Friday, April 7, 2017
Smurfs: The Lost Village (SPOILER-FILLED) Adoption Movie Review
The evil wizard Gargamel has long desired to capture the
Smurfs. The small, blue, peaceful creatures are very magical, and Gargamel
hopes to use them as ingredients in the potions that will make him the most
powerful wizard in the world. He doesn’t know where the Smurf Village is, though,
and that has kept the Smurfs safe. One of Gargamel’s most devious plans to
capture the Smurfs occurred when he created Smurfette out of clay, and sent her
to the all-male Smurf Village with the intent of capturing the Smurfs through
her. Papa Smurf used his own magic to turn Smurfette from a villainous evil
creature into a true, good Smurf.
Now, Gargamel has learned of this existence of another tribe
of smurfs, and he sets off again in an effort to fulfill his evil plans.
SPOILERS AHEAD THE REST OF THE WAY
The Adoption
Connection
There’s quite a bit of adoption relevance here. Smurfette
was created by the evil wizard, Gargamel. She was adopted into the Smurf family
after Papa Smurf worked magic to turn her good, but because of her origins she
has always doubted whether she is a real Smurf. Additionally, all the other
Smurfs have names that reflect their distinct personalities and skills – there’s
Grumpy Smurf, Brainy Smurf, and even Therapist Smurf, but Smurfette’s name
doesn’t reveal much about her personality.
The other Smurfs try to use a machine to reveal information
about her to help her find her identity, but it doesn’t work, because she
absorbs energy rather than reflecting it, because she isn’t a true Smurf.
Gargamel captures Smurfette, and demands that she call him
Papa. She refuses. Gargamel learns of other Smurfs because of evidence that
Smurfette has in her possession when Gargamel captures her. When she learns of
Gargamel’s plan to capture the other Smurfs, she sets off to warn them. She
sees Gargamel in peril and decides to save him too, because being a Smurf means
doing the right thing. Gargamel betrays her, leaves her for dead, and proceeds with
his evil plan. Later, he tells Smurfette that she had to help him – by saving
him and by showing him the existence of the other Smurfs – because it was her
destiny and what she was created to do.
The theme of Smurfette not being “a real Smurf” is repeated
frequently throughout the film. Eventually, she embraces this part of her
identity and uses it to trick Gargamel. His magic can’t change her, because she
isn’t biologically a Smurf; when he tries to turn her evil again, all of his
magic is sucked from his body. This kills Smurfette and turns her into the lump
of clay that she once was, but she is revived by the love of the other Smurfs.
In one sense, I like that Smurfette embraces her unique
identity, and that an aspect of her unique origin helps her be the hero to her
newfound family. In this sense, it reminds me of the recent Jungle Book movie,
where Mowgli uses a “human trick” to save his jungle family. However, I wish that
the film found a better way to say this – perhaps Smurfette could have said “I
am a real Smurf – and there’s something unique about me that can help me win,”
but instead, her repeated mantra of “I’m not a real Smurf” could be painful to
kids touched by adoption who doubt their own place of belonging in their
adoptive family.
Strong Points
Papa Smurf is a caring, loving, and forgiving parent. The
Smurfs are a closeknit family.
Smurfette is able to use her unique origin to defeat Gargamel
and save the Smurfs.
(SPOILER) By the end of the film, Smurfette has found other female
Smurfs.
Smurfette is brave, courageous, and determined to do the
right thing.
Papa Smurf expresses that, although Smurfette “never thought
she was a true Smurf,” in reality, “she was the truest Smurf of all.”
Challenges
Gargamel cruelly refers to Smurfette’s origins. He refers to
himself as “the man who brought you into the world,” demands that she call him “Papa,”
describes Smurfette as a “pseudo-smurf,” and implies that her destiny is only
to help him. He tells her, “No matter how hard you try, you can’t escape your
destiny… You’re only a lump of clay.” He also captures her and keeps her locked
in a birdcage. This could be hard for children who have been abused by their birth
family prior to coming into foster care, it could create an unrealistically negative
picture of birthfamily members for other kids, and could be hard for kids
struggling with questions of identity.
Smurfette tricks Gargamel by pretending to have switched her
allegiance to him. The other Smurfs don’t immediately recognize that this is a
trick, and are heartbroken to hear her refer to Gagamel as “my true Papa.”
In a mid-credits scene, Gargamel tells his cat, “I know it
might be hard for you to grasp, but I’m not your real father.”
Recommendations
Smurfs: The Lost Village will probably catch many adoptive
families off guard with the pronounced theme of Smurfette’s origin and her
doubts as to whether she is truly a “real Smurf.” Although she eventually uses the
properties that flow from her unique origin in order to defeat the evil
Gargamel, the repeated mantra of “I’m not a real Smurf” and Gargamel’s insistence
that her only purpose is to serve him – her “real Papa” who “brought her into the
world” could be pretty hard for the young viewers that this film is most likely
to interest. I think it’s a safer pick for kids ages 10 and up, but kids that
old might find the film a bit boring.
Questions for
Discussion
Is Papa Smurf right when he says that Smurfette was “the
truest Smurf of all?” If so, what is more important than her origin?
What name do you think would fit Smurfette the best?
Who gets to choose who Smurfette’s “real Papa” is?
If you were a Smurf, what do you think your Smurf name would
be?
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Papa Smurf is right because Smurfette willingly and truly laid down her life and died to save all the other Smurfs. Doing good and right things in the present is more important than what bad had happened in the past (origins). If no other Smurfs have taken the name "smurfette" before her, then she can that as her name as it is still uniquely hers. No one can choose who her "real Papa", other than her ownself. i would like myself to be Humble Smurf (",)
ReplyDeleteHi! Thanks so much for sharing your answers to my discussion questions. I agree with you - only smurfette can define her family relationships. And I also noticed that she's the only one with that name; it is uniquely her. The name doesn't describe her personality as other Smurf names do, but she herself gives her name meaning.
ReplyDeleteHumble Smurf - has a nice ring to it :)
That's right, in case you hadn't heard, she was magically created by that dastardly (and slightly goofy) wizard Gargamel. He wanted to trick the Smurfs, capture them and drain them of their magic. But instead, the whole village embraced Smurfette and magically made her one of them. It was such a wonderful thing
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