Why So Blu?

Gnomeo & Juliet 2D/3D (Blu-ray Review)

Walt Disney Studios has just released Gnomeo & Juliet on Blu-ray 3-D, Blu-ray 2D, DVD and digital download.  I was lucky enough to receive the 3-Disc Combo Pack which includes all of the options I just listed.  There is also a Two Disc Blu-ray Combo pack and One Disc DVD available.

The dictionary defines cute as pleasantly attractive, in a delicate way; said of children, young ladies, pet animals and some objects, but seldom of adults.  Gnomeo & Juliet could easily be the new poster child for cuteness. 

Film 

Gnomeo & Juliet is directed by Kelly Asbury (Shrek 2) and features quite a cast.  The film stars James McAvoy (The Chronicles of Narnia:  The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe) as Gnomeo and Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada) as Juliet.  Gnomeo and Juliet also features the voices of Michael Caine (Inception), Jason Statham (The Transporter franchise), Ashley Jensen (Ugly Betty), Ozzy Osbourne, and Maggie Smith (Harry Potter franchise).  Gnomeo & Juliet also features the music of Sir Elton John, including all new songs that compliment the sweetness of the film.

The story begins with Miss Montague and Mr. Capulet who are neighbors on Verona Drive.  Miss Montague lives in the Blue House, and Mr. Capultet lives next door in the red house.  While the Montague’s and the Capulet’s aren’t the friendliest of neighbors, the real feud lies with the Blues and the Reds – their respective garden gnomes.  These gnomes seem to have been at odds for a long time and only get together to compete in lawn mower races.

Both Gnomeo and Juliet have their sights set on a particular flower they both want to acquire.  They both prepare to sneak out and get it using various disguises.  So when they first meet, they fall in love without ever realizing what color gnome the other one is.

I’m really happy with the way the story was written for Gnomeo and Juliet.  As I said earlier, everything about it is just cute.  The gnomes are adorable.  I love their songs and dancing.  It’s truly amazing how much character the filmmakers brought to garden gnomes.  It would have been disappointing to follow Shakespeare’s play to the letter and have to sit through Gnome-suicide.  That would not be cute.  Instead, they cleverly let a Shakespeare statue (Patrick Stewart) tell the original story. He explains that Rome and Juliet is a tragedy.  Gnomeo and Juliet is an adorable comedy (with just a touch of drama).

Gnomeo and Juliet is just plain adorable and I enjoyed the little humorous additions like watching Gnomeo get ready for his date by touching up his beard with white out.   I also enjoyed the  many cute (there’s that word again) little Disney touches like the fountain that lights up and plays the “Tiki Tiki Tiki Room” song.  Another funny easter egg can be found on the laptop that Miss Montague uses, which has a “banana” logo (instead of an Apple).

Video

Disney has an amazing track record for both their 3D and regular Blu-ray video quality and this one is no different.  On both Blu-ray 3D and 2D the 1080p (1.85:1), the video quality is excellent.  The colors are bright and vibrant.  Black levels are near perfect.  Both the day and night scenes look amazing.  I’m particularly impressed with all the detail you can see on the gnomes themselves.  You can see the nicks, and minor scratches that come with a life spent in the backyard.  It truly looks as though your own garden gnomes came to life. The best part of the 3D viewing experience is that the gnomes appear amazingly lifelike.  The 3D viewing experiences helps you immerse yourself in the world of the gnomes and you can easily forget they are supposed to be made of stone which makes this  seem a lot more plausible.   The 3D adds a real sense of depth to the world and is just as good as Disney’s Chistmas Carol or Tangled.  Much like those earlier releases, the 3D here doesn’t have a lot of in your face gimmicky elements but instead seems designed to immerse the viewers into the world being presented.

Audio

The DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix is also exceptional.  The surround sound makes you feel as though you are in the middle of the backyard amongst the gnomes.   During the lawnmower races you can hear the dust swirl around you and the advertisement  for the mega lawn mower, the Terrafirminator, practically shook the room. I did enjoy the fact that you could hear the clink of the stone when the gnomes held hands.  I feel like I could watch this movie over and over and hear something new each time.

Special Features

I really enjoyed the deleted and alternate scenes since the filmmakers had a lot of very cute ideas, none of which were bad despite not making it into the movie.  I wish I could have seen them all  fully animated but the story reel is a lot more entertaining than the usual static storyboards you get in a lot of special features.  All of the extras are located on the 2D disc since there are no extras on the 3D disc.

DVD and Movie Download includes:

• Elton Builds a Garden – In addition to providing much of the music, Elton John was involved in the entire process of making Gnomeo & Juliet.  We learn that Elton had a lot to do with get other big names in the music industry involved because when Elton calls, people answer!
• Frog Talk with Ashley Jensen
• “Crocodile Rock” Music Video, featuring Elton John and Nelly Furtado.

Blu-ray includes everything on the DVD plus:

• Deleted and Alternate Scenes with Filmmaker Introductions, including:
  • Deleted and Alternate Scenes – Featherstone’s Game; First Date — Alternate Scene; Game On; Gnomeo Exposed; Wedding Ruse; Featherstone, Shroom & Gnomeo, and Gnomeo Meets the Weathervanes.
  • Alternate Endings with Filmmaker Introductions – All’s Well That Ends Well and Alternate Dance Routine.  These two alternate endings can be individually selected or have a play all option.  The filmmakers tried to make a happy ending for all of the characters.  See story reel endings with music and voices.  Both alternates are good, as is the ending that made it into the film.
  • The Fawn of Darkness, featuring Ozzy Osbourne.

In addition, there are sneak peeks for Winnie the Pooh, Spooky Buddies, The Lion King Diamond Edition, the Epic Mikey video game, Phineas and Ferb, and Dumbo.

Final Thoughts

As the mother of a three year old boy, I am forced to sit through a lot of crappy cartoons.  Some of the movies he enjoys are just plain stupid and I cringe when my he wants to watch them.  I am overjoyed to have found such a charming film that we will both enjoy.  Gnomeo & Juliet is funny, well written, visually amazing and will appeal to both children and adults alike.  The 3D version is definitely worth having and leads me to my one and only complaint – I don’t like to wear the 3D glasses but this film was worth it.

Order your copy today!