|
|
Two lawn ornaments fall in love despite their severe family differences in “Gnomeo and Juliet.” |
This is not your garden variety, animated 3-D Shakespearean knock-off.
“Gnomeo & Juliet” may sound like a cheesy kids’ movie, but it quickly establishes itself as a delightful, clever, musical reinvention of William Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy as experienced through the secret lives of gnomes.
Yep, garden gnomes. Those elfish, concrete/plaster characters you buy at home-improvement stores and then set out on the lawn to be forever dumped on by passing birds.
But like the main characters in the “Toy Story” movies, these gnomes spring to life when humans aren’t looking.
The story takes place at Stratford-upon-Avon (the Bard’s birthplace) where Mr. Montague (voiced by Richard Wilson) and Ms. Capulet (voiced by Julie Walters) carry on a scary war of words as feuding neighbors living in the same large duplex.
Naturally, their garden gnomes are also in eternal conflict, for reasons they don’t remember and no longer care about.
The Montagues wear blue. The Capulets wear red. For American audiences, this adds an unsubtle political metaphor for the feuding Democrats and Republicans.
Gnomeo (voiced by “Last King of Scotland” star James McAvoy) appears as a weathered ornament constantly competing in lawn mower races with his red rival Tybalt (voiced by action star Jason Statham). (Read more…)