Most animated movies these days are either sequels, remakes or they have plots very similar to other films. It’s very rare to find a clever, inventive, and surprising animated film. “Gnomeo & Juliet” has all of those qualities, and more.
It’s Shakespeare’s classic “Romeo and Juliet” with garden gnomes. Two people live in adjoining houses with their backyards divided by a fence. And they don’t like each other. One has red gnomes in his garden, the other has blue gnomes in hers. For years, the red and blue gnomes have been fighting it out. When the humans are away, they battle in lawnmower races, dirty tricks, and actual fights.
One day a blue gnome named Gnomeo (voiced by James McAvoy) meets a red gnome named Juliet (Emily Blunt) and they fall for each other. But, because they’re in disguise, they don’t realize they’re enemies. When they do find out that they are a red and a blue it doesn’t matter, because they’re in love. But can they live happily ever after when all their friends and family members hate each other?
“Gnomeo & Juliet” looked pretty good from the trailers, but I never thought it’d be this good. It’s got a huge voice cast. Besides McAvoy and Blunt, there’s Michael Caine, Maggie Smith, Jason Statham, Patrick Stewart, Hulk Hogan, Dolly Parton, Ozzy Osborne and more. And everyone does a great job. There are also a lot of exciting action scenes, which I wasn’t expecting.
The story is very original, and the writing is fantastic, with many laugh-out-loud and subtle inside jokes. The writers put a lot of effort into every little detail, including the backyard sounds, which are very authentic. Director Kelly Asbury also directed “Shrek 2”, and was a writer for “Beauty and the Beast”. Elton John is a producer and the movie is filled with his songs, both all-time favorites and a few originals, including a duet with Lady Gaga – “Hello Hello”, which fits nicely.
One of the reasons Gnomeo and Juliet” works is that it effects you emotionally. In a way it’s very Pixar-like. This is Touchstone Picture’s first G-rated movie and their first animated film since 1993’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas”. The animation (from STARZ animation) is colorful and bright. Overall, this film stays true to the original story (mostly), but is filled with a lot of creative and hilarious material, some even a bit risky.
“Gnomeo & Juliet” is appropriate for the entire family. Kids will like all the action and the fun characters, parents will appreciate the story and the gags, and everyone will laugh a lot. The DVD/Blu-ray Combo Packs include deleted scenes, features and even two alternate endings.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, “Gnomeo & Juliet” gets a B+. It’s not only the best family film of 2011 so far but one of the best of the last decade.
Who knew Shakespeare could be so much fun?