The first photos from Sony’s Smurfs movie have found their way online, and while they don’t show any of the lovable blue creatures, they display a surprisingly accurate looking Gargamel played by The Simpsons‘ Hank Azaria. News of the movie initially gave me low expectations, especially with Beverly Hills Chihuahua director Raja Gosnell leading the project, but with these new pictures my hope has been ever so slightly restored.

The movie will follow the misadventures of the Smurfs and Gargamel as they somehow find their way into our world and struggle to get back. It’s a plot I’m sure everyone’s seen before in one form or another, so Gosnell really has to stand out in other ways to make the movie memorable. And with the screenwriting team of Stern and Weiss (Daddy Day Care) behind the screenplay, it looks like he’ll have to rely on character design and acting.

Luckily, Gargamel is unmistakeably true to his cartoon self, and the film has a large and diverse cast that includes Neil Patrick Harris, Katy Perry, Alan Cumming, George Lopez, Paul Reubens, John Oliver, Kenan Thompson, B.J. Novak, Jeff Foxworthy, and Wolfgang Puck.

The movie is set to be in 3D, and will find its way into theaters on August 3rd, 2010. More pictures of Gargamel can be found at Coming Soon.

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What’s better than a Smurfs movie? A Smurfs movie in 3D that’s what! According to ComingSoon.net the Smurfs will be getting all 3 dimensional on us when they hit the big screen in December 2010.

That is all.

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