A new first-look image from Smurfs showcases three important characters. The live-action animated musical, which was helmed by Puss in Boots director Chris Miller, is the newest installment in the long-running multimedia franchise that began as a series of Belgian comics by Peyo. The upcoming Smurfs follows the wizards Razamel and Gargamel (both voiced by J. P. Karliak) kidnapping Papa Smurf (John Goodman), forcing Smurfette (Rihanna) to mount a rescue mission that takes the Smurfs into the real world. The voice cast also includes James Corden, Nick Offerman, Sandra Oh, and Xolo Maridueña.

ScreenRant can now share an exclusive first-look image from Smurfs ahead of the movie’s official theatrical release date on July 18. The image shows Papa Smurf, Smurfette, and an unnamed Smurf known as No Name (Corden) looking up into the sky with fear in their eyes. It seems likely that this moment takes place shortly before Papa Smurf’s kidnapping, because in the movie he is abducted by the wizards via a magical UFO. See the full-size image below:

What This Means For Smurfs

The Emotions Of The Movie Could Help It Succeed

This image offers a closer look at three of the most important characters who were showcased in the Smurfs trailer. It does not offer any more insight into the true idenтιтy of James Corden’s character No Name, but it does provide a new glimpse at a moment that will prove to be an important turning point in the movie. Not only does the kidnapping of Papa Smurf spur Smurfette to take on a leadership role, it forces the entire community to face the fact that not every day can be a happy one.

This moment in the Smurfs musical narratively parallels another iconic installment in a long-running franchise, which is the 2016 DreamWorks animated hit Trolls. That project also focused on forces of darkness intruding upon a rigorously positive community. Considering the fact that that movie, which starred Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake, was a major success that has so far spawned two sequels, the 2025 movie could similarly become a success by applying that approach to a set of even more iconic characters.

Our Take On The New Smurfs Image

No Name Is Proving To Be An Important Character

This new image from Smurfs also hints at just how important No Name is going to prove to be in the new movie. His finding his idenтιтy will likely be crucial to the storyline of the upcoming movie, and the fact that he has been given pride of place in this new image with iconic long-running characters such as Papa Smurf and Smurfette shows that his journey may prove to be just as important to the movie as Smurfette’s while both question their place in Smurf society now that its foundation has been shaken.