Gnomeo & Juliet

“Wherefore art thou, Gnomeo?” wonders Juliet, atop her fountain pedestal, in the well-manicured Stratford-Upon-Avon yards of 2B and Not 2B Verona Drive. The addresses are for the attached homes of Miss Montague (voiced by Julie Walters) and her neighbor Mr. Capulet (Richard Wilson), with whom she's feuding. But the real drama in this goofy romantic computer-animated comedy takes place in their gardens, where Juliet (Emily Blunt), a red-capped ceramic lawn ornament, has given her heart to dashing blue-gnome Gnomeo (James McAvoy), not realizing that their kitschy, color-coded families are sworn enemies whose animosity periodically erupts in high-octane lawn mower drag races. Springing to life when the humans aren't looking, the star-crossed lovers face opposition from Gnomeo's snooty mother, Lady Bluebury (Maggie Smith), and Juliet's domineering father, Lord Redbrick (Michael Caine). Also on hand are Juliet's feisty cousin Tybalt (Jason Statham); her frog nurse/confidante Nanette (Ashley Jensen); and Featherstone (Jim Cummings), a Latino pink plastic flamingo—along with Bill Shakespeare's statue (Patrick Stewart) and clever cameos by Dolly Parton, Ozzy Osbourne, and Hulk Hogan as the monstrous Terrafirminator. Featuring a catchy score by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, filmmaker Kelly Asbury's corny revisionist fairy tale for kids is recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include “Elton Builds a Garden” with composer Elton John (6 min.), “Frog Talk with Ashley Jensen” with the voice actor (2 min.), the music video for “Crocodile Rock” by Nelly Furtado and Elton John, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are deleted and alternate scenes (43 min.), two alternate endings (4 min.), “The Fawn of Darkness” with voice actor Ozzy Osbourne (2 min.), and a bonus DVD copy of the film. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a fun family film.] (S. Granger)