DanceOn, the YouTube partnership channel exclusive to dance videos, released their behind the scenes look at the highly anticipated Sony animated film The Smurfs. Choreographer Keith Young talks about the process of choreographing for animation and how he brought the smurfs to life. Plus what it was like to work with leading actors Neil Patrick Harris and Hank Azaria. The Smurfs hits theaters nationwide on July 29, 2011.
DanceOn is the premier dance video entertainment network designed for dancers and non-dancers alike, featuring news, entertainment and community programming in the dance category.Keith Young choreographed Nancy Meyer's It's Complicated and The Switch starring Jennifer Aniston. Some of his other film credits include Christopher Columbus' movie musical Rent, The Holiday starring Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz, Something's Gotta Give, What Women Want and The Parent Trap. His work has appeared on the Academy Awards, the Grammys, Drew Carey (Emmy Nomination) and Christopher Reeve - A Celebration of Hope, for which he won the American Choreography Award. Theatrically Keith's recent credits include the original Sammy Davis, Jr. musical, Sammy, at the Old Globe Theatre (2009 Craig Noel Award for Outstanding Choreography), as well as Crowns at the Pasadena Playhouse. Keith choreographed over 40 major music artists from pop to rock and hip-hop including Madonna, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Outkast, Phil Collins, the Talking Heads, and Babyface.
In the Middle Ages, the evil wizard Gargamel (Hank Azaria) discovers the Smurfs' village and chases them into a wooded area. The Smurfs get scattered and Clumsy Smurf (voiced by Anton Yelchin) wanders into a "forbidden" grotto and some of the other Smurfs follow. Since it's also a blue moon, a magical portal within the grotto transports them into present-day Central Park in New York. They take shelter with married couple Patrick and Grace Winslow (Neil Patrick Harris and Jayma Mays) and try to find a way back to their village before Gargamel finds them.
