"Goodness Makes the Badness Go Away."
If there is something that many remember "The Smurfs Christmas Special" from, it's a sappy little ditty the Smurfs and two children use to dispel an evil man from carrying out some dastardly deeds on Christmas Eve. But to get to that point, there's a backstory to tell.
It's late December, the snow has fallen ... and the Smurfs are getting ready for Christmas, the happiest time of the year to celebrate birth and newness of life. Various Smurfs are decorating the Village tree and hanging wreaths and stockings, Harmony is practicing his (off-key) holiday song (and giving Lazy a hard time), Brainy is being his usual annoying self, Greedy eating the last walnut from the Christmas pudding (and the Smurfs having to go to visit their squirrel friend to lend them a walnut) ... all is well in the Smurf Village.
Even Gargamel is being his usual miserable self. Musing that he has no use for Christmas and nowhere to go, he hatches a plan to destroy the Smurfs.
Meanwhile, two children, named William and Guinevere are riding with their grandfather through the Smurf Forest, on a horse-drawn sleigh, merrily talking about Santa Claus and Christmas and singing "Jingle Bells." Then, from out of nowhere, a vicious wolf leaps out in front of the sleigh, spooking the horse and causing it to run out of control, before breaking free from the sleigh. The sleigh tips over; William and Guinevere escape uninjured, but the sleigh turns over and seriously injures the old man.
From a distance, a man in a purple cloak is watching ... and laughing evily!!!!
William and Guinevere, cold and scared, and doubly scared for their grandfather's safety and well-being, go for help. It'll be getting dark soon and they need to find someplace warm while someone helps them. They go to Gargamel's hovel, thinking he'll help them out, but he yells at them and tells them to go away.
Meanwhile, Edgar — later identified as William and Guinevere's uncle — is very worried that they and their grandfather have not arrived for Christmas, and that they should have arrived hours earlier. He asks for a search party to be formed to seek them out.
Later, the man in the purple cloak — an evil wizard that fans would name "The Stranger" — visits Gargamel. He is aware that Gargamel is wanting to exterminate the Smurfs and, sensing the children might be nearby and have visited, offers Gargamel a proposition. He shows him a scroll that will give him the power to destroy the Smurf village in exchange for the children. He further explains: This Edgar guy, the marshal of the region, has thwarted him in all of his plans to overthrow him (Edgar and the government), so by kidnapping the children and taking them away, he can get his revenge. Gargamel agrees.
As Garagamel is searching for William and Guinevere, he comes across Edgar and the search party. Edgar explains the situation and that the children's grandfather is all right, then says that he is offering 10 gold coins in exchange for the children's safe return. As Gargamel (and Azrael) continue their search, William and Guinevere become cold and scared and sing "Silent Night" to comfort themselves. As a pack of wolves (from earlier) are ready to attack the children, Papa Smurf and the other Smurfs come on the scene and scare away the wolves. The Smurfs take the children back to the Smurf Village, and William is convinced that Papa Smurf is Santa Claus. After opening presents, the Smurfs teach them a song: "Goodness Makes the Badness Go Away." The children are fed, warm and happy ... and all seems well, right?
Wrong.
Brainy, Clumsy and Hefty have come across the overturned sleigh and see a note to William and Guinevere, explaining that their grandfather is OK and that they are looking for them, and if they return stay with the sleigh. They take the note to Papa Smurf, and the good news is now they can be reunited with their family. Papa leads the children back to the sleigh and build a signal fire to (hopefully) attract Edgar's attention.
But instead, it attracts Garagmel's attention! He jumps out of a tree and, after sending Azrael to distract the Smurfs, grabs William and Guinevere and takes them with him back to his hovel. There, The Stranger shows up and after taking the children, makes good on his end of the deal by giving Gargamel the scroll. The Smurfs watch helplessly from a window and know that The Stranger — if he is not stopped now — will bring serious, if not fatal harm to the children, and Papa tells his Smurfs that the children's welfare trumps whatever Gargamel might do to the village.
At the Smurf Village, Garagmel casts the spell that causes a huge fireball that destroys everything! Gargamel cackles evily as his enemies are now homeless for Christmas. He then goes back to the forest and upon meeting Edgar and the search party, he explains that this man with a purple cloak has them; Edgar tells Gargamel he will only pay him if the children are returned safely.
The Stranger sees this and immediately confronts Gargamel and Azrael, telling them they betrayed him and now they will be joining William and Guinevere for what is "the final journey." (It is never stated explicitly what he planned to do to the children, but it is implied that it would be unspeakably evil.) Gargamel is aghast and will have nothing to do with it and prepares to leave ... until his and Azrael's escape is blocked by a wall of snakes.
The Stranger builds a huge wall of fire, a barrier to block any rescue attempts while he summons a portal to take them all away; when the children begin to cry, The Stranger just becomes that much more focused and determined to pull the petrified children into his horrifying, terrifying world of pure evil.
