After the getting into all kinds of trouble in The Smurfs movie in which we saw them bravely battle the evil Gargamel, the cherubic little blue creatures return. But, as with all things good, the bad Gargamel also returns and this time he has some of his little friends with him known as The Naughties.
So to celebrate the release of The Smurfs 2 (in cinemas across Ireland and the UK from today – July 31st), we have compiled a list of all of the things kids in the Noughties ” loved back then (hey, it wasn’t that long ago!)
In the spirit of film, let’s begin our Noughties compilation with some of our favourite films of the decade:
Shrek – The big, green, swamp-loving ogre first hit screens in 2001 and was an instant hit with children and adults alike. A princess, a talking donkey, several recognizable fairytale characters, karaoke, and a freaking dragon! You would be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t like this film today let alone back then!
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – Following the success of author, J.K. Rowling’s, series of books that had what seemed like the entire planet hooked on the story of one little wizard named Harry came the film, also in 2001. Unsurprisingly, the film became an instant hit, catapulting Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint to the heights of fame. (And a certain Robert Pattinson got his break when he appeared in the fourth film of the franchise, leading to his own starring role of a film we won’t mention here because it’s so not Noughties).
Spiderman – Whilst comic book heroes such as Batman had been churning out films since the 80s, the largely dark tone of the films were not accessible to many children (at least not according to our parents!) So when one Tobey Maguire donned the famous blue and red suit to play Peter Parker in Sam Raimi’s Spiderman it is hardly surprising the film became such a hit it practically smashed every single film statistic anyone anywhere could think of. Yeah, it was that awesome.
But it wasn’t just film that ruled the hearts of kids in the noughties. The decade also gave birth to the Japanese animated TV shows that seemed to almost instantly appear everywhere. Programs such as Pokemon, Digimon, and Yu-Gi-Oh! pulled children into a whole new world of fantasy and competition rolled into one. The shows gave birth to a whole new way of gaming: trading cards.
Speaking of which, the Noughties also saw an abundance of new gadgets come into commission that have now been around for so long they have become part of our mainstream lives.
Take the PS2 (2000) or XBOX (2002) as examples of this and the many, many…many games that have been invented since!
And it is even harder to believe that the very first iPod went into circulation in 2001. The sleek, pocket-sized gadget was the must-have portable music player of the noughties, blowing other mp3 player out of the water. Since then, Apple has grown from strength-to-strength, inventing an abundance of gadgets from the iPhone to the iPad. They have become the staple gadget for everyone to have.
But the ultimate Noughties invention was…
Broadband – Yes, broadband enabled the practically every home in the country access to the internet and mobile speeds. And with social media and networking becoming such a big part of our everyday lives these days, it really is hard to believe they were all not nearly as accessible back then as they are today.
This list could go on for a while so we think we’ll just leave it there for now!
Besides, watching The Smurfs 2 when it hits Irish and UK cinemas today (July 31st) is really the best way to recapture that Noughties youth, wouldn’t you say?
[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCT_EAGGCVQ’]
In this sequel to the hybrid live action/animated family blockbuster comedy The Smurfs, the evil wizard Gargamel creates a couple of mischievous Smurf-like creatures called the Naughties that he hopes will let him harness the all-powerful, magical Smurf-essence. But when he discovers that only a real Smurf can give him what he wants — and only a secret spell that Smurfette knows can turn the Naughties into real Smurfs — Gargamel kidnaps Smurfette and brings her to Paris, where he has been winning the adoration of millions as the world’s greatest sorcerer. It’s up to Papa, Clumsy, Grouchy, and Vanity to return to our world, reunite with their human friends Patrick and Grace Winslow, and rescue her! Will Smurfette, who has always felt different from the other Smurfs, find a new connection with the Naughties Vexy and Hackus – or will the Smurfs convince her that their love for her is True Blue?
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