I watched Gnomeo & Juliet when it was first released many years ago with my son and wife and we all had a fun time with it. I will be honest with you, I heard that Hulk Hogan had a cameo in this movie and that was why I suggested we go and see it when it came out. My recent viewing of it though made me realize what a fun family movie this is and it holds up pretty well……. BROTHER!
How to Download Gnomeo & Juliet
You can download or stream the film from a digital platform such as Disney+. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice.
The Movie Review
As you have probably already figured out, Gnomeo & Juliet is a take on the classic Romeo and Juliet story that has been adapted into a million movies. However, the fact that this is taking that classic story and setting it in the world of garden gnomes is something I get a real kick out of.
There are two neighbors that do not like each other, one neighbor has a blue set of garden gnomes and the other a red set, when the neighbors are not around, they come to life and they dislike each other immensely. It is a very fun rivalry that pretty soon after the movie starts gets out of hand.
Both sides of this feud always think they are right! The blue gnomes are led by Lady Bluebury who has a son, Gnomeo, and the red gnomes are led by Lord Redbrick who has a daughter called Juliet. Gnomeo takes on Tybalt of the red gnomes in a lawnmower race and this is the incident that makes the feud well and truly get out of hand.
However, while the tension between the blue and red gnomes is heating up something else is happening. Gnomeo & Juliet meet in strange circumstances and there is an immediate attraction! The thing is they are both in disguise, but a dip in the pond soon reveals their true colors! Their attraction is so great that they decide to keep on meeting up. Look, this is literally a kid’s version of Romeo and Juliet, but with gnomes!
Visually, I have to say that Gnomeo & Juliet has a lot of charm to it. It is not one of the best-looking animated movies I have seen and over a decade later, it certainly has more of a “straight to streaming” look about it. Still, I find the whole backyard world that has been created here to be a lot of fun.
One area where this movie well and truly shines is with the epic voice cast. It is a mainly British cast with James McAvoy and Emily Blunt in the lead roles. However, the likes of Michael Caine, Jason Statham, Maggie Smith, Patrick Stewart, and more are wonderful. The more I think about it, the more, this might have one of my favorite casts of any kid’s animated movie. Plus, it has epic smaller roles for the likes of Hulk Hogan, Ozzy Osborne, and Dolly Parton!
While I would not put Gnomeo & Juliet on my list of all-time greatest animated movies. I still think that this is a fun-to-watch film and a movie that is very easy to sit through. It is just a really fun time and the kind of movie that is perfect for a family movie night where you have a ton of awesome snacks!
