Watch: The Teaser Trailer for 'Smurfs: The Lost Village' is Smurf

The new Smurf movie - called Smurfs: The Lost Village has at least one thing going for it: it's not a sequel to the two live-actions atrocities that came out in the recent years. This one should be fully animated, and hopefully it will be closer in spirit to the characters Peyo created. Here is a first taste of the Smurf reboot:

Sony Pictures Animation Teases 'Get Smurfy'

Remember these two live-action/CG hybrids Smurf movies? How could you forget them? They were absolutely terrible, unfunny flicks, complete with creepy looking Smurfs. Thankfully, it looks like Sony head-studios came to their senses, as they decided to reboot the franchise, with an aesthetic closer to comic artist Peyo's drawings. Sony Picture Animation revealed three voice actors, the title of this new film, a synopsis and a first look at some of the characters.

Sony Detail Third Smurfs Film, Hotel Transylvania 2 and New Original Genndy Tartakovsky Film

Sony Pictures Animation have announced some juicy new details about their upcoming slate. Across the next few years, the studio will release a third Smurfs film, a second Hotel Transylvania film, and a brand new, original film from Genndy Tartakovsky (Hotel Transylvania, Samurai Jack), says The Hollywood Reporter!

Editorial: Adapt to Survive

From 1937 to 2011: One can't help but think something went awry along the way for animated adaptations.

Animation is built on adaptation. Walt Disney started off with adaptation, from his early Alice Comedies, to short-films like The Three Little Pigs, to his first feature length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, they're all based on existing stories. In fact, think of your favourite Disney films of all time; films like Snow White, Pinocchio, Aladdin, The Jungle Book, they're all based on existing, popular stories, books or folk-tales. Even The Lion King, arguably the jewel in the Disney crown, is based on Shakespeare's Hamlet.

It's a long and important tradition, fairy-tales are what (whether they like it not anymore) typifies Disney; nearly all the best Disney films are based on existing stories: Hans Christian Anderson ones, Brothers Grimm ones; the inspiration comes from the stories and - however faithful an adaptation they may be - the films, for better or worse, spin-off from there.

However, the problems occur when adaptations come at the expense of originality; when studios take well established, well loved characters and try to "reinvent" them, to save on marketing and pull high box-office receipts, often at the expense of quality. This is a subject that seems particularly relevant at the moment, with the colossal glut of animated films coming up that are foregoing originality in favour of established characters and stories. In a world where we're in 2012 and expecting a Woody Woodpecker film, a Popeye film, another Curious George film, and all the possible (and likely) adaptations coming out of DreamWorks' purchase of Classic Media, it's easy to feel like we're drowning in adaptations.