Review of Gnomeo & Juliet (2011) by Darren C — 25 May 2012

Did you ever think you'd live to see the day where a classic William Shakespeare play would be re-told through garden gnomes? I know I didn't! Gnomeo and Juliet is simply great and is one of the best children's movies I have seen since Megamind or Toy Story 3. Gnomeo and Juliet are star-crossed lovers but with only the hours when the humans aren't around to get together and with the on-going war between the blue and red gnomes, it's not going to be easy. Gnomeo and Juliet has some very nice-looking and quite colourful animation and the way the classic story was re-told was brilliant. Keeping true to the original play whilst going in your own direction isn't easy to do but the writers of Gnomeo and Juliet pulled it off marvellously. Throughout the story, there was both a serious side and a funny side and the writers had managed to balance them both evenly, keeping everybody happy. Not only was the story great but it had quite a few positive messages in the story that everybody could use in real-life. The gnomes are red and blue and they belong in the gardens of feuding families, Montagues and Capulets, and the feud itself is quite funny as we see sabotaging, fights and lawnmower races. The characters are cleverly thought of as we see them become pre-occupied with being the best garden in the neighbourhood. They were also brilliantly voiced, with all of the top British actors lending their voices including James McAvoy, Julie Walters, Michael Caine and Maggie Smith and they all did a brilliant job. Patrick Stewart made a cameo as the statue of William Shakespeare and there's even a little argument between Gnomeo and Shakespeare on how the story should end which is a fun watch.

Director and co-writer Kelly Asbury has done a brilliant job in making Gnomeo and Juliet as there was hardly anything to fault about this little gem. The writers did a great job on the story and the script is decent too. It's unforgettable and very original in the way the story has been told. Gnomeo and Juliet is something that kids and adults alike will enjoy for it's charming, inventive and quite faithful story, it's humorous characters and it's great use of animation. This one is a must-see for any fans of animated movies.

Some people think that Gnomeo and Juliet nicks ideas from Toy Story but, except for the obvious 'freeze-when-we-see-a-human' trick they do and the idea that they come to life when their human owners are away (and both ideas has been used in quite a few movies anyway), I can't see any similarities to the two. Both are completely different movies with different stories and characters and a different quality. I very much enjoyed Gnomeo and Juliet and it's something I really recommend everyone who is a lover of animated movies to see. It is something that will please quite a few people.