Hello, Hello (song)

''Gnomeo & Juliet'' is a 2011 animated romantic comedy film directed by Kelly Asbury from a screenplay by Rob Sprackling and John Smith. It is loosely based on the play ''Romeo and Juliet'' by William Shakespeare and features the voices of James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine, Jason Statham, Maggie Smith, Ashley Jensen, Stephen Merchant, Matt Lucas, Jim Cummings, Julie Walters, Richard Wilson, Patrick Stewart, and Ozzy Osbourne. The story follows Gnomeo and Juliet, a pair of garden gnomes who fall in love, but due to the feud between their respective families, they must find a way to keep their blossoming romance a secret.

''Gnomeo & Juliet'' premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on January 23, 2011, and was theatrically released on February 11 by Entertainment One Films in the United Kingdom and Touchstone Pictures in the United States. The film grossed $193 million worldwide and received nominations for several Annie Awards. The song "Hello Hello" by Elton John and Lady Gaga was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, the Satellite Award for Best Original Song, and the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Song. A sequel, '' Sherlock Gnomes'', was released in 2018 by Paramount Animation, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and Rocket Pictures without achieving the success of the first film.

Plot

In Stratford-upon-Avon, elderly neighbors Miss Montague and Mr. Capulet despise each other. When they leave their gardens, their garden gnomes and lawn ornaments come to life. The Montague garden is inhabited by blue-hatted gnomes led by Lady Blueberry, while the Capulet garden is home to red-hatted gnomes led by Lord Redbrick. The feud between the human owners is mirrored by their respective gnome factions.

During a lawnmower race in an alleyway, Lady Blueberry's son, Gnomeo, competes against Tybalt, a Red gnome, who destroys Gnomeo's mower. Later, Gnomeo and his friend Benny infiltrate the Red garden to sabotage Tybalt's mower but instead damage his pedestal, triggering a security alarm. During the escape, Gnomeo stumbles into an abandoned garden and meets Juliet, the daughter of Lord Redbrick, who is retrieving a unique Cupid's Arrow orchid. They become infatuated until discovering they belong to rival gardens. Juliet flees, later confiding in her friend Nanette.

Despite the rivalry, Gnomeo and Juliet continue to meet secretly. They encounter Featherstone, a plastic flamingo who encourages their relationship. Meanwhile, Lord Redbrick arranges Juliet's pairing with Paris, a Red gnome, though Juliet diverts his attention to Nanette. After the Reds destroy a prized Blue plant, Gnomeo retaliates by spraying the Reds' tulips with herbicide. Juliet catches him in the act, leading to an argument. Featherstone shares his story of losing his mate due to a human divorce, inspiring the pair to reconcile and plan to create a shared garden.

Benny witnesses Gnomeo and Juliet together and runs off, unknowingly encountering Tybalt. A confrontation ensues, resulting in Tybalt's apparent destruction when his mower crashes. The Reds retaliate, and Gnomeo is pushed into a busy road. A shattered blue teapot leads everyone to believe he has been killed. Grieving, Lord Redbrick confines Juliet by gluing her feet to her tower.

Gnomeo survives and ends up in a park, where he recounts his story to a statue of William Shakespeare, who cynically predicts a tragic ending. Meanwhile, Benny orders a powerful Terrafirminator lawnmower online to destroy the Red garden. When activated, the Terrafirminator loses control and begins demolishing both gardens as the gnomes engage in battle.

Learning of Juliet’s peril, Gnomeo races back to save her. As the Terrafirminator targets Juliet’s tower, Gnomeo and Juliet reunite and share a kiss before the machine crashes into the tower and explodes. Believing the couple to have been destroyed, Lady Blueberry and Lord Redbrick reconcile and end their feud.

Gnomeo and Juliet emerge unharmed from the debris, and the two families celebrate their survival. Tybalt is rebuilt, Featherstone reunites with his long-lost mate, and the gnomes gather to watch Gnomeo and Juliet depart together on a purple lawnmower, symbolizing the union of the two clans.

