Why Was an Entire Spanish Town Painted Blue?

Next month, "Smurfs 3D" will hit movie theaters worldwide. To coincide with the release, Sony has come up with a pretty nifty and large-scale plan. Rather than doing a basic world premiere in a typical Hollywood venue, the company has decided to turn an entire Spanish village blue -- literally.

According to the Telegraph, Juzcar, a tiny village in the Genel Valley in Andalucía, will be the site for the movie's world premiere. While being chosen is certainly an honor, it comes with some strings attached:

...becoming the blue-eyed boy of the valley has come at a price. To satisfy the forthcoming invasion of tiny smurfs, known as pitufos in Spanish, the dazzling white village of Juzcar, including its historic church has had to turn-literally- blue.

...twelve local painters using 4000 litres of blue paint have been needed to transform Juzcar’s quaint houses and historic buildings so that they resemble those in the film’s smurf village. There have been no objections to the idea with both the local bishopric and regional government of Andalucía, giving their joint blessing.

Though Sony has pledged to restore the village to its former color (white) after the festivities, locals are actually considering keeping the town blue. After all, it could end up becoming a tourist destination, right? Below, watch a video that showcases the town's transformation (the video is in Spanish):