Gnomeo & Juliet is a story of forbidden love. This entire movie takes place, for the most part, in three gardens – yes, gardens. The characters are gnomes. Yes, gnomes. After all, there was a popular film with Cars, so why not Gnomes? And some of these guys are pretty cute.
The Story
Mr. Capulet and Miss Montague live side by side. One house has red trim, and the other has blue. Like in the famous play penned by William Shakespeare, there is a feud between the two households which is carried on by their garden gnomes. The blues and the reds are at war. Lady Bluebury (voiced by Maggie Smith) heads up the blue garden. Her son, Gnomeo (voiced by James McAvoy), is loyal and caring. The red garden is run by Lord Redbrick (voiced by Michael Caine) who keeps a close watch on his daughter, Juliet (voiced by Emily Blunt).
The feud takes on more turbulence with the violence perpetrated by Tybalt. It’s an eye for an eye when things get out of hand. The reds and the blues are enemies, but when Gnomeo and Juliet fall in love, things get complicated. How can he fight against her fellow gnomes, and how can she advocate violence against his gnomes?
When Featherstone, a garden flamingo, intercedes and Gnomeo and Juliet realize that their love is worth fighting for, the feuding families - or I should say feuding garden gnomes – learn that perhaps war is not the answer. Can they all live together in peace?
The Film
Besides the cute characters, there is a lot going on in this film. There are continual references to Shakespeare’s play, and William Shakespeare makes an appearance in the form of a statue (voiced by Patrick Stewart) who tells Gnomeo that he and Juliet are fated to die.
Elton John and his company were behind the making of this film, and Sir Elton’s catalog of music plays an important part in the film. The background music will be familiar to music lovers, and Elton and company added some original songs to the film.
Besides the music and the Shakespeare tidbits, there are many clever parts to the film. Some are overtly noticeable, and others are in the background. For instance, the computer Miss Montague uses is not an Apple. It is a Banana! Little things like this make the movie even more endearing for viewers.
The Bonus Features
Bonus features in the combo pack include deleted and alternate scenes, a music video, a featurette with Elton John who discusses creating the film and the music, and a featurette with Ozzy Osbourne who voices the garden fawn in the film. In the featurette Osbourne says about making the movie, “It’s the easiest work I’ve ever done.”
Gnomeo & Juliet is a cute family film with something for everyone - adorable characters, great music, fun references and a timeless story of love.
- Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
- Rated: G
- Running time: 84 minutes
