Gnomeo & Juliet is a 2011 British-American 3D computer-animated fantasy romantic comedy film loosely based on William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet and an original screenplay by John R. Smith and Rob Sprackling. Financed by Disney[6] and released through its Touchstone Pictures banner,[7] the film was independently produced by Rocket Pictures and animated by Starz Animation.[6] It was co-written and directed by Kelly Asbury and starring the voices of James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine, Jason Statham, Maggie Smith, Patrick Stewart, Ashley Jensen, Stephen Merchant, and Ozzy Osbourne.
The film premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on January 23, 2011. It was theatrically released in the United Kingdom and United States on February 11, 2011.[2][8] Despite mixed reviews, the film earned $194 million on a $36 million budget. The film received nominations for the Satellite Award for Original Song, the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, the Critics' Choice Award for Best Song and the Annie Award for Directing in a Feature Production, Storyboarding in a Feature Production, Voice Acting in a Feature Production and Writing in a Feature Production.
A sequel titled Sherlock Gnomes was released in 2018, with Paramount Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer replacing Touchstone, and was a critical and commercial disappointment in contrast to the original film.
Contents[]
- 1 Plot
- 2 Cast
- 3 Production
- 4 Soundtrack
- 5 Release
- 6 Reception
- 7 Sequel
- 8 References
- 9 External links
Plot[]
In Stratford-Upon-Avon, Miss. Montague (blue) and Mr. Capulet (red) (Julie Walters and Richard Wilson) are two elderly neighbors who despise each other. When they leave their respective gardens, their garden gnomes and other lawn ornaments come alive. The Montague garden is filled with blue-hat gnomes led by Lady Bluebury (Maggie Smith), and the Capulet garden has red-hat gnomes led by Lord Redbrick (Michael Caine). Like their human gardeners, the gnomes also despise each other. The gnomes hold a back alley lawnmower race. Lady Bluebury's son Gnomeo (James McAvoy) races against his rival, Tybalt (Jason Statham), in which Tybalt destroys Gnomeo's lawn mower.
That night, Gnomeo and his best friend Benny (Matt Lucas) infiltrate the red garden in black disguise in order to take revenge on Tybalt by spraying his mower with paint. Benny sprays the reds' well and accidentally triggers a security light. During the escape Gnomeo ends up in a nearby garden where he bumps into a disguised Juliet (Emily Blunt), the daughter of Lord Redbrick. Juliet is attempting to retrieve a unique Cupid's Arrow orchid, and the two romantically fight over it. They each discover the other's color before fleeing the garden. When they both go back to their own gardens, Juliet tells her frog-sprinkler friend Nanette (Ashley Jensen) about her newfound love. Nanette states that the relationship is romantically tragic but agrees to keep it a secret after Gnomeo and Juliet agree to continue with it.
Gnomeo and Juliet have secret meetings in the nearby garden, where they meet a pink plastic flamingo named Featherstone (Jim Cummings) who encourages their love. Lord Redbrick pairs Juliet with a Red Gnome named Paris (Stephen Merchant), but Juliet isn't interested in him and distracts him with Nanette who has feelings for him. Lady Bluebury is distraught after the reds infiltrate the garden and destroy the plant nurtured by Gnomeo's late father. The blues want Gnomeo to take revenge on the reds, and when he is about to spray the prized tulips of the reds, Juliet sees him and he backs out of the attack.
When he and Juliet meet up again, they argue until Featherstone stops them, telling them he lost his wife when the couple living in the house, where the garden is, broke up and never saw each other again. Benny sees them and runs away into the alleyway, where Tybalt is waiting with his lawnmower, attempting to run Benny down and ends up chopping off his hat. Gnomeo intervenes, and he and Tybalt fight on the red lawnmower until the lawnmower runs into the wall, causing Tybalt to shatter himself. The reds attempt to attack Gnomeo, thinking that Tybalt died because of him, and Gnomeo ends up on a road, with everyone believing he was run over by a truck. After hearing Juliet express her love for Gnomeo and attempt to walk out onto the roadway, Lord Redbrick has the other red gnomes glue Juliet's feet to her fountain because he does not want to lose her like he lost her mother.
Gnomeo's mushroom friend, Shroom, finds out that Gnomeo is still alive as a blue teapot fell out of the truck, and a dog has carried him to a nearby park. He and Featherstone eventually reaches the park where Gnomeo climbs onto a statue of William Shakespeare (Patrick Stewart) and tells him his story. Shakespeare tells Gnomeo that his story is very similar to another and that it is likely Gnomeo's will have a sad ending as well.
