The Smurfs Are Back

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It feels like I am travelling back to my childhood. The Smurfs were my favourite animated television series of the 80s, produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. I am still in love with those little blue creatures who made my days happy after a tough day at school. Their adventure, humour, and cheerful village life always brought joy. Writing this post about them helps to keep them alive somewhere in my heart. The Smurfs have lessons to teach about kindness and innocence. 

A Brief Story of the Smurfs

The Smurfs (Les Schtroumpfs in French) were created by Belgian cartoonist Peyo (real name Pierre Culliford). They first appeared in the Belgian magazine Spirou and, decades later, were adapted into an English-language children's TV series by Hanna-Barbera Productions.

A fun anecdote: While having lunch with colleagues, Peyo forgot the word "salt" and instead said, "Pass me the Schtroumpf." The word eventually became "Smurfs" in English. 

Let me introduce you to the seven or eight main Smurfs characters.

Papa Smurf - The wise leader, 546 years old, dressed in red with a bushy white beard. Gentle, patient, and loving, he guides the village and restores order whenever chaos arises. He embodies godly wisdom and servant leadership.

Brainy Smurf - The village intellectual, who wears thick glasses, loves books, and often lectures others. His arrogance sometimes frustrates other Smurfs, reminding us that wisdom without humility can create tension. (cf.Proverbs 16:18) "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall"

Handy Smurf - Creative and energetic, Handy fixes and invents for the village. He reminds us that God gives talents and skills to benefit the community. (cf.Exodus 31: 1-7). 

And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the Lord has called by name the son of Bezaleel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judea;

And He hath filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship;

And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work.

And He hath put in his heart that he may teach both he and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. 

Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work."

Lazy Smurf - Sleeps anywhere, anytime, often thinking first of rest. Even in his idleness, his presence reminds the village of the balance between work and rest, a Biblical principle. (cf.Genesis 2:2-3) "By the seventh day, God had finished the work He had been doing; so on the seventh day He rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all the work of creating that he had done."

Clumsy Smurf - Accident-prone but soft-hearted, Clumsy shows that weakness does not prevent kindness or joy. (cf.2 Corinthians 12:9) "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

Reporter Smurf - The village journalist, always chasing stories. He reflects curiosity and responsibility, but also shows how gossip or misjudgement can create problems - a lesson about the power of words (cf. Proverbs 18:21) "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit."

Gargamel - Gargamel is the dark, comical figure who constantly seeks to destroy the Smurfs and steal what does not belong to him. Beneath the humour lies a powerful Biblical lesson: unchecked greed, envy, and obsession with power lead to destruction rather than fulfilment. Gargamel reflects the fallen human heart that desires possession over relationship and domination over stewardship (cf. Genesis 3; James 1:14-15). His schemes never bring him peace, reminding us that sin promises satisfaction but always delivers emptiness. 

Azrael - Azrael, Gargamel’s loyal cat, serves as his constant companion and guide. Unlike animals created to live in harmony with humans, Azrael reflects a distorted relationship born of the Fall. He follows his master without discernment, reinforcing destructive intentions rather than resisting them. Azrael reminds us that loyalty without moral direction becomes dangerous, and that influence—when detached from truth and goodness—can amplify evil rather than restrain it (cf. Proverbs 13:20; Romans 1:25).

The Smurf's World

The Smurfs live in a hidden village called the Cursed Land (Le Pays Maudit in French) deep within a dense forest. Their homes are mushroom-shaped, each slightly different in size and in design to suit the individual Smurf. Some houses are in rocky, sparsely wooded areas; others sit beside rivers and grasslands.

The entire story of the Smurfs reflects our fallen world, where fallen people with both qualities and weaknesses are found. The earth is a whole cursed land, as God said to Adam: "Cursed is the ground because of you..." The Smurfs represent a community of people on Earth who have decided, in spite of their flawed character, to work together for a better world. They are not perfect and sometimes mess up by spreading fake news like Reporter Smurf; at other times, they are like Brainy Smurf, who shows arrogance through their intellect but lacks wisdom; and then there are those who, through wisdom like Papa Smurf, share advice to improve life in the community. 

