In the past six months, an estimated 80,000 followers of "Los Pitufos", as the Smurfs are known in Spanish, have made the trek to the remote village high in Malaga's sierras. The village has eagerly embraced its new role, holding events such as a Smurf moonlight fun run, Smurf painting competitions and permanently running Smurf trade fairs. There are even Smurf-themed weddings to keep fans of the squeaky little blue folk coming.
However, the biggest draw for Smurfophiles is surely Juzcar's 175 buildings, uniformly repainted light blue from traditional white for the filming. Even the church and gravestones were transformed, with 4000 litres of blue paint applied to one of Spain's famous 1500 "pueblos blancos".
Encouraged by the results of the referendum last northern spring which allowed Sony to paint the town blue - it was a unanimous vote in favour - Juzcar's Mayor, David Fernandez, was confident that there would be little opposition. "They are in favour of the environment, hard-working and happy, just like the people of Juzcar," Fernandez pointed out yesterday on the town's website.
"Keep Juzcar blue for fresher times and a better future."
- Independent