Benny gets onto Miss. Montague's computer and attempts to order to a powerful Terrafirminator lawn mower, intending to get revenge on the reds. However, the Terrafirminator goes out of control, destroys most of the two gardens, and gets itself stuck while the gnomes wage a full-scale war. Gnomeo returns to Juliet with the help of Featherstone. However, when he arrives, the Terrafirminator frees itself, sending it flying. Gnomeo tries to un-glue Juliet, but is unable to, and two share a passionate kiss just as the lawnmower crashes into the fountain, self-destructing in the process.
When everyone believes that both are dead, Lord Redbrick and Lady Bluebury decide to end the feud. Miraculously, Gnomeo and Juliet emerge from the ruins and the two clans celebrate. Miss. Montague and Mr. Capulet come home to find their backyards a mess.
Shortly afterward, the red and blue gnomes create a new garden and come together to celebrate their newfound peace. Paris and Nanette are in love, Lord Redbrick and Lady Blueberry became best friends, Tybalt is revealed to still be alive having been glued back together, Featherstone is reunited with his wife after Benny finds and orders her online, and Gnomeo and Juliet are married on a purple lawnmower, which symbolizes the new union of both gnome clans.
Cast[]
- James McAvoy as Gnomeo, Lady Bluebury's son, Juliet's love interest (later husband), and a blue gnome counterpart to Romeo Montague.
- Emily Blunt as Juliet, Lord Redbrick's daughter, Gnomeo's love interest (later wife), and a red gnome counterpart to Juliet Capulet.
- Michael Caine as Lord Redbrick, the leader of the red gnomes, Juliet's overprotective widower father, and counterpart to Lord Capulet.
- Jason Statham as Tybalt, Gnomeo and Benny's arch-nemesis, and a red gnome counterpart to Tybalt.
- Maggie Smith as Lady Bluebury, the leader of the blue gnomes and Gnomeo's widowed mother, and counterpart to Lady Montague.
- Patrick Stewart as William Shakespeare who wrote Romeo and Juliet.
- Ashley Jensen as Nanette, a Scottish-accented plastic garden frog, Juliet's best friend, and Paris' love interest counterpart to Nurse.
- Stephen Merchant as Paris, a nerdy red gnome who was arranged to marry Juliet, and Nanette´s love interest; counterpart to Count Paris.
- Ozzy Osbourne as Fawn, a garden deer and Tybalt's best friend; counterpart to Peter.
- Matt Lucas as Benny, Gnomeo's impulsive and tall-hatted best friend, and Call Me Doll´s love interest; counterpart to Benvolio.
- Jim Cummings as Featherstone, a lonely plastic flamingo with a thick Spanish accent; counterpart to Friar Laurence.
- Hulk Hogan as Terrafirminator Announcer, an unseen person who promotes the Terrafirminator lawnmower on TV.
- Julie Walters as Ms. Montague, the elderly owner of the Blue garden whose face is not seen.
- Richard Wilson as Mr. Capulet, the elderly owner of the Red garden whose face is not seen.
- Kelly Asbury as Red Goon Gnomes; counterparts to Gregory, Sampson, Anthony, and Potpan.
- Dolly Parton as Dolly Gnome, the lawnmower race announcer, and Mankini Gnome´s love interest.
- Julia Braams as Stone Fish, a stone fish attached to the fishing line of the Fishing Gnome. In the end, it is seen being dragged by Gnomeo and Juliet's purple lawnmower.
- James Daniel Wilson as Fishing Gnome, a red gnome.
- Tim Bentinck as Conjoined Gnome Left, a red gnome.
- Julio Bonet as Mankini Gnome, Dolly Gnome´s love interest and a red gnome.
- Neil McCaul as Conjoined Gnome Right, a red gnome.
- Maurissa Horwitz as Call Me Doll, Benny's love interest.
- John Todd as Dancer.
Silent characters include:
- Shroom, a silent mushroom and Gnomeo’s friend/pet; counterpart to Romeo's servant Balthasar.
- The Bunnies, a group of small, cement bunnies that act as servants for Lady Bluebury and others in the Blue Garden; counterparts to Abram and other miscellaneous servants of the Montagues.
There is no counterpart for Mercutio, as stated by James McAvoy in an interview with NBC, ”Gnomeo in this is a little bit of amalgamation between Romeo and Mercutio. We don’t have that Mercutio character in this. We don’t have that leader of the pack, which Romeo isn’t but Gnomeo is a little bit."[9] Prince Escalus also doesn't have a counterpart.