When Movies Got The Blues

Image: The Smurfs

They come in every size, shape and colour.

If green is reserved for the likes of Hulk and Shrek, Hellboy demonstrates the scorching reds of his personality. And then there's yellow with Despicable Me's cute minions on one side and the creepy Roark Junior aka Yellow Bastard of Sin City finishing off the other end of the spectrum.

But with Smurfs ready to hit the marquee this Friday, it's the blue-skinned fictional favourites we're concentrating on. Here's a list of some of the coolest ones in the category:

Smurfs, The Smurfs

From Belgian cartoonist Peyo's imagination to Raja Gosnell's 3D flick, these cutesy, blue-coloured, lookalike inhabitants of Smurfs' village have now set their eyes on a big city adventure. What can we say except let it smurf!

Genie, Aladdin

Image: Genie with Aladdin and his princess

All that hard work can make anyone turn blue with exhaustion, the obliged-to-please Genie is no exception. Except when he comes in the indefatigable body (er, voice) of Robin Williams, the man could bend grey into a colour of exuberance if need be.

Sully, Monsters Inc

Image: Mike Wazowski and Sully

The scare monster with a heart of gold, James P Sullivan or Sully may not be the right guy for his job but his wide-eyed adorability in all its bright blue fur with spots of purple makes the technicality hard to notice.

Right, Boo?

Megamind, Megamind

Image: Megamind

A wannabe evil of the Alien-like conical skull fame, Megamind slips into brief depression after he accidentally defeats his greatest nemesis. With no more wicked assignments to complete, it's only understandable he'd feel the blues. Luckily, the box-office didn't.

Mystique, X-Men and X-Men: First Class

Image: Mystique

The sexy shape-shifting mutant from X-Men series is quite comfortable in her own skin and others. While Rebecca Romijn's smoking hot version took pride in her nimble abilities, the latest edition of X-Men starring Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique explored the vulnerable, insecure side of embracing one's true self especially when it comes in the form of textured indigo.

Plus, she's so much amiable than her equally blue contemporaries, Beast and Nightcrawler.

Stitch, Lilo & Stitch

Image: Stitch and his pals

Aliens and adorable may not be synonymous with each other.

Disney's Experiment 626 turned Stitch makes you reconsider that notion as he forms an enviable bond of friendship with a perky Hawaiian kid. As the temperamental yet loyal pet dog to Lilo, the unusually blue Stitch is a mix of pert and precocious.

Dr Manhattan, Watchmen

Image: Dr Manhattan

Be it Bruce Banner or Dr Jon Osterman, most superheroes are the product of an experiment gone haywire.

In the comic book adaptation of Watchmen, exposure to a toxic scientific field causes Dr Manhattan's physical body to disintegrate and reconstruct into a striking blue supernatural form that radiates a cosmic glow.

Actor Billy Crudup donned a body suit wired with blue LEDs to generate that luminous effect.

Na'vis, Avatar

Image: Na'vi and Neytiri

James Cameron's 3D opus builds a compelling tale around the human-alien conflict after its leading man; Sam Worthington adopts a indigo-hued Na'vi avatar to learn more about the gloriously blue sapient humanoids of Pandora with its rich biodiversity and valuable mineral resources.

Doraemon, Doraemon

Image: Doraemon and his friends

The Japanese darling continues to be hugely popular in all things anime/manga.

So what makes Nobita Nobi's robocat buddy from the future this blue? Apparently, he used to be yellow but after a rat bit off his ears, he was so saddened; he literally turned a shade of despondency.

Blu and Jewel, Rio

Image: Blu and Jewel

As the beautiful and blue feathery creatures, namely, Spix's Macaw entering extinction, shy-and-cannot-fly Blu and feisty 'n' fiery Jewel are forced to hang out and increase their tribe.

Only Rio's leading duo, voiced by Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway, has so much platonic-action packed on its menu, there's simply no time to romance.

Diva Plavalaguna, The Fifth Element

Image: Diva Plavalaguna

Among its many snazzy features, Bruce Willis' uber cool, sci-fi action treat boasts of a wacky turn by Albanian artist Inva Mula as the blue-complexioned opera singer, Diva Plavalaguna carrying the four valuable elements. Also, a hairdo like that makes her hard to forget.

Abe Sapien, Hellboy

Image: Abe Sapien

It's always red versus blue, right? Wrong.

The striped torso amphibian Abe Sapien with his paranormal gifts often collaborates with Hellboy to nab the bad guy. CGI and prosthetics, of course, contribute to Doug Jones's remarkable transition, also behind the portrayal of a fantastical faun in the critically-lauded Pan's Labyrinth.

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