Red, White, And Smurfy Blue: The Smurfs™ Celebrate "America the Bluetiful" And Help To Preserve Our Country's Environment

CULVER CITY, Calif., June 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- In anticipation of the worldwide release of Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Animation's The Smurfs™ 2, in theaters July 31, and in honor of the Smurfs' timeless message of harmony with the environment, the studio is orchestrating a nationwide series of environmental efforts celebrating "America the Bluetiful," in which kids and their parents can meet the Smurfs as they clean up their local parks, encourage recycling, plant trees, and discover other ways they can help "bluetify" our country.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130605/LA26970)

Highlights of the initiatives include:

• In Boston, the Smurfs will join in cleaning up Canal Park at CambridgeSide Galleria and planting blue flowers
• In Minneapolis, the Smurfs were a part of the Grand Old Day celebration, where Twin Cities residents were encouraged to recycle
• In Chicago, the Smurfs were at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, where staff was on hand with ecology activities and community ecology information
• In Philadelphia, kids and Smurfs will clean up a rec center and bluetify a city garden
• Atlanta kids have taken a pledge at Georgia Aquarium to bluetify the country
• In St. Louis, the Smurfs will help pick up trash in Kiener Plaza
• In San Francisco, the Smurfs will work with San Francisco Recreation and Parks to plant, mulch, and clean up Strawberry Hill in Golden Gate Park
• and in San Diego, they will participate in a beach cleanup day. 

As the Smurfs check in to each city, audiences can participate online at AmericaTheBluetiful.com, where they can vote on their favorite landmarks to "bluetify" – literally turning them blue online.

In The Smurfs™ 2, the sequel to Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Animation's hybrid live action/animated family blockbuster comedy The Smurfs, the evil wizard Gargamel creates a couple of mischievous Smurf-like creatures called the Naughties that he hopes will let him harness the all-powerful, magical Smurf-essence. But when he discovers that only a real Smurf can give him what he wants, and only a secret spell that Smurfette knows can turn the Naughties into real Smurfs, Gargamel kidnaps Smurfette and brings her to Paris, where he has been winning the adoration of millions as the world's greatest sorcerer. It's up to Papa, Clumsy, Grouchy, and Vanity to return to our time, reunite with their human friends Patrick and Grace Winslow, and rescue her! Will Smurfette, who has always felt different from the other Smurfs, find a new connection with the Naughties Vexy and Hackus – or will the Smurfs convince her that their love for her is True Blue? The film is directed by Raja Gosnell and produced by Jordan Kerner.  The screenplay is by J. David Stem & David N. Weiss and Jay Scherick & David Ronn and Karey Kirkpatrick with a story by J. David Stem & David N. Weiss & Jay Scherick & David Ronn, Based on the Characters and Works of Peyo.

About the Smurfs
The story of the Smurfs - a property created by Peyo - started in 1958 with the creation of comic books which were later brought to both the big and small screen. Over the years, the little blue characters haven't just limited themselves to the page and the screen. They have inspired records and CDs that have sold millions of copies, entire collections of figurines and toys, and many more products. In all, more than 3,000 derived products have been produced and leading brands and companies have spread their messages worldwide with the help of the Smurfs. A multitude of new projects appear regularly, thus making the success of the Smurfs planetary!

About Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition and distribution; television production, acquisition and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. For additional information, go to http://www.sonypictures.com.

About Sony Pictures Animation
Sony Pictures Animation produces a variety of animated entertainment for audiences around the world. The studio is following its worldwide comedy hits – the 2012 monster hit comedy Hotel Transylvania, the 2011 hybrid live action/animated blockbuster The Smurfs, and the 2009 mouth-watering Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs – with The Smurfs 2 in July 2013, and Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2 in September 2013. Sony Pictures Animation, in conjunction with Aardman Animations, has produced two critically acclaimed feature films: the CG-animated family comedy Arthur Christmas; and the Academy Award® nominated stop-frame animated high-seas adventure, The Pirates! Band of Misfits. In 2007, Surf's Up also received an Academy Award® nomination for Best Animated Feature Film. The division, whose first feature film Open Season led to a very successful movie franchise, turned 10 in 2012. Sony Pictures Animation is an operating unit of Sony Pictures Digital Productions.
* Website: http://www.sonypicturesanimation.com/ 
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About Lafig Belgium S.A.
Lafig Belgium is the owner of the rights to produce audio-visual works based on the Smurf universe and of the Smurf worldwide licensing rights (together with IMPS). Lafig Belgium is controlled by the heirs of Pierre Culliford, better known under his pseudonym Peyo, the author/creator of the Smurfs. For 50 years, the Culliford family has controlled the Smurf characters and all licenses worldwide.

SOURCE Sony Pictures Entertainment; Sony Pictures Animation