Gnomeo and Juliet

(PG) WDSHE DVD/BD

This goofy re-working of the Bard’s classic tale has plenty of nods and giggles to the original.

The action takes place on Verona Street, where Miss Montague lives uneasily next to Mr Capulet (their letter boxes marked 2B and not 2B).

Miss Montague’s garden is inhabited and maintained by blue gnomes, while a community of red gnomes nurtures the Capulet yard.

Just like in Toy Story, when no-one is looking the industrious gnomes come to life, tending each garden and its garish charms.

Of course they are rivals, the blues despising the reds — that is until Gnomeo (James McAvoy) spots Juliet (Emily Blunt) and they fall deeply in love.

This pairing is strictly forbidden and causes all-out war between the reds and the blues. At one point gnomes break into Miss Montague’s house and order online the Terrafirminator: a gargantuan lawn mower that levels both backyards.

There are some lowbrow jokes, all the better to make the under-10s snigger (most of the weaker jokes fly by so fast they are quickly forgotten).

Gnomeo and his pals are no Woody and Buzz but they are rendered in all their ceramic glory in CGI.

The soundtrack is oddly comprised entirely of re-worked and classic tunes from Elton John (who gets an animated cameo and executive producer credit).

Aside from Blunt and McAvoy, there is a literal who’s who of Brit actors as voice support, adding to the mayhem and fun.

Adrian Drayton