The Smurfs (1981 TV series)
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| The Smurfs (1981) | |
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 A Smurf |
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| Format | Comic book series Animated television series |
| Created by | Pierre Culliford aka Peyo |
| Country of origin | United States (Animated series) |
| No. of episodes | 421 (total) 91 (30 minutes) 330 (15 minutes) 256 (total combined half-hour episodes) (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original run | September 12, 1981 – December 2, 1989 |
The Smurfs was a Hanna-Barbera cartoon series which ran from 1981 until 1989 for a total of 256 half-hour episodes, containing 421 stories. It was based on the Belgian comic series The Smurfs by Peyo.
Contents |
[edit] History
In 1976, Stuart R. Ross, an American media and entertainment entrepreneur who saw the Smurfs while travelling in Belgium, entered into an agreement with Editions Dupuis and Peyo, acquiring North American and other rights to the characters. Subsequently, Ross launched the Smurfs in the United States in association with a California company, Wallace Berrie and Co., whose figurines, dolls and other Smurf merchandise became a hugely popular success. NBC television executive Fred Silverman's daughter had a Smurf doll of her own, and Silverman thought that a series based on the Smurfs might make a good addition to his Saturday-morning lineup.
The Smurfs secured their place in North American pop culture in 1981, when the Saturday-morning cartoon The Smurfs, produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions in association with SEPP International S.A., aired on NBC from 1981 to 1990. The show became a major success for NBC, spawning spin-off television specials on an almost yearly basis. The Smurfs was nominated multiple times for Daytime Emmy awards, and won Outstanding Children's Entertainment Series in 1982–1983.[1] The Smurfs television show enjoyed continued success until 1990, when, after a decade of success, NBC cancelled it due to decreasing ratings.
The series currently airs in reruns on Boomerang, and 26 selected episodes were aired in DiC Entertainment's syndicated programming blocks. The series is still being shown regularly on many channels throughout the world. The cartoon was formerly distributed by Television Program Enterprises (later Rysher Entertainment), Tribune Entertainment (for DiC) and Worldvision Enterprises. The cartoon is now distributed direct from Warner Bros. Television; Time Warner is the current owner of all Hanna-Barbera properties (now known as Cartoon Network Studios), having inheirited them in their 1996 merger with Turner Broadcasting. Some episodes are available through the online video service In2TV.
Warner Bros. has announced its tentative plans to start releasing the complete Smurfs Cartoon series on DVD in the United States in season box sets in 2008.
The animated versions of Papa Smurf and Brainy Smurf were featured in Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue.
[edit] DVD Releases
In Australia volumes 1-9 are available of The Smurfs, And according to ezydvd.com.au The 50th Anniversary Collection containing 9 discs will be released on the 7th May 2008.
The 9 Discs will contain 52 episodes from The Smurfs
| DVD Name | Cover Art | Ep # | Release dates | Additional Features | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | ||||
| Season One Volume One |
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9 | February 26, 2008 | TBA | TBA | This two disc boxset includes the first 9 episodes (containing 19 stories) from Season 1. Bonus features include The Smurfs Springtime Special and "Smurfs: The Music Video". According to this article, the DVD release will apparently include the original broadcast versions of the episodes rather than the syndicated versions seen on Boomerang. |
[edit] Voices
- Don Messick: Papa Smurf, Azrael, Dreamy Smurf, Sleepy Smurf, Sweepy Smurf
- Paul Winchell: Gargamel, Baby Smurf, Nosey
- Lucille Bliss: Smurfette
- Barry Gordon and Danny Goldman: Brainy Smurf
- Frank Welker: Clockwork Smurf, Hefty Smurf, Peewit, Poet Smurf, Puppy, Wild Smurf
- William Callaway: Clumsy Smurf, Painter Smurf
