'The Smurfs 2' International Teaser: It's Not Quite 'Despicable Me,' Is It?

Is minimal design in teasers now the go-to for kids animation franchises? Despicable Me 2 used the approach to pretty cute effect not long ago, and here an international teaser for The Smurfs 2 (which is likely almost exactly the same as the forthcoming US teaser) relies on little but a Smurf, a white backdrop, and an insistent bit of text. It's gentle and a little bit silly, like the Smurfs, if not all that memorable.

The real audience for a Smurfs movie won't care much, I imagine, but the parents buying the tickets might not be all that excited to pony up just yet. Check out the teaser below.

The Smurfs 2 opens on July 31, 2013. Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays, Sofia Vergara, Brendan Gleeson, Katy Perry, Jonathan Winters, Alan Cumming, Fred Armisen, George Lopez, Anton Yelchin, Christina Ricci, JB Smoove and John Oliver will all be getting paychecks that quarter.

In this sequel to the 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 world, 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?

[via ComingSoon]