But — having followed their tracks in the snow — there is hope.
"The Smurfs!" gasps Gargamel.
After they ask what they can do to stop The Stranger from carrying out his plans, Papa directs them to sing "Goodness Makes the Badness Go Away." At first unenthusiastic, the Smurfs sing with more force and might and power... prompting The Stranger to summon his entire powerful might to create a huge fireball to incinerate the Smurfs...
... but it doesn't work.
In the end, with even a skeptical Gargamel joining in (and even Azrael meows the words to the song) the wall of fire dies down and even though the Stranger tries to use his powers to revive the wall of fire, he is overpowered and the fire is soon wiped out. The Stranger then collapses into a heap and disappears into his portal, defeated.
With The Stranger no longer a threat, the search party arrives and the children are safe and sound once and for all. Gargamel goes to ask for his reward, but William and Guinevere explain that he doesn't deserve anything... he was mean to them. Edgar wants to take Gargamel into custody for kidnapping, but Guinevere convince their uncle to let him go and that Christmas is a time for forgiveness. Gargamel, grateful that he is a free man, takes the hint and leaves with nothing.
Meanwhile, William and Guinevere explain they had met Santa Claus. Edgar and their grandfather laugh in wonder and all is well for a great Christmas party.
Meanwhile, the Smurfs return home to see their village in ruins. Papa Smurf — perhaps in a nod to similar situations many people find themselves in during the latter half of December — says the most important thing is that they are safe and have each other. Harmony agrees to (try to) cheer the Smurfs up with a (predictably) out-of-tune song...
... when a miracle happens! The horn is this time magical, and restores the Smurf Village to full health and vitality.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Tropes seen in this special:
- An Aesop: Several, aside from the "good triumphs over evil" story. Namely, that lives and each other are more important than things (even a house).
- The Bad Guy Wins: Nearly comes to pass when The Stranger — using a wall of fire and summoning his powers to make it grow — to make hate and evil trump love, kindness and all that is associated with Christmas.
- Christmas Episode.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Even Gargamel and Azrael — who (if their own evil can be prioritized) were only out for the reward — are frightened and aghast that The Stranger was planning to take William and Guinevere away and do who knows what to them. Things are turned up when The Stranger, thinking they betrayed him, plans to take them with him as well!
- Evil Is Petty: The Stranger plans to spirit away the children simply to spite their uncle.
- Exposed to the Elements:
- The male Smurfs wear little more than scarfs for warmth in what is implied to be bitter cold conditions.
- William and Guinevere, even though they are dressed warmly, are shivering cold as they await help and the hours pass.
- A Fate Worse Than Death: The unspecified plans The Stranger has in mind once he takes them on "the final journey," noting "they'll like it there."
- Good Is Impotent: What The Stranger claims will happen as he uses all his might and all his powers to make the wall of fire grow and — in addition to overpowering and defeating the Smurfs — create the barrier that will allow him to take the children away unimpeded. Averted in the end, as the Smurfs' song "Goodness Makes the Badness Go Away," eventually overpowers the evil Stranger.
- Hellgate: The Stranger plans to use this to escape with the children ... and Gargamel and Azrael as well.
- House Fire: Gargamel uses a scroll The Stranger gave him (in exchange for Will and Guinevere) to destroy the Smurf Village ... on Christmas Eve. An all-to-frequent Truth in Television, by the way, as some viewers — who have lost their homes due to fire on or shortly before Christmas — could easily identify with Papa Smurf's moral: "At least we have each other and are safe." (The Smurfs were away from the village, also searching for the children, when Garagmel arrived.)
- Incessant Music Madness: "Goodness Makes The Badness Go Away" becomes this for the Stranger, as this eventually drives him away.
- No Name Given: The Stranger. Gargamel asks him who he is at one point, and he states it's not important. The credits simply identify him as "Christmas Stranger". It's implied he might be the Devil himself.
- Obstructive Code of Conduct: Despite his powers, The Stranger cannot directly take the children himself and requires that a human betray them to him.
- The Power of Love: What ends up trumping The Stranger's nefarious evil.
- Purple Is Powerful: The Christmas Stranger wears purple and is one of the most powerful characters in the franchise.
- Pet the Dog and Save the Villain: As the Smurfs find footprints in the snow belonging to the children, The Stranger and Gargamel and Azrael, they begin to fear for the children's safety. Then, Papa Smurf — perhaps having a run-in with The Stranger in the past and aware of what he is capable of —- reminds them that Gargamel and Azrael may be in grave danger as well, and they have a duty to rescue them, too.
- Would Hurt Children: The Stranger, after having kidnapped William and Guinevere, plans to take them on "the final journey." While it is never specified exactly what he planned to do with the children, the implications are clear.
- Your Approval Fills Me with Shame: The Stranger wishes to recruit Gargamel's wicked mind for further evil while the latter wants nothing more to do with him once more of his true nature is revealed.
