Gnomeo and Juliet (2011)
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Two garden gnomes from rival families must navigate a dangerous feud to keep their blossoming romance a secret.
The story
In the British town of Stratford-upon-Avon, two elderly neighbors, Miss Montague and Mr. Capulet, harbor a deep mutual dislike. When they leave their backyards, their garden gnomes come to life, mirroring the humans' feud with a rivalry between the blue-hatted Montague gnomes and the red-hatted Capulet gnomes. During a lawnmower race, Lady Blueberry's son, Gnomeo, meets Juliet, the daughter of Lord Redbrick. Despite the intense rivalry between their factions, the two gnomes become infatuated and begin meeting secretly in an abandoned garden, struggling to hide their romance from their respective families.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In Stratford-upon-Avon, the rivalry between neighbors Miss Montague and Mr. Capulet is mirrored by their garden gnomes: the blue-hatted Montague gnomes and the red-hatted Capulet gnomes. Gnomeo (a Blue) and Juliet (a Red) meet in an abandoned garden and fall in love, despite their families' feud. They meet secretly with the help of Featherstone, a plastic flamingo. Meanwhile, Lord Redbrick tries to arrange Juliet's pairing with Paris, a nerdy Red gnome. After a series of escalating conflicts—including the destruction of wisteria and a retaliatory poisoning attempt—the rivalry turns violent. Tybalt, a Red gnome, is killed in a confrontation with Gnomeo. Gnomeo is then seemingly crushed by a truck, leading the Blues to mourn him. However, Gnomeo survives and finds himself in a park. Meanwhile, Benny activates a haywire 'Terrafirminator' lawnmower that begins destroying both gardens. Gnomeo, Featherstone, and Shroom rush to save Juliet from the machine. They share a kiss as the machine explodes, seemingly killing them. However, the families reconcile, and Gnomeo and Juliet emerge from the rubble unharmed. The film ends with the two families celebrating their union as Gnomeo and Juliet depart on a purple lawnmower.
- First release year
- 2011
- Runtime (minutes)
- 83
- Production countries
- United States; United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Kelly Asbury
- Writers
- Andy Riley · screenplay; Kevin Cecil · screenplay; Mark Burton · screenplay; Emily Cook · screenplay; Kathy Greenberg · screenplay; Steve Hamilton Shaw · screenplay; Kelly Asbury · screenplay; Rob Sprackling · story; John Smith · story; Andy Riley · story; Kevin Cecil · story; Kelly Asbury · story; Steve Hamilton Shaw · story
- Cast and characters
- James McAvoy · Gnomeo; Emily Blunt · Juliet; Michael Caine · Lord Redbrick; Maggie Smith · Lady Bluebury; Jason Statham · Tybalt; Patrick Stewart · statue of William Shakespeare; Ashley Jensen · Nanette; Stephen Merchant · Paris
- Genres
- animated; musical; fantasy; romantic comedy; comedy
- Themes
- forbidden love; rivalry; reconciliation
- Tone and mood
- whimsical; romantic; comedic
- Setting
- Stratford-upon-Avon, England
- Premise and plot tags
- Shakespearean adaptation; garden gnomes; rival families
- Source material / true-story basis
- Romeo and Juliet
- Franchise connections
- Sherlock Gnomes
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a box-office success, grossing $194 million on a $36 million budget.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 53 · scale: 100 · review count: 28; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Annie Awards · nominations · nomination; Golden Globe · Best Original Song · nomination; Satellite Award · Best Original Song · nomination; Critics' Choice Award · Best Original Song · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was the first and only film to receive a G rating from the MPAA.; The roles of Gnomeo and Juliet were originally to be voiced by Ewan McGregor and Kate Winslet.; The film was the first animated film for Touchstone since 1993's The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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