Gnomeo and Juliet (2011)

Genre: Children and Family

Average Netflix Rating: 3.9 Stars

Synopsis:An edgy Shakespeare adaptation like no other, this animated musical transports the classic tale of forbidden romance between two star-crossed lovers from warring families to the unlikely yet hysterical world of garden gnomes. Featuring songs from legendary recording artist Elton John, this movie features the vocal talents of Emily Blunt, James McAvoy, Jason Statham, Patrick Stewart and Michael Caine.

I'm a sucker for a good kids movie, and I'm a sucker for Shakespeare... so needless to say this movie had me at "for aught thou". I'll admit I finagled a way to see this in theaters and I'm glad I did. I found it smart and laugh out loud funny. The animation is great but still below Pixar's standards. The movie is Britain born so there are some language/slang slips but besides that the script dumbs down the tale of Romeo and Juliet enough to keep the little ones interested but has a bunch of Shakespeare to keep the adults interested. And for the adults there are a TON of visual jokes and Shakespeare references, that's really where I found the strongest elements of humor. But what's really the shinning star of all this is the music - 100% done by Elton John - it's a mix of old hits redone, new original songs, and an inspired score. The score is done by blending original music with hints of EJ classics, enough where the songs sound familiar but you can't quite place which they are... Just like the movie itself - it's something you know you've seen before but it's different enough this time around that it feels new...

Where should you put it in your Q? If you have kids - the top... If not throw it in the middle...

LINK: http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/Gnomeo-and-Juliet/70140917