Gargamel and his cat represent the evil forces that continually seek to destroy humanity and its destiny. 

The only difference is that the economy in the hidden village runs on skills and productivity. The Smurfs value people over money. 

ATtlantis The Lost Empire- An Analytical Reflection

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Milo Thatch, the protagonist of Atlantis: The Lost Empire, embodies the seeker archetype. From childhood, he was shaped by his grandfather’s stories about Atlantis, which functioned almost like a passed-down testimony. These stories plant in him a sense of calling rather than mere curiosity. Milo’s obsession is not driven by wealth or glory but by the desire to recover lost knowledge and preserve a forgotten civilisation. In biblical terms, he resembles the figure of the faithful steward—one who seeks to restore rather than exploit.

Milo’s struggle to obtain funding mirrors the experience of many biblical prophets and visionaries who were ridiculed by authorities. Like Noah, who warned of a flood yet was mocked by his contemporaries, or Jeremiah, whose message was dismissed by leaders, Milo is rejected by the mayor and town councillors. Institutional power proves blind to truth when it does not serve immediate interests. Truth, in Scripture as in the film, is often recognised only by those willing to listen in humility.

When Milo finally finds support, it comes from an unlikely and morally ambiguous group. This reflects a recurring biblical pattern: God’s purposes often advance through imperfect vessels. Yet unlike biblical narratives, in which God directs events toward redemption, the expedition crew hides a corrupt intention. Captain Venture embodies fallen humanity—ambitious, calculating, and governed by greed. His obsession with the crystal parallels the biblical warning that “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). Venture does not see Atlantis as a living culture but as a resource to be mined, echoing humanity’s post-Fall tendency to dominate rather than steward creation (Genesis 3).

Atlantis itself symbolises a lost Eden. It is a civilisation preserved beneath the waters, hidden from a corrupted world above. Water in Scripture is both judgment and mercy—Noah’s flood destroys wickedness but preserves life through the ark. Likewise, Atlantis survives beneath the sea, protected yet isolated. Milo approaches Atlantis with reverence, much like Moses approaching holy ground, while Venture approaches it as a commodity. The difference lies not in intelligence or courage, but in the condition of the heart.

Kida (Kita) represents inherited wisdom and covenant memory. She is the living link between the past and the present, much as Israel’s role is in preserving divine revelation. Her trust in Milo is not accidental; it is grounded in shared values—truth, preservation, and life. Together, they seek the ancient power not to possess it, but to restore balance. This reflects a biblical understanding of power as something entrusted, not owned.

The crystal itself carries strong symbolic weight. It grants life but demands sacrifice and responsibility. In this sense, it mirrors divine gifts in Scripture—blessings that become destructive when taken without obedience. When Venture seeks the crystal by force, he reenacts the sin of Adam and Eve: grasping what was never meant to be taken on human terms. The result is death and destruction, reinforcing the biblical truth that life cannot be preserved through greed.

Ultimately, Atlantis: The Lost Empire is less about adventure and more about anthropology. It exposes human fallenness: the ease with which people betray, exploit, and destroy in pursuit of wealth. Milo’s innocence is not ignorance but faith—faith in knowledge, in heritage, and in moral purpose. Yet his failure to discern the intentions of those funding him also reflects a biblical warning: good intentions without discernment can lead to vulnerability.

The film quietly affirms a biblical worldview: civilisation does not collapse due to lack of technology, but due to moral corruption. Atlantis did not fall because it lacked power; it fell because power was misused. In this way, the film echoes the biblical narrative of humanity itself—created for stewardship, fallen through greed, yet always offered the possibility of restoration through humility and right intention.

Please watch the trailer.

