How ‘Smurfs’ Sole Vendor Cinesite Crafted Peyo’s Magical World

Cinesite has revealed its pivotal role as the sole vendor for all animation and visual effects in Paramount Animation’s latest feature film, Smurfs, in theaters now. Produced by Paramount Animation, the film expands Peyo’s story world as Smurfette (Rihanna) leads her friends into the real world to rescue Papa Smurf (John Goodman) from the evil wizards Razamel and Gargamel.

Cinesite’s Montréal and Vancouver studios handled the full animation and VFX pipeline — from character animation and rigging to environments and final compositing. A standout sequence follows the Smurfs as they journey from their vibrant animated world into believable live-action locations. The VFX team recreated real-world settings such as reimagined Paris streets (filmed in Italy) and the Australian outback. The Cinesite team meticulously integrated these disparate elements to meld with the Smurfs’ bright, playful aesthetic.

“Bringing the Smurfs into a believable hybrid world while staying faithful to Peyo’s original style was a truly rewarding challenge for our team,” said Suzie Aksham, VFX Supervisor at Cinesite, who was on set during production. “From vibrant animation to real world VFX, this film is a testament to what’s possible when artists, technologists, and storytellers collaborate seamlessly to push creative boundaries.”

Cinesite’s animation artists worked closely with production designers and filmmakers to stay true to Peyo’s original drawings while developing each Smurf’s unique personality and charm. Characters were carefully rigged, modeled and surfaced, with sculpting adjustments made post-animation to hone in on the signature “squishy” forms familiar to fans.

Damien Simonklein, Producer at Cinesite, added, “This project pushed our creative and technical boundaries. Working across Montréal and Vancouver to deliver a seamless blend of animation and live-action was an incredible team effort that brought Peyo’s timeless characters to life in a fresh and exciting way.”

Smurfs is now playing in theaters nationwide and internationally.