never mind. Johan and Pewee characters are lovely and we know they will meet smurfs later so never mind. The film is 74 minutes long, not 89. Michel Legrand songs are really beautiful and brilliant. All children will love this film and many not so children... Smurfs are drawn much better than the terrific Hanna-Barbera cartoon shows. Here they are just smurfs as they must be, not some kind of bad project bad drown and with no gracefulness. We see Peyo WAS in this movie. If you know the book of this film then you must watch this it. I wonder why it doesn't exist on DVD. There are some smurfs official DVD's in France but this movie is not available yet and I don't understand why if this is the only smurf film ever. I think you can find it in USA, UK, France, Germany, Belgium and Netherlands, but always in VHS format. In some countries it is long deleted since lots of years ago but easy to find in eBAY for example. It's nearly impossible to find in Spain 'cause it was only for rent. In Catalonia there are the catalan version which is just adorable. So...we want this movie on DVD today!! And you must watch it right now!! Joan from Barcelona
Nothing Magic Here.
anaconda-4065815 December 2015
Warning: Spoilers
The Smurfs and the Magic Flute (1976): Dir: John Rust / Voices: Cam Clarke, Mike Reynolds, Robert Axelrod, Michael Sorich, Ron Gans: Junk food animation so unappealing that like the flute it would likely put children to sleep. The first problem is that with the exception of Papa Smurf all of the little blue people look alike. In the Saturday morning cartoon they were given distinguishing identities but not here. Hefty had a heart tattooed on his shoulder. Handy wore overalls. Baker wore the obvious hat. Brainy wore classes. Vanity had a pink flower in his hat. And Clumsy looked sloppy. None of that distinction exists here. In fact the adult characters are more interesting than the little blue people, which is a kick in the ass in terms of marketing. Story is simple with repetitious animation. A magic flute falls into the wrong hands and a couple of humans seek help from the Smurfs in making a new one. Director John Rust directs with as little ambition as possible. The villain McCreep is perhaps the most interesting character. He steals the flute and uses it to rob people. Perhaps he should have used it to steal the screenplay for a decent rewrite. Knight Johan and his sidekick Peewit counter him until the last note is sprung from the second flute. Great cartoons are detailed in animation and personality. John Rust's film could only be improved if tossed in a fireplace. Score: ½ / 10
still fun years later
mcfly-3125 April 2001
Though only 17 years since I've known of it, I thought I'd commemorate the 25th(!) anniversary of the film by revisiting my childhood memories of it. Being a kid of the 80's, the Smurfs was one of the cartoons I grew up on. Apparrently they've been around since the late 50's and made it to the big screen in 1976 with this Belgium feature. I still remember saying "Mom, why are their voices different than on the tv show?" Today is still puzzles me. If this was dubbed for American audiences two years after the show premiered, why did they not go with the tv voices? Still don't know. And also, the voices we do get all seem to be echoing somewhat, with the exception of Papa Smurf. And there is no Smurfette. Or Gargamuel. Or Azreal. But it doesn't hurt the film at all, as the Smurfs are secondary anyway. They don't even show up until 25 minutes in! And aren't even really seen until 35 minutes in! But when the Land of the Smurfs is reached, it's guilty pleasure time, for me at least. The three dopey songs featured are somehow extremely catchy. The one explaining how the Smurfs tell each other apart. Then later it's human character Pee-Wee trying to make out the Smurf language. Capped off by "We're the Smurfs, la, la!" The main story concerns the title instrument, which makes people dance upon hearing it. It's stolen by a villian named McCreep, who robs people by playing the flute, which causes them to be unable to defend themselves. They dance about and he makes off with their gold. The flute was created by the Smurfs, so a prince and a short, excitable musician from a royal court are recruited in tracking down the Smurfs for help. Harmless fun for kids, and I still get a kick out of it today. The animation if fair for a 25 year old movie, as the real star for me was Pee-Wee. So, give it a shot for youngsters or have fun taking yourself back in seeing it for the first time in awhile.
