Against the green hills of southern Spain, a small village stands out for its houses, church and buildings. All painted in blue. Juzcar, in the Genal Valley in Andalusia’s Serranía de Ronda, was once one of the region’s traditional whitewashed villages. Today, it is known as La Aldea Azul, or the Blue Village, a destination whose identity was transformed by a 2011 film promotion.

Júzcar’s transformation began in 2011, when the village was chosen to promote The Smurfs 3D. To recreate the fictional world of the little blue characters, around 175 buildings, including houses, the church, the cemetery and the town hall, were painted blue.

The transformation was intended to be temporary, and the original arrangement was expected to return to its traditional white appearance after the promotional campaign ended. However, the new look brought an unexpected surge in tourism.

Reports from the period recorded tens of thousands of visitors arriving in the months following the makeover.…