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Back in June, I was invited to the Sony Pictures Animation facility to get an early look at The Smurfs, so it's only fitting that I came back to Spa for an event celebrating The Smurfs on three-disc Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD December 2. The three-disc Blu-ray includes the brand new animated short The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol, a smurfy version of the classic Charles Dickens story. The short centers on Grouchy (George Lopez), who is normally rather happy during Christmas, but is his usually cantankerous self this year. Papa Smurf brews up a potion to get Grouchy back into the Christmas spirit, which features the Smurfs of Christmas Past, Present, and Future.

I got to watch this animated short at Spa, which is a lot of fun, especially for longtime fans of the original animated series, since most of the short is done in the traditional hand-drawn style fans of...

Director Troy Quane and producer Kurt Albrecht discuss The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol

It isn't uncommon for an animated movie such as The Smurfs to include a bonus short film on the Blu-ray or DVD release. The Smurfs hits the shelves on three-disc Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD release on December 2, and the three-disc Blu-ray will include the holiday-themed short The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol, which puts a smurfy spin on the classic holiday tale by Charles Dickens. I recently had the chance to speak with The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol director Troy Quane and producer Kurt Albrecht at Sony Pictures Animation, where we got to screen this wonderful animated short, which mixes in the old-school hand-drawn animation with the new style shown in The Smurfs. Take a look at what the director and producer had to say below.

Can you talk about how early this whole project came about? Was...

Coming to Blu-ray and DVD Friday, December 2nd, is the hit smash comedy The Smurfs, starring Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays, and Hank Azaria as the villainous Gargamel. We have an exclusive look at this upcoming release with the Smurf Speak: Meet the Cast featurette, which looks at how each Smurf was matched with a celebrity voice. Check it out below.

Click to watch Exclusive: Meet the Cast!

When the evil wizard Gargamel chases the tiny blue Smurfs out of their village, they tumble from their magical world and into ours...In fact, smack dab in the middle of Central Park! Just three apples high and stuck in the Big Apple, the Smurfs must find a way to get back to their village before Gargamel tracks them down.

Special Features

Find The Smurfs Game

The Smurfs: Comic Book to the Big Screen

Going Gargamel

Director's Commentary (Blu-ray only)

Producer,...

Eighteen features have been submitted for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 84th Academy Awards.

The 18 submitted features are:

The Adventures of Tintin

Alois Nebel

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked

Arthur Christmas

Cars 2

A Cat in Paris

Chico & Rita

Gnomeo and Juliet

Happy Feet Two

Hoodwinked Too! Hood Vs. Evil

Kung Fu Panda 2

Mars Needs Moms

Puss in Boots

Rango

Rio

The Smurfs

Winnie the Pooh

Wrinkles

Several of the films listed have not yet had their required Los Angeles qualifying runs. Submitted features must fulfill the theatrical release requirements and meet all of the category's other qualifying rules before they can advance in the voting process. At least eight eligible animated features must be theatrically released in Los Angeles County within the calendar year for this category to be activated.

Films submitted in the Animated Feature Film category may also qualify for Academy Awards in other categories,...

Sony Pictures has announced The Smurfs will be released on Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray, and DVD on December 2. The standard DVD will be priced at $30.99 Srp, the Blu-ray will cost $40.99 Srp, and the 3D Blu-ray, which also includes a standard DVD, will cost $45.99 Srp. Take a look at the cover art and special features below.

When the evil wizard Gargamel chases the tiny blue Smurfs out of their village, they tumble from their magical world and into ours - in fact, smack dab in the middle of Central Park. Just three apples high and stuck in the Big Apple, the Smurfs must find a way to get back to their village before Gargamel tracks them down.

Special Features:

Find The Smurfs Game

The Smurfs: Comic Book to the Big Screen

Going Gargamel

Director's Commentary (Blu-ray only)

Producer, Writers and VFX Supervisor Commentary (Blu-ray only)

Deleted & Extended Scenes (Blu-ray only)

Smurf...

After racking up more than $135 million at the box office over the course of two weekends, the surprise smash hit of the summer The Smurfs is getting a sequel.

Sony Pictures is moving fast on Smurfs 2, having already given it a release date of August 2, 2013. Jordan Kerner will produce this quick-cash follow up.

While it isn't officially set in stone, it is very likely that the three main leads, which include Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays, and Hank Azaria, will return to the land of The Smurfs once again. No story details have been divulged as of yet.

The Smurfs was released July 29th, 2011 and stars Hank Azaria, Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays, Sofía Vergara, Tim Gunn, Madison McKinley, Meg Phillips, Julie Chang. The film is directed by Raja Gosnell.

Smurfs 2 comes to theaters August 2nd, 2013.

Last summer I did an extensive set visit for The Smurfs in New York City. The production design and sets were amazing. The only thing missing was the actual Smurfs. A year later, we finally get to see The Smurfs in all of their CGI, 3D glory. Neil Patrick Harris and Jayma Mays star as a married couple whose life is turned upside down by The Smurfs. They have been chased to our world by the evil wizard Gargamel, played with gusto by Hank Azaria. The journey to the big screen was a real voyage of discovery for the actors. Check out our interviews with Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays, and Hank Azaria below as they discuss working on such an effects heavy film.

Click to watch EXclusive: Jayma Mays and Neil Patrick Harris Interview!

Click to watch Exclusive: Hank Azaria Interview!

The Smurfs was released July 29th, 2011 and stars Hank Azaria,...