A European animation classic
purple7430 January 2015
This is a real classic: fantastic story by Peyo, classy animation (far superior than Hanna & Barbera's) and great characters. For all the people complaining about the Smurfs not being the main characters, you just don't get it right. This was not meant as a Smurf's story, this was a Johan and Pirlouit story. In this story the Smurfs made their first appearance ever, and they were really meant as secondary characters. Only, they became so popular, that Peyo had to start the Smurf's comic book series, as well. So, blame it on the American distributors that marketed this as a Smurf film, while it's actually a fantastic Johan and Pirlouit story.
Great Smurfs movie!
Movie Nuttball12 July 2005
I thought that the characters were really funny and all had great personalities. The animation in My opinion was crisp, clean, and really clear. Not to mention beautiful! Most of the characters in this show are hilarious like the Looney Tunes characters that we all love. in My opinion these characters are the funnies and talented ever seen. In fact, The things that goes on in this series' cartoons are in My opinion nuts which that is what makes them hilarious! There are so many to like and laugh at and the silly things they do! If you like the original Looney Tunes and animated films then I strongly recommend that you watch this movie today!
Brilliant for young kids
dybae30 December 2020
Subpar animation for the kiddies
lor_5 February 2023
My review was written in February 1984 after a Times Square screening.
"The Smurfs and the Magic Flute" is an uninteresting but innocuous animated feature film bringing the popular hit of books, tv and merchandising, the Smurfs (or "Schtroumpfs" as they were originally known in parts of Europe) to the big screen. Its success in U. S. distribution just before the last Christmas season is more a testament to effective marketing and a vacuum of new, G-rated product than to the virtues of the film itself.
Weak, episodic storyline, set in the Middle Ages, has a bandit named Oilycreep stealing the magic flute (which has the power to cause people to dance uncontrollably when it is played) from Pee Wee at the king's castle. Pee Wee, whose dubbed voice vaguely resembles that of comic Pee Wee Herman, sets out on a dull trek with his pal Johan to retrieve the magical instrument.
Hypnotized by a friendly wizard, the twosome are transported to the land of the Smurfs, tiny blue creatures who all look alike and wear white hats and pants, except for their 542-year-old leader Papa Smurf, whose hat and pants are red. The Smurfs fabricate a second magic flute for Pee Wee, who ultimately bests Oilycreep in a final reel musical battle. Film has no relationship to Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute".
Despite their billing and title come-on, the Smurfs do not appear (save for a tiny blue hand entering the frame at one point) until the second half of the film. A defensive song designed to demonstrate hw individual Smurfs act like their names only proves that the character animation here lacks the differentiation of say, Disney's Seven Dwarfs.
The film utilizes rather limited animation techniques, with pretty but strictly static backgrounds against which the characters move. Absence of much fantasy material is disappointing and the labored gags aren't funny. The Smurfs themselves have irritating resonant voices and the premise of substituting the word "Smurf" for nouns and verbs in their language is run into the ground. Michel Legrand's soundtrack score (to which additional music has been added for the U. S. release version) is subpar.
"The Smurfs and the Magic Flute" is an uninteresting but innocuous animated feature film bringing the popular hit of books, tv and merchandising, the Smurfs (or "Schtroumpfs" as they were originally known in parts of Europe) to the big screen. Its success in U. S. distribution just before the last Christmas season is more a testament to effective marketing and a vacuum of new, G-rated product than to the virtues of the film itself.
Weak, episodic storyline, set in the Middle Ages, has a bandit named Oilycreep stealing the magic flute (which has the power to cause people to dance uncontrollably when it is played) from Pee Wee at the king's castle. Pee Wee, whose dubbed voice vaguely resembles that of comic Pee Wee Herman, sets out on a dull trek with his pal Johan to retrieve the magical instrument.
