Smurfs brings the world’s best-known noun-swapping blue creatures to the big screen in a new way. First created in the 1950s by Belgian comic artist Peyo, the Smurfs have jumped from page to screen on a number of occasions, including with a cartoon TV show and multiple bigscreen adventures. Smurfs will reboot the feature film universe for the creatures, which was last explored with 2017’s Smurfs: The Lost Village.

As with the previous films, this iteration of Smurfs will have an all-star cast which, in this case, includes John Goodman and Rihanna. But what no Smurf film has had before is director Chris Miller. Not to be confused with The Lego Movie’s Chris Miller, Smurfs’ Chris Miller is known for his work directing Shrek the Third and Puss in Boots; Smurfs is his return to theaters as a director since the latter’s 2011 release.

ScreenRant interviewed Smurfs director Chris Miller about his work re-blue-ting a successful film franchise. Miller shared his own personal experience with and appreciation for the characters and teased how his movie adds depth to the lore of the Smurfs themselves. Plus, the filmmaker praised Rihanna’s role in the movie as revealed in the Smurfs Super Bowl trailer.

Chris Miller Teases Rihanna’s Role In Smurfs

“She’s Also Bringing Her Point Of View”

One of the most-publicized aspects of Smurfs is Rihanna’s role as Smurfette, which includes her performing new original music. Plus, the superstar served as a producer on the film as a whole. Miller called her performance “amazing” and “authentic,” and added that “Her voice is heard in her performance, even when recording her voiceover stuff. You get what’s on the page, and what was on the page was great, but she’s also bringing her point of view to that character every single day.”

On the other side of things, Miller said of Rihanna that “she’s a fantastic producer,” and continued to add that “She’s got extraordinary tastes. In terms of any refinement to design, we love to just show her artwork, let her react, and run with that.”

Smurfs Lovingly Builds On The Franchise’s Past

“The Origins Need To Be Represented”

Chris Miller is a big fan of Smurfs, and not just, in his words, “The ‘80s show by Hanna-Barbera that we all dug.” “I also love the comic books,” he added, which was a huge factor in how he wanted to honor “the original Peyo designs.”

“I don’t necessarily know how to define it,” the director shared, “but I can feel it, I can see it, and I’ve always thought, ‘That needs to be represented.’ The origins need to be represented. It’s a generational thing going on here, and I’m like, ‘If I ever get the chance, I want the look, the aesthetic to represent the Peyo tone, the vibe, [and] the gestural quality of the comics. To me, they move on the page. Every animator is given that, like, ‘This is your blueprint.’”

Although Miller said “We always reference back to that,” he did mention a way in which Smurfs brings new depth to the franchise. Smurfs will, he promised, feature “a backstory–an origin story for the Smurfs.”

Miller Shares The Smurfs’ Superpower

“The Power Of Community”

Many of the best family-friendly movies work to share messages with its viewers. And Miller has one he hopes people pick up on in Smurfs. “Everyone in the Smurf world [comes] pre-ordained with idenтιтy, right? Except for one character called No Name who’s on this obsessive hunt for his: ‘If I can’t identify myself, then I can’t belong.’ And it’s important. Everyone needs to know who they are. But really, at the end of the day in this movie, it’s personal idenтιтy but [also] the power of having a community [and] having a family. That’s the superpower of Smurfs.”