KARATE KID (2010)

The Karate Kid

Starring: Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith, Taraji P. Henson

No job and no future for Sherry, Dre's mum (Jaden Smith) therefore they are leaving their comforatble home in West Detroit to relocate to Beijing where a bright future is awaiting Sherry. Everything is new for Dre but he makes friends easily with other kids and has a crush on the 12year old Mei Ying a young promisimg violonist. She reciprocates and loves him a lot. As a result Dre gets into trouble with Cheng (Zheinwei Wang) who is a close friend of Mei Ying's family and sees the realtionship between the two with an evil eye. Cheng is a Kung Fu prodigy and he takes advantage of that to bully and give a hard time to Dre. Later, with the help of his friends, Cheng will harass and humiliate Dre around the school. He is not happy as he is constantly bullied and insists that he wants to go back home but this won't happen. Their new home is now Beijing according to Sherry.

Dre is left to himself and seeks revenge. On one occasion he seizes a bucket of polluted water which he splashes around Cheng and his friends. A pursuit develops and Cheng and his Friends chase Dre up until they reach him and beat him up. During the brutal attack the maintenance man, Mr Han (Jackie Chan) intervenes to dispatch Dre's tormentors and reveals himself as the master Kung Fu.
Dre finds an opportunity to learn Kung Fu and asks Mr Han to teach him but the latter refuses as he prefers that peace is restored between the kids. He meets with Cheng's teacher Master Li (Yu Rongguang), who always teaches his students that they should have no pity and no mercy for the enemy. The teacher refuses peace but wants challenge and Mr Han promises that the fight takes place at an upcoming tournament, and that now on, Li's students leave Dre alone until the tournament. The amused Li agrees, but tells Han that if Dre doesn't show up during the tournament, he will personally bring pain to Han and Dre.

A series of hard training begins for Dre. At first he tries to help trying to impress Mr Han of the many tricks he knows but Mr Han's teaching starts by showing him to spend hours taking off his jacket, hanging it up, dropping it, and then putting it back on again. He's been doing it for quite a while and is frustrated but the teachings intensify and goes to the next level until he gets ready for the tournament. By the time the tournament match comes Dre has learned all the techniques and is ready for battle. In teh arena he is still a bit under-confident and is slow to achieve parity with his oponents but he soon begins to beat them, and advances to the semifinals. He meets his final opponent Cheng and the latter strikes Dre's already injured leg. Dre retreats but refuses defeat. He is now confident that he can beat Cheng and wants to finish him up. He remembers one thing that Mr Han taught him during the training: "life always knocks you down" but you have to stand up.





Dre is determine to win that battle. He returns to the arena and adopts the one-legged form he first learned from the woman on the mountain, attempting to use the reflection technique to manipulate Cheng's movements. Cheng charges Dre, but Dre flips, and catches Cheng with a kick to his head, winning the tournament, along with the respect of Cheng and his classmates, both for himself and Mr. Han.

The Karate Kid is a wonderful movie. It's not only entertaining for both kids and adults alike but it is also a teaching about overcoming fear and adversity. Dre is bullied and feels the pressure on himself. He is not happy at all and wants to raise to the challenge. When he meets Mr Han he decides to learn Karate to face his enenmy and confront his fear. "life will always knock us down but we can choose to get back up", this statement seems to have impacted Dre and he will stand on those words. He believes, he is determined that someone else is not going to rule his world. He is confident, he is positive and defiant. Nothing will stop him. He has decided to take matters in hands and will be trained for that. That's the way it should in life folks. Never let the enemy defeat us. Whatever the hard situation we go through we've got to do something.


Another teaching is the training Dre goes through. Dre thinks he will impress Mr Han with the few things he knows but the beginning of the teaching starts by taking off his jacket, hanging it up, dropping it, and then putting it back on again. To achieve what he wants in life , he is reduced to humility, patience and persistence even when its boring without which he won't achieve his goals.

This is not new at all. The same principles apply in our daily life. We tend to think that things are easy to achieve, we like short cuts instead of hard work and patience. We try to impress instead of starting by the basic- take off your jacket, hang it, drop it, put it on... Well it's not about jacket here but about things that we have to do patiently when we are facing difficult situation. We tend to rush to the next level without being prepared but one thing at a time.