Back in February, a leaked picture (shown at right) of what was supposedly one of the new CGI Smurfs being created for the live-action/CG hybrid family flick, The Smurfs.

Since then, most of the attention being given to this movie was toward Hank Azaria being cast as Gargamel and our first looks at the actor in full costume and running around New York City. Now, we return our attention to those little blue creatures, who are finally making their debut.

USA Today has the very first image showing off the Smurfs in all of their full-color CGI glory as they hang out in Times Square. The image features Grouchy Smurf, Papa Smurf, and Clumsy Smurf.

Keep on moving to check out this first peek at those lovable Smurfs.

It’s absolutely mind-numbing how much press The Smurfs movie is getting based solely on the fact that Hank Azaria is playing the evil sorcerer Gargamel, but it’s true. I’m sure many are surprised at how many times the live-action/CGI hybrid movie has been popping up in the news, and surely no one is happier than the producers.

The latest bit comes from someone in New York City (via /Film) who was able to catch some of the movie being filmed on their cell phone. The scenes they were filming involve Gargamel outside of the famed toy store FAO Schwartz looking for the Smurfs. There’s also a sequence where in bumps into fellow star Neil Patrick Harris as he exits a store.

Be sure to head on over to the other side to see both of these videos. Whether you’re excited for the movie or not, they should help you to solidify your stance on the final product and whether or not you want to see it.

Very few people are excited about the prospect of a live-action/CGI hybrid movie based on the animated childhood favorite, The Smurfs. Even so, when it was announced that fan-favorite Hank Azaria would be playing the evil Gargamel, you couldn’t help but giggle a little at the thought.

Now comes the very first image of Mr. Azaria in full Gargamel makeup and attire by way of Splash News (via ComingSoon), and fans of the old cartoon and this casting choice will surely enjoy taking a peek at how the actor looks.

Brew your favorite potion, say the magic words, and slip over to the bottom of this post to see Hank Azaria as Gargamel in The Smurfs!

Entertainment Weekly has learned of some new names that have been cast in the upcoming live-action/CGI hybrid adaptation of the animated television series, The Smurfs.

The most amusing of these is Hank Azaria, who has been cast in the role of the evil Sorcerer, Gargamel. Initially, reports indicated that Azaria would be simply voicing the role, which seemed strange for a human character in a partially live-action film; but co-star Neil Patrick Harris confirmed via his Twitter account that the role would in fact be live and in the flesh.

Neil Patrick Harris has been cast in Sony’s upcoming movie version of The Smurfs. The movie will do what most movies do when turning popular nostalgia cartoons into feature films, which is go with a half live-action, half CGI presentation. Harris will be providing the voice of the lead Smurf in the film, so he will not actually be physically appearing in the flick.

Harris, is one of the more popular actors working today. After bursting onto the scene as a child actor on Doogie Howser, M.D., he disappeared from the spotlight for a while doing a lot of lower-key projects.