Smurfs turn silver screens blue in comeback film

More than 60 years ago, Belgian comic artist Pierre Culliford, better known as Peyo, created The Smurfs, a group of blue dwarf creatures that later gained worldwide popularity.

These hilarious characters are returning to China's silver screens in the upcoming Hollywood movie Smurfs. The film will be released across the Chinese mainland on Friday.

With superstar Rihanna lending her voice to Smurfette, the movie follows the female character as she leads her fellow Smurfs on a mission to the real world to rescue Papa Smurf after he is captured by evil wizards Razamel and Gargamel.

The film's premiere was held at Beijing's Solana shopping mall, featuring 66 small Smurf statues scattered across the square, attracting shoppers and selfies.

Luke Miao, a Beijing-based influencer who previewed the film, said it creatively tells of a new adventure for the classic characters, evoking strong nostalgia among fans born between the 1970s and '80s.

In 1985, the American animated series The Smurfs was introduced to the Chinese mainland by Guangdong Television, securing an official broadcast a year later. Since then, the show has become a huge hit, with its theme song, an original Chinese composition with catchy lyrics, also becoming a cultural phenomenon.