Not The Smurfs (2021 Nickelodeon TV series)

The Smurfs is an American-Belgian animated fantasy-comedy children's television series that aired on Nickelodeon, which premiered September 12, 2021. Produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studios and Studio Peyo, it is based on the Belgian comic series The Smurfs and Johan and Peewit, both created by Belgian cartoonist Peyo (both his son and daughter Theirry and Veronique Culliford served as story supervisors of the series). The show's new producers and directors are Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone, with Ren and Stimpy animator Bob Camp also serving as director and storyboard artist.

The Smurfs
The Smurfs are little blue creatures that live in mushroom houses in a forest inhabited mainly by their own kind. The Smurfs' average daily routine is attempting to avoid Gargamel, an evil yet comical sorcerer who wants to capture the Smurfs, steal all of their essence and become the most powerful sorcerer in the world.

Johan and Peewit
Set in the Middle Ages in an unnamed European kingdom, the series follows the adventures of Johan, a brave young page to the King, and Peewit, his faithful, if boastful and cheating, midget sidekick. Johan rides off in search of adventure with his trusty horse Bayard, while Peewit gallops sporadically, and grudgingly, behind on his goat, Biquette. The pair are driven by duty to their King and the courage to defend the underpowered. Struggles for power between deposed lords and usurping villains form the basis of many of the plots which also contain elements of detective fiction as the pair hunt down traitors and outlaws, as well as witches, sorcerers, giants and ghosts.

Episodes
See List of episodes

Voice cast

 * Scott Innes - Papa Smurf, Dreamy Smurf
 * Billy West - Brainy Smurf, Additional Voices
 * Jeff Bennett - Clumsy Smurf, Painter Smurf, Additional Voices
 * April Stewart - Smurfette, Additional Voices
 * Michael Bell - Handy Smurf, Lazy Smurf, Grouchy Smurf, Additional Voices
 * Frank Welker - Hefty Smurf, Poet Smurf, Dabbler Smurf, Azrael the Cat, Additional Voices
 * Dee Bradley Baker - Greedy Smurf, Harmony Smurf, Monty the Vulture, Additional Voices
 * Nancy Cartwright - Jokey Smurf, Additional Voices
 * Alan Cumming - Gutsy Smurf
 * Jim Meskimen - Vanity Smurf
 * Tom Kenny - Tailor Smurf, Additional Voices
 * Tom Kane
 * Mitchel Musso - Johan
 * Keith Ferguson - Peewit
 * Grey DeLisle - Princess Savina, Additional Voices
 * John Kassir - Miner Smurf, Additional Voices
 * Adam Wylie - Scaredy Smurf
 * Candi Milo - Mother Nature, Additional Voices
 * Tara Strong
 * Cheryl Chase
 * Brenda Vaccaro - Scruple
 * Tress MacNeille - Dame Barbara
 * Kathleen Barr - Hogatha
 * Rob Paulsen
 * Jess Harnell - The Good King
 * Jeff Bergman - Father Time
 * Hank Azaria - Gargamel
 * Jim Cummings - Lord Balthazar

Production
Animation of the theme sequence is outsourced to Boomerang Animation in Australia, while the majority of episodes are animated at Rough Draft Korea and Wang Film Productions.

Trivia

 * Unlike both the original comics and the 1980s Saturday morning TV series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, the Smurfs and Johan and Peewit segments are not connected at all, except for Gargamel (who is also Johan and Peewit's nemesis in this incarnation) appearing in both segments. However, the two segments' main characters could appear together in a one-hour special episode.
 * Hank Azaria repises his role as Gargamel from the live-action/CGI duology.
 * The show is mostly animated at Rough Draft Korea. Also, like the 1980s cartoon, the show is also animated at Wang Film Productions in Taiwan.
 * All of the television specials were animated exclusively by Boomerang Animation in Australia and Bob Jaques handled the animation direction (allowing them to have a similar animation style to Carbunkle's work on The Baby Huey Show). Even Jaques and Kelly Armstrong participated in animating a few scenes each special.
 * Former H-B animation artist, character designer, layout and background artist and storyboard director, Bob Singer came out of retirement to work on the character and background layouts for the series.