MOVIE NEWS – Pop superstar Rihanna isn’t just lending her voice to Smurfette in The Smurfs movie; she’s also producing and contributing two original songs to the film. The movie premiered to great success at the annual Annecy Animation Festival, where director Chris Miller shared details with Collider about Rihanna’s deep involvement in the project.

Miller first revealed that The Smurfs was originally planned as a musical due to its heavy emphasis on music and song numbers. However, the studio later decided it would be more unique if it didn’t compete in that category. Rihanna’s extensive involvement comes from her genuine love for the project.

“Rihanna absolutely came to The Smurfs through music, bringing her trademark precision to define exactly what she wanted,” Miller explained. “It was obvious this wasn’t about just performing a song—it was about telling a story, making a real movie. And her speaking voice is fantastic: it’s got a smoky texture that makes the character even more exciting. Rihanna is a natural actress and incredibly funny. Of course, when she sings, it’s just music of the spheres.”

One funny aspect of Rihanna’s role as producer was her desire to have Smurfette’s character design tweaked to better express her personality. “We spent about a year fine-tuning Smurfette—trimming here, adding something there, only to land right back where we started,” Miller continued. “It turned out the original design was still the best, with only minimal changes.”

(The Smurfs – Hungarian release: July 17, 2025)