Cast

* James McAvoy as Gnomeo, Lady Bluebury's son and Juliet's love interest. He is based on Romeo Montague.
* Emily Blunt as Juliet, Lord Redbrick's daughter and Gnomeo's love interest. She is based on Juliet Capulet.
* Michael Caine as Lord Redbrick, leader of the Red gnomes and Juliet's widowed father. He is based on Lord Capulet.
* Jason Statham as Tybalt, Gnomeo and Benny's nemesis. He is based on the character of the same name.
* Maggie Smith as Lady Bluebury, leader of the Blue gnomes and Gnomeo's widowed mother. She is based on Lord and Lady Montague.
* Ashley Jensen as Nanette, a Scottish plastic garden frog, Paris' love interest and Juliet's best friend. She is based on Nurse.
* Stephen Merchant as Paris, a nerdy red gnome who was arranged to marry Juliet, and Nanette's love interest. He is based on Count Paris.
* Matt Lucas as Benny, Gnomeo's best friend. He is based on both Mercutio and Benvolio, though the fate of his hat being smashed by Tybalt before the film's climax is similar to the former's.
* Jim Cummings as Featherstone, a lonely plastic flamingo with a Spanish accent. He is based on Friar Laurence.
* Julie Walters as Ms. Montague, the elderly owner of the Blue garden.
* Richard Wilson as Mr. Capulet, the elderly owner of the Red garden.
* Patrick Stewart as a statue of William Shakespeare, the author of ''Romeo and Juliet''.
* Ozzy Osbourne as Fawn, a miniature deer statue and Tybalt's best friend.
* Hulk Hogan as Announcer, an unseen person who promotes the Terrafirminator lawnmower.
* Kelly Asbury as Red Goon Gnomes, a group of miniature gnomes who act as servants to Lord Redbrick and the other Red gnomes. They are based on Gregory, Sampson, Anthony, and Potpan.
* Dolly Parton as Dolly Gnome, the lawnmower race announcer.
* James Daniel Wilson as Fishing Gnome, a red gnome.
*Tim Bentinck and Neil McCaul as Conjoined Gnomes.
*Julio Bonet as Mankini Gnome, Dolly Gnome's love interest.
*Julia Braams as a stone fish attached to the fishing line of the Fishing Gnome.
* Maurissa Horwitz as an unnamed Porcelain doll, Benny's love interest.

Production

The film was the original idea of Sprackling and Smith, who sold the spec script to Disney through Rocket Pictures. Disney studio chairman Dick Cook greenlit the film, under then Disney-owned Miramax Films in 2006, after turning it down previously as Walt Disney Animation Studios project. Miramax was later sold by Disney in 2010, but the latter studio retained the rights to the film. Starz Animation produced and animated the film. After first sitting on the film as it was an animated film not by a Disney animation unit, Disney Studios then opted to release the film through its Touchstone Pictures banner. Australian director Adam Elliot was approached and asked to direct the film, but he rejected the offer due to the film's incompatibility with his style, as well as his lack of experience with CGI.

Asbury got on board in 2006, and was attracted to the movie in order to work with Elton John. Asbury and Hamilton Shaw then rewrote the film "sort of from scratch," A particular challenge, according to Asbury was how to differentiate the ending between the original play and the movie in order to "keep daggers and poison and suicide out". Asbury had free range of the casting and conducted the process only through listening to voices, not knowing which actor was auditioning until he felt they were right for the character. Prior to the casting of James McAvoy and Emily Blunt, the roles of Gnomeo and Juliet were originally to be voiced by Ewan McGregor and Kate Winslet, respectively.

Music

''Gnomeo & Juliet: Original Soundtrack'' is the soundtrack album and was released by Buena Vista Records on February 1, 2011. It features music by Elton John (who was also the film's executive producer), Nelly Furtado, Kiki Dee, and selections from the score composed by Chris Bacon and James Newton Howard (who played keyboards for Elton John and arranged strings on many previous projects).

The duet of John and Lady Gaga for "Hello, Hello" was featured in the film, released on February 11, 2011, but the soundtrack version only features John. Additionally, on May 4, 2011, the duet was leaked online and available for download on most sharing websites.

Release

''Gnomeo & Juliet''s worldwide premiere was at El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on January 23, 2011. The film was released by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures under the label Touchstone Pictures on February 11, 2011. The film was Touchstone's first animated film since 1993's ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' and also Touchstone's first and only film to receive a G rating from the MPAA. The film was distributed by Disney worldwide except for selected territories such as the UK and Ireland, where Entertainment One Films released the movie. Pathé International handled international sales for the film. Elton John and director Asbury presented 10 minutes of the film at the Cannes Film Festival.

Home media

''Gnomeo & Juliet'' was released by Touchstone Home Entertainment on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, and DVD on May 24, 2011. The film was produced as three different packages: a 1-disc DVD, a 2-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo pack, and a 3-disc Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, and DVD combo pack. The 3-disc package also includes access to a digital download of the film. Both the DVD and Blu-ray versions of the release include the music video for Elton John and Nelly Furtado's version of John's "Crocodile Rock", as well as the extras "Elton Builds a Garden" and "Frog Talk" with Ashley Jensen. In addition, the Blu-ray version also has several deleted and alternate scenes, as well as a feature with Ozzy Osbourne called "The Fawn of Darkness".

