The Smurfs is a 2011 American 3D live-action/computer-animated comedy film based on the comic series of the same name created by the Belgian comics artist Peyo. It was directed by Raja Gosnell and stars Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays, Sofía Vergara, and Hank Azaria, with the voices of Jonathan Winters, Katy Perry, George Lopez, Anton Yelchin, Fred Armisen, and Alan Cumming. It is the first Sony Pictures Animation film to blend computer animation with live-action photography, and the first of two live-action/animated Smurfs feature films. The film tells the story of the Smurfs as they get lost in New York City, and try to find a way to get back home before it's too late. The Smurfs was released by Columbia Pictures on July 29, 2011. Despite negative reviews from critics, the film grossed $564 million worldwide against a $110 million budget, making it the ninth highest-grossing film of 2011 and Sony Pictures Animation's most commercially successful film to date. A sequel, titled The Smurfs 2, was released on July 31, 2013.