- Alan Young: Miner Smurf, Farmer Smurf, Scaredy Smurf
- Hamilton Camp: Greedy Smurf, Harmony Smurf
- Michael Bell: Grouchy Smurf, Handy Smurf, Lazy Smurf, Johan
- June Foray: Jokey Smurf, Mother Nature
- Alan Oppenheimer: Vanity Smurf, Enchanter Homnibus, Father Time
- Kip King: Tailor Smurf
- Marshall Efron: Sloppy Smurf
- Pat Fraley: Tuffy Smurf
- Bernard Erhard: Timber Smurf
- Jonathan Winters: Grandpa Smurf
- Dan Radloff: Sneaky Smurf, Spy Smurf, Stinky Smurf
- Susan Blu: Granny Smurf
- Russi Taylor: Puppy, Smoogle, additional voices
- Julie McWhirter: Baby Smurf, Sassette Smurfling
- Pat Musick: Snappy Smurfling
- Noelle North: Slouchy Smurfling
- Charles Adler: Nat Smurfling, additional voices
- Jennifer Darling: Princess Salvina
- Linda Gary: Dame Barbara
- Bob Holt: The King
- Phil Proctor: King Gerard
- Lennie Weinrib: Bigmouth
- Janet Waldo: Hogatha
- Brenda Vaccaro: Scruple
- Keene Curtis: Balthazar
- Amanda McBroom: Chlorhydris
- Ed Gilbert:Additional voices
- Brian Cummings:Additional voices
- Jim Cummings:additional voices
- Tress MacNeille:additional voices
- Harold John 'Hal' Smith:additional voices
- Kenneth Mars:additional voices
- Kath Soucie:additional voices
- Jack Angel:additional voices
- Ruth Buzzi:additional voices
- Marvin Kaplan:additional voices
[edit] Use of classical music
The Smurfs was noted for its frequent use of classical music as background music or themes for particular events. Notable works found in the Smurfs include:[2]
- Modest Mussorgsky, Pictures at an Exhibition: Gnomus, Tuileries, Gargamel's theme variation about 1.5 minutes in, and a scene segue part about 10 minutes in, are used in the cartoon[3].
- Modest Mussorgsky, Night on the Bare Mountain
- Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Scheherazade
- Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, The Snow Maiden: Dance of the Tumblers
- Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, The Golden Cockerel
- Felix Mendelssohn, Spring Song
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 14 (better known as the Moonlight Sonata). The 3rd movement (Presto agitato) is frequently used in scenes where the Smurfs are in danger, or which otherwise have a great deal of dramatic tension
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 6 ("Pastoral")
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 9 ("Choral"), second movement
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, The Magic Flute.
- Johann Sebastian Bach, Arioso
- Franz Schubert, Symphony No. 8 ("Unfinished"). Used as theme music for Gargamel.
- Franz Liszt, Piano Concerto No. 1
- Franz Liszt, Totentanz
- Jean Sibelius, Finlandia
- Richard Strauss, Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, The Nutcracker
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 4: Finale (Allegro con fuoco)
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 6 ("Pathétique"), second theme from first movement.
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture
- Edvard Grieg, Peer Gynt: Morning Mood, In the Hall of the Mountain King
- Edvard Grieg, Lyric Suite: March of the Dwarfs
- César Franck, Symphony in D minor
- Claude Debussy, Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
- Igor Stravinsky, Petrushka: Russian Dance
- Sergey Prokofiev, Symphony No. 1 ("Classical"): Gavotta
- Sergey Prokofiev, Peter and the Wolf
- Hector Berlioz, Symphonie fantastique
- Gioachino Rossini, William Tell Overture
- Paul Dukas, The Sorcerer's Apprentice
- Albert W. Ketelbey, In a Persian Market
[edit] Notes
- ^ Leo Cendrowicz (2008-01-15). The Smurfs Are Off to Conquer the World - Again. Time. Retrieved on 2008-01-15.
- ^ Montreal Mirror article, Astro's Treasure Chest website article
- ^ Bluebuddies website article No longer available as of October 18, 2006
[edit] External links
- The Smurfs official site
- Happy Smurfday: Official Smurfs 50th Anniversary site
- Index of Hanna Barbera at warnerbros.com
- Smurfs Cartoons on TV - history, cartoon episode guide, voiceovers
- The Smurfs at TV.com - episode guide/lists/trivia, cast, news, reviews, forum; Wiki-style
- The Smurfs at the Internet Movie Database
- Watch Smurfs Cartoons
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