Smurfs

image for Smurfs

Short takes

Not suitable under 5; parental guidance to 7 (violence, scary scenes)

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This topic contains:

  • overall comments and recommendations
  • details of classification and consumer advice lines for Smurfs
  • a review of Smurfs completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 13 July 2025.

Overall comments and recommendations

Children under 5 Not suitable due to violence and scary scenes.
Children aged 5–7 Parental guidance recommended due to violence and scary scenes.
Children aged 8 and over Ok for this age group.

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines. Other classification advice (OC) is provided where the Australian film classification is not available.

Name of movie: Smurfs
Classification: G
Consumer advice lines: Very mild themes, coarse language and some scenes may scare very young children
Length: 92 minutes

ACCM review

This review of the movie contains the following information:

A synopsis of the story

In a village where every Smurf has their own special talent, ‘No Name’ Smurf (voiced by James Corden) struggles to find his identity. However, everything changes when a magical book responds to his heartfelt wish and grants him unexpected powers.

But when No Name unveils his abilities to the other Smurfs, he accidentally reveals the village's location to the sinister Razamel (voiced by JP Karliak), who retaliates by kidnapping Papa Smurf (voiced by John Goodman).

Now, with the help of Smurfette (voiced by Rihanna) and the other Smurfs, No Name must track down the elusive and mysterious Ken (voiced by Nick Offerman). Their journey takes them beyond the mushroom village and into the real world, where they gain surprising allies, including the Snooterpoots and Gargamel (voice of JP Karliak), who is out for revenge after his brother excluded him from the Intergalactic Evil Wizard Alliance. And maybe, just maybe, No Name will discover what has been inside of him all along.

Themesinfo

Children and adolescents may react adversely at different ages to themes of crime, suicide, drug and alcohol dependence, death, serious illness, family breakdown, death or separation from a parent, animal distress or cruelty to animals, children as victims, natural disasters and racism. Occasionally reviews may also signal themes that some parents may simply wish to know about.

Crime; Good vs Evil; Identity struggles.

Use of violenceinfo

Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.

Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.

There is some violence in this movie, including:

  • The Evil Wizard Alliance steals and corrupts the Magic Books.
  • Razamel kidnaps Papa Smurf.
  • Gargamel asks his cat what a Smurf sounds like before it expires? The cat replies with a noise resembling a Smurf running out of breath and then mimics a Smurf being strangled by a noose.
  • The Smurfs trap Gargamel in a cage.
  • A turtle states that the Smurfs are all going to die after they head through a portal to rescue Papa Smurf.
  • Ken tells No Name to hold out the cake for the Snooterpoots because he, “doesn’t want to lose an arm”.
  • Razamel asks what the name for a group of Smurfs should be. He cycles through a few animal group names before stating menacingly that they should be called ‘a murder’.
  • Razamel says he will smash a Smurf every time Papa Smurf refuses to give up the location of the magic book.
  • Razamel ties Papa Smurf down in a contraption that will certainly kill him if activated: a machine with a giant fist held in the air by a chain, able to drop with the push of a lever.
  • Razamel says that he sprinkles his father’s ashes into his henchman’s protein shakes.
  • In a flashback battle, Razamel sends a Smurf through a portal, and he is believed to be gone forever.
  • Razamel uses a spell to trap the Evil Wizard Alliance inside a water jug.
  • Razamel uses his magical powers to absorb the Smurfs, leaving only their hats behind (the Smurfs are later saved and return unharmed).
  • No Name bites Razamel on the hand.
  • No Name uses his magic to defeat and restrain Razamel.

Material that may scare or disturb children

Under fiveinfo

Children under five are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children under the age of five, including the following:

  • Razamel’s castle may scare younger audiences due to its dark and spooky interior.
  • The Smurfs are sucked into a gramophone, which transports them from Smurf Village into the real world.
  • Gargamel’s cat transforms into a chimera-like creature.

Aged five to eightinfo

Children aged five to eight will also be frightened by scary visual images and will also be disturbed by depictions of the death of a parent, a child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes and scary visual images, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children aged five to eight, including the following:

  • A ‘Shark Tamer’ Smurf is shown with a shark over its head.
  • No Name tries to high-five Smurfette but accidentally blasts her away with his magical powers.
  • The Smurfs are chased by a dog and must navigate through cars, almost being run over.
  • The Smurfs cross a dance floor in a club and are almost trampled.
  • A Smurf states that they think they just ‘smurfed’ their pants, which may disturb and disgust viewers.
  • The Smurfs fall out of the sky, which could scare children with a fear of heights or falling.
  • No Name and Smurfette jump off a tall tree into water which could also scare children with a fear of heights.

Aged eight to thirteeninfo

Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.

  • Nothing further noted.

Product placement

The following products are displayed or used in this movie:

  • Zoom
  • LinkedIn
  • Mercedes
  • Audi.

Sexual references

There are some sexual references in this movie, including:

  • There is some romantic history between Ken and the leader of the Snooterpoots, with Ken stating, “We’ll always have Paris.”

Nudity and sexual activity

There is some nudity and sexual activity in this movie, including:

  • All the male Smurfs are shirtless, wearing an outfit that consists of pants and their hats.

Use of substances

There is some use of substances in this movie, including:

  • There are drinks served at a bar inside a club.
  • Ken has a beverage from a bar within his secret hideout.

Coarse language

There is some coarse language in this movie, including:

  • What the ‘shell’
  • Heck no
  • ‘Smurf’ is used as an expletive
  • Stupid
  • A** is bleeped
  • “I don’t know what the **** I was thinking” (presumably f**k). The Smurf then clarifies, “What? I said Smurf.”

In a nutshell

Smurfs is a musical comedy and the latest movie release in the Smurf franchise. The movie features a star studded cast and original music, including Friend of Mine by Rihanna. Due to the animated violence and scary scenes, this film is best suited for children over 7 and with parental guidance for ages 5 to 7.

The main message from this movie is self-acceptance: embracing who you are and appreciating what you have rather than focusing on what you lack.

Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:

  • Self-love
  • Teamwork
  • Courage.

This movie could also give parents the opportunity to discuss with their children attitudes and behaviours, and their real-life consequences, such as:

  • How unintended actions can have serious consequences for others.