Gnomeo & Juliet review

The famous tragedy gets a pint-sized makeover...

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No, we’re not taking the ceramic, this really is the Bard’s timeless tragedy, relocated to a kitsch suburbia where two rival gnome households do daily battle over the garden fence.

Can red-capped Gnomeo (voiced by James McAvoy) and his blue beloved (Emily Blunt) break the deadlock?

Shakespeare puns abound in Kelly Asbury’s (Shrek 2, Spirit: Stallion Of The Cimarron) surprisingly entertaining animated caper, which also nods to Walt with an ornamental Bambi (voiced by Ozzy Osbourne, of all people) and a Fantasia-like toadstool.

Shame about the annoying plastic flamingo (this movie’s version of Madagascar’s King Julien) and a general tone of wisteria unelfily close to that of Luc Besson’s Arthur cartoons.

Freelance Writer

Neil Smith is a freelance film critic who has written for several publications, including Total Film. His bylines can be found at the BBC, Film 4 Independent, Uncut Magazine, SFX, Heat Magazine, Popcorn, and more.