Return to Recap: The Smurfs (1981).
An Animated Adaptation of the Johan and Peewit comic book story "The War of the Seven Springs".
During a rainstorm, Johan, Peewit, and a few Smurfs find a deserted castle to stay in for the night when they discover that it is haunted. The ghost doing the haunting is the castle's owner Aldebert de Beaufort, who is prevented from joining his ancestors in the afterlife until all the seven springs of his castle have been restored, and until a true de Beaufort descendant who carries the family seal can be found to reclaim the castle.
Tropes:
- Adaptational Villainy: Sara, the witch who is responsible for the drought of the seven springs, had in the original version of the story granted the castle's owner his wish of wanting the springs to produce wine instead of water, but when he became selfish and forceful with the old witch to restore water from the springs, she punished him by drying them up. Notably she doesn't appear anywhere in the episode, but is only mentioned in dialogue. Justified Trope - American censorship laws prohibited the consumption of alcohol in children's cartoons, so they had to come up with another reason for the curse.
- Barred from the Afterlife: Aldebert de Beaufort.
- Bedsheet Ghost: Johan and Peewit attempt to make their escape by disguising themselves as these types of ghosts, but unfortunately the masquerade didn't last. The Smurfs have better luck with the disguise.
- Compressed Adaptation: The cartoon episode cut out a good deal of things from the original story not only to have it fit within the 30-minute time span, but also to satisfy the Moral Guardians.