Hypnotized by a friendly wizard, the twosome are transported to the land of the Smurfs, tiny blue creatures who all look alike and wear white hats and pants, except for their 542-year-old leader Papa Smurf, whose hat and pants are red. The Smurfs fabricate a second magic flute for Pee Wee, who ultimately bests Oilycreep in a final reel musical battle. Film has no relationship to Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute".
Despite their billing and title come-on, the Smurfs do not appear (save for a tiny blue hand entering the frame at one point) until the second half of the film. A defensive song designed to demonstrate hw individual Smurfs act like their names only proves that the character animation here lacks the differentiation of say, Disney's Seven Dwarfs.
The film utilizes rather limited animation techniques, with pretty but strictly static backgrounds against which the characters move. Absence of much fantasy material is disappointing and the labored gags aren't funny. The Smurfs themselves have irritating resonant voices and the premise of substituting the word "Smurf" for nouns and verbs in their language is run into the ground. Michel Legrand's soundtrack score (to which additional music has been added for the U. S. release version) is subpar.
Wonderful animation
bauwinlaurent2 February 2024
This prequel to the global phenomenon of the smurfs will enchant the kids below 10 years old.
For the adults, it is more for the quality of animation and the vibrant decors that it will be entertaining. The description of a fantasy medieval Europe is typical of the style of Peyo. It is noticeable that he always wanted to keep the smurf in a fantasy universe until his death and that is why that movie has aged well. You will instantly recognize the characters and the drawing of the famous artist that he was.
Notice that the film is about the two young adults because he had made several comics about those two before starting the smurfs.
Good to see with all the family.
For the adults, it is more for the quality of animation and the vibrant decors that it will be entertaining. The description of a fantasy medieval Europe is typical of the style of Peyo. It is noticeable that he always wanted to keep the smurf in a fantasy universe until his death and that is why that movie has aged well. You will instantly recognize the characters and the drawing of the famous artist that he was.
Notice that the film is about the two young adults because he had made several comics about those two before starting the smurfs.
Good to see with all the family.
The smurfs are not really the main characters here
alv79026 December 2022
With this title, you would expect the movie to be about the smurfs, but in fact they only appear in the second half of the movie. The actual main characters are Johan and Pirlouit, the heroes of a different comic book series by the same creator (Peyo), which are much less well-known internationally. In fact the English dubs renames them as a generic John and William. I gather this was the first appearance in film of the smurfs, and they were not yet famous. Anyway, this was a decent movie that never trascended its target audience. Little kids should enjoy it, but for adults it does not have much to offer, although certain moments and details are funny, and it has decent songs and animation. I did enjoy Johan and Pirlouit more than the smurfs, who are tiny and cute but a bit tiresome with their insistence of substituting every verb with "smurf" when they speak.
May be disorienting!
nut_milk21 May 2004
Many adults forget that children used to the animated series "the Smurfs" may be disoriented by "The Smurfs and the Magic Flute". I don't forget how confused I was when my parents brought this home from the video store. First off, none of the usual human characters in the animated series appear in the movie. (Missing is Gargamel, among others). The biggest difference is that the voices of the smurfs are completely different than they are in the show, and only a fraction of the personalities in the show are represented. The voices have an eery and, frankly, annoying sound effect on them, making them sound even more chirpy and otherworldy than they ever did on TV.
These inexplicable inconsistencies are coupled with some basic faults: The smurfs do not appear until 20 minutes into the film, long after your kids have left the room or turned on the X box. The story is hard to follow and uninteresting. The magic Flute amounts to nothing more than an oddity for "hardcore" smurf fans.
These inexplicable inconsistencies are coupled with some basic faults: The smurfs do not appear until 20 minutes into the film, long after your kids have left the room or turned on the X box. The story is hard to follow and uninteresting. The magic Flute amounts to nothing more than an oddity for "hardcore" smurf fans.
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