Posted: 05/21/2011

Gnomeo & Juliet on Blu-ray and DVD

by Elaine Hegwood Bowen

They don’t make cartoons—oh excuse me—animated movies any better than Gnomeo & Juliet. The Blu-ray and DVD version of this movie was so vivid and appealing, and as the promotion promised, a great movie for the entire family.

The story is the typical, boy-meets-girl love saga, but the couple is from different backgrounds, Reds and Blues, and they shouldn’t date. But the two are persistent.
The gnomes stage a lawnmower race and Gnomeo seeking revenge wants to spray the Reds’ lawnmower with blue paint. Security lights go off, and Gnomeo ends up bumping around, until he bumps into Juliet.

Juliet is searching for the last orchid to help beautify the Red garden, and they both fight for the orchid, until their eyes lock. Even though they are from opposing clans, afterward the two meet secretly and unfortunately fall in love. Gnomeo is asked to revenge his mother’s garden against the Reds, but he can’t go against Juliet’s folks. Soon, it’s the Red gnomes versus the Blue gnomes. And just when Gnomeo & Juliet think their love won’t endure the obstacles presented to them, the pink flamingo Featherstone assures them that all will be great in the end. Featherstone shares his story of love with his lady pink flamingo; they were happily perched in front of a couple’s house. But doom came to the couple; she moved out; they divorced and she took one flamingo with her. So Featherstone was left alone, to only lament the love that he had lost.

But even this cute story won’t sit well with Juliet’s father, as he tries to hook her up with a Red gnome named Paris, who has big, round glasses and a white beard. She just doesn’t feel him the way that she feels for Gnomeo. Gnomeo has great lines, as he rehearses seeing Juliet again: “Did it hurt when you fell down from heaven?” Juliet hears him practice.
The soundtrack, written by Sir Elton John is good, also. A particular nice song is called Love Builds a Garden. There’s even an Elton Gnome in full Elton garb playing the piano. Rocket Man and Don’t Go Breaking My Heart are other numbers in the movie.

The story continues with the fate of the Terrafirminator lawnmower used to get revenge on the Reds, and a freak accident that destroys both Red and Blue gardens and almost destroys Gnomeo and Juliet. After a while the two feuding families decide that enough is enough. Gnomeo and Juliet marry atop a purple lawnmower—the color symbolizing a truce between the two clans. Even Featherstone is reunited with the love of his life.

The dance finale, in the style of the Soul Train line to Crocodile Rock, is so hysterically funny.
Emily Blunt is Juliet and James McAvoy is Gnomeo, among a list of other veteran actors that includes Michael Caine, Patrick Stewart and Maggie Smith.

The graphics in this Blu-ray are superb! and Gnomeo & Juliet is a great movie on Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, Movie download, On-Demand and DVD, available May 24. Visit www.gnomeoandjuliet.com

Elaine Hegwood Bowen is an editor, writer and film critic in Chicago.

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