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, ''Gnomeo & Juliet'' holds an approval rating of 55% based on 126 reviews, with an average rating of 5.6/10. The site's consensus reads: "While it has moments of inspiration, ''Gnomeo & Juliet'' is often too self-referential for its own good." On Metacritic, it has a score of 53 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews." Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.

Joe Morgenstern of ''The Wall Street Journal'' praised the film as "a lively little movie, a comic take on Shakespeare's tragedy that is really entertaining." Ty Burr of ''The Boston Globe'' called it "a simple pleasure" with "its own bizarre charms and breezy confidence." Justin Chang of ''Variety'' described it as "a welcome dose of honest silliness" during a period when many family animations favored smart-alecky humor.

In a more mixed review, Tasha Robinson of ''The A.V. Club'' criticized the film’s reliance on pop culture gags and "recycled Elton John songs." Writing for ''The Guardian'', Peter Bradshaw noted the film was "better than expected," though he criticized its "relentless puns and recycled ideas." ''Common Sense Media'' praised the animation and humor but cautioned about some mild innuendo, recommending it for older children and families.

Mark Jenkins of ''The Washington Post'' acknowledged its colorful visuals but found the story lightweight, noting it lacked the sharpness of more distinguished animated features. Scott Bowles of ''USA Today'' was more positive, saying it "manages to make the most of its offbeat concept." Similarly, ''NPR'''s Bob Mondello appreciated its "cheerful irreverence," though he observed that it largely relied on familiar narrative beats.

Critics from ''Empire'' and '' Time Out'' offered more reserved praise, calling the film "harmless fun" but noting that its humor and pacing felt uneven. ''IGN'' praised its visual style but criticized its storytelling for being "too thin to fully engage older audiences."

Box office

''Gnomeo & Juliet'' grossed approximately $100 million in North America and $94 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $193.9 million. It outperformed ''Mars Needs Moms'', a more expensive Disney release that followed a month later.

The film opened in 2,994 theaters in North America on February 11, 2011, earning $6.2 million on its first day and $25.4 million over its opening weekend, finishing third behind ''Just Go with It'' and ''Justin Bieber: Never Say Never''. Despite not debuting at number one, it set a record for the largest opening weekend for an animated feature released during the winter months (January–February) and for a minor animated title with little pre-release anticipation, according to Box Office Mojo.

During its second weekend—Presidents' Day weekend—''Gnomeo & Juliet'' topped the global box office with $29.8 million, despite ranking second domestically and internationally behind other films. It became the highest-grossing winter-released animated film at the time, a title it held until ''The Lego Movie'' surpassed it in 2014.

In the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Malta, it opened at number one with £2.9 million ($4.7 million) and eventually grossed $25.3 million in the UK, making it the second-highest market for the film after North America.

Accolades

Sequel

In March 2012, it was reported that a sequel titled '' Sherlock Gnomes'' was in development at Rocket Pictures. Andy Riley and Kevin Cecil, two of the nine writers on the first film, were writing the script for the sequel. Steve Hamilton Shaw and David Furnish produced the film, and Elton John was an executive producer, and again composed songs for the film. The film featured Sherlock Gnomes, "the greatest ornamental detective" hired by the characters from the first film, to solve the mystery of disappearing gnomes. John Stevenson, director of ''Kung Fu Panda'', directed the sequel, and Johnny Depp voiced Sherlock Gnomes. The film was released March 23, 2018. Unlike the original, it was released by Paramount Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

References

External links

*
*
* https://www.scripts.com/script/gnomeo_and_juliet_9045

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gnomeo And Juliet
2011 films
2011 3D films
2011 American animated films
2011 computer-animated films
2010s British animated films
2010s children's animated films
2010s English-language films
2011 romantic comedy films
2010s children's comedy films
2011 comedy films
American children's animated comedy films
American children's animated fantasy films
American children's animated musical films
American computer-animated films
American romantic comedy films
British 3D films
British animated fantasy films
British children's comedy films
British children's fantasy films
British computer-animated films
British romantic comedy films
Canadian animated comedy films
Canadian animated fantasy films
Canadian musical films
Canadian computer-animated films
Canadian romantic comedy films
2010s children's fantasy films
2010s fantasy comedy films
Films about gnomes
Animated films about birds
Animated films based on Romeo and Juliet
Animated films set in England
Rocket Pictures films
Touchstone Pictures animated films
Films directed by Kelly Asbury
Films scored by Chris Bacon
Films scored by James Newton Howard
3D animated films
Animated films about prejudice
Modern adaptations of works by William Shakespeare
2010s Canadian animated films
2010s British films
British animated comedy films
English-language romantic comedy films
English-language fantasy comedy films
Films set in Warwickshire