HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — In the animated comedy adventure Gnomeo & Juliet, Shakespeare's revered tale gets a comical, off-the-wall makeover.
Directed by Kelly Asbury and showcasing both classic and original songs by Elton John, the film features the voices of James McAvoy and Emily Blunt as Gnomeo and Juliet, who have as many obstacles to overcome as their quasi namesakes when they are caught up in a feud between neighbors. But with plastic pink flamingos and thrilling lawnmower races in the mix, can this young couple find lasting happiness?
Also lending their voices are two-time Academy Award-winner Michael Caine (“Cars as Juliet's father Lord Redbrick, Jason Statham as Gnomeo's nemesis Tybalt, Maggie Smith as Lady Bluebury, Patrick Stewart as Bill Shakespeare, Ashley Jensen as Juliet's friend and confidante Nanette, Stephen Merchant as Juliet's expected suitor Paris, Matt Lucas as Gnomeo's best mate Benny, and Jim Cummings as the plastic pink flamingo Featherstone. Julie Walters and Richard Wilson give voice to the human feuding neighbors, Miss Montague and Mr. Capulet; Ozzy Osbourne portrays Tybalt's sidekick, Fawn; Dolly Parton plays the country gnome Dolly who starts the mower race; and Hulk Hogan lends his voice to the unapologetic beast of a lawn mower, the Terrafirminator.
View: Gnomeo and Juliet Premiere Red Carpet Photos
The original Romeo and Juliet was penned by William Shakespeare in the late 1500s. The tragic tale of two teenage lovers endures today with countless interpretations—from Georg Benda's operatic adaptation in the 1700s to the popular 1950s stage musical West Side Story to 1996's MTV-inspired Romeo + Juliet. In 2010, Twitter premiered "Such Tweet Sorrow"—an improvised tweeted version of the play presented by the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Mudlark Production Company. And now we have garden gnomes.
The filmmakers were instantly drawn to the irony of the film's premise. Says producer David Furnish, "The concept of the film gave us the opportunity to take a classically well-known story and turn it on its head—reinvent it for a modern audience in a very funny way. The sheer fact that we have the high art of Shakespeare, the most revered playwright of all time, and the kitschy garden gnome gives us so many fantastic opportunities for comedy."
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