Rihanna's Smurfette Strolls Through the Forest in New 'Smurfs' Image [Exclusive] -

After eight years away from theaters and a shift in production companies, the Smurfs are finally about to dance back onto the big screen with a new musical installment headlined by Grammy-winner Rihanna. The little blue creatures, created by Belgian artist Peyo, are now under Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Movies and are set for an adventure that will define their destiny, taking them across universes with plenty of tunes along the way. We’re excited to include their grand return as part of Collider’s Exclusive Preview event for summer movies, offering a new image of the “Umbrella” singer’s iconic Smurfette. She’ll lead a star-studded village to other worlds on July 18, with Puss in Boots helmer Chris Miller directing the journey.

Smurfs whisks audiences back to the Smurf Village, where nothing ever goes wrong. Our exclusive image shows a peaceful day for Smurfette as she walks through the woods with a fellow Smurf on what seems to be a bright and cheery day. However, everything finally does go wrong when the evil wizard Gargamel (JP Karliak) and his equally nefarious brother Razamel (also Karliak) mysteriously abduct Papa Smurf (John Goodman) for their latest dastardly scheme. It’s up to Smurfette to lead the charge into the real world to save the beloved elder before it’s too late. Along the way, they also link up with some new allies, learning more about what exactly a Smurf is and what their destiny entails. Their journey soon goes beyond just saving their fellow Smurfs to saving the very universe they inhabit.

As seen in the trailer from this year’s Super Bowl, this journey for the Smurfs introduces other more knowledgeable bands of blue creatures who have established a life right under humanity’s nose in Paris. Among them is Papa Smurf’s red-bearded brother (Nick Offerman) and the International Neighborhood Watch Smurfs, Paris division. All these new Smurfs, along with the other fresh characters inhabiting this world, come with a massive and star-studded cast to fill out each role. In addition to Rihanna, Karliak, Goodman, and Offerman, the voices of James Corden, Daniel Levy, Amy Sedaris, Natasha Lyonne, Sandra Oh, Octavia Spencer, Nick Kroll, Hannah Waddingham, Alex Winter, Maya Erskine, Billie Lourd, Xolo Maridueña, and Kurt Russell can also be heard throughout the film.

Who Else Is Behind the Latest ‘Smurfs’ Adventure?

Smurfs-Exclusive — Image via Paramount Pictures

Miller spearheaded Smurfs with a script penned by Pam Brady, who was originally attached to write and take on other creative roles involving the franchise back in 2022. Brady is perhaps best known for her work with South Park duo Trey Parker and Matt Stone as a writer on South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut and Team America: World Police, though she also went under the sea with DreamWorks to co-write 2023’s Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken. Her Smurfs story is only meant to be the beginning of what Paramount and Nickelodeon have been cooking in collaboration with LAFIG Belgium and IMPS, assuming the film is a financial success. Jay Brown, Ty Ty Smith, and Ryan Harri are all set as producers alongside Rihanna, who also wrote and performed new songs for the magical soundtrack.

Smurfs premieres in theaters on July 18. Check out the exclusive image in the gallery above. Don’t miss the rest of our exclusive looks from the summer’s hottest releases.