Our little blue friends are back in thir all-new DVD release The Smurfs: Season 1, Volume 3 set to be released from Paramount Home Entertainment and Nickelodeon Home Entertainment on January 31, 2023 for the suggested retail price of $10.99, which you can preorder from Amazon.com (affiliate link). Filled with our blue friends, evil wizards, pranks, games, and celebrations, this DVD continues The Smurfs first season as male and female Smurfs learn to get along and work together.
I got the chance to review this DVD and here is what I thought. NOTE: SPOILERS BELOW.
In this new volume of season 1, the Smurfs play games and pranks, celebrate mother’s day, make new friends, escape Gargamel, and much more. Although, escaping Gargamel isn’t a new theme because we all know the wanna-be wizard is always chasing our blue friends. The theme hasn’t changed much since the 1980s when fans first saw their favorite blue characters on the big screen. I have to admit I am happy about that. To change Gargamel would change the Smurfs. I don’t mind the new characters, the new art, or even adding female Smurfs, but to make Gargamel not mean and nasty would be a gross misconduct. Thankfully, Gargamel is just as mean as nasty as before.
Of course, there is more to The Smurfs than escaping Gargamel. We have epic small story lines as characters learn to adapt, work together, and keep their community running peacefully. This DVD comes with eight episodes featuring 15 stories. The episodes are:
- The Smurfs Show
- Smurfboards / Monkey See, Monkey Do
- Flying Ace / Lab Assistant
- Order of Merit / Smurfy Mother’s Day!
- Leaping Lizards / Cover Story
- Papa Times Two / Fake News
- You’re Fired! / Mirror, Mirror on the Armoire
- Smurfing Places / Poet Slam
A couple of my favorite episodes are Fake News and Leaping Lizards.
In Fake News, Jokey and Poet print a news story about a stone monster that kills Smurfs. It causes a panic in the Smurf village. To calm everyone down Jokey and Poet have to come clean by telling everyone that they lied in order to get their fellow Smurfs to read the paper. They learn, as does the audience, that the truth should be printed and not lies. I wonder if our news stations have seen this episode yet…hahaha
Another fantastic episode is Leaping Lizards, which focuses on Vanity, not just the Smurf, but the actual feeling. Trying to be beautiful, Vanity tries to remove a zit. However, when he takes a lotion from Papa Smurf to try to magically get rid of the horrible blemish, the magic goes wrong, and Vanity turns himself into a lizard. At first, this it is awful because he is hideous, breaths fire, and is a nuisance for all the Smurfs in the village. Eventually, he leaves the village to be alone. Smurfette and Hefty try to find Vanity, but hey get captured by Gargamel (big surprise there). Vanity, realize just how useful he can be and saves them by burning Gargamel and his cat. It ends with the realization that looks aren’t everything. It is a wonderful lesson for the audience.
Gargamel, the characters, and the fantastic stories, in my opinion, make this collection 5 stars. They keep true to our beloved classic Smurfs but feature new stories and characters for a new generation.
In celebration of the Smurfs: Season1, Volume 3 coming to DVD, we are hosting a giveaway! Use the form below to enter for a chance to win a copy! You can follow, comment, and/or tweet daily! Many will enter, only one will win! Giveaway ends Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, 2023! Good Luck