Gnomeo & Juliet animated comedy open’s this weekend

Gnomeo & Juliet is the new animated comedy that is an updated version of the classic Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet, but with garden gnomes. James McAvoy and Emily Blunt lend their voices as the star-crossed lovers, whose parents will do everything they can to keep the gnomes apart. Blunt told us the two were excited to work together, but they never shared studio time while voicing their characters. “We met socially a couple of times, so we were kind of thinking when we both got on board for this, ‘it will be great and we’ll be in the same room and we’ll riff and we’ll improve, but we improved separate from each other.” said McAvoy.

Elton John served as executive producer and lent his music to the film. He told us about one of his favorite scenes.
“I think the scene with ‘Your Song,’ when Stephen Merchant plays the character of the weedy gnome and suddenly there I am the glam gnome. When he sings, ‘It’s a little bit runny.’ I lost it when I saw that, so that brings back very good memories of a song I sung practically every time I’ve done a show since 1970. So, I would have to say that moment is quite funny and I love that moment.”

Gnomeo & Juliet also features the voices of Ozzy Osbourne, Dolly Parton, Hulk Hogan, Michael Caine and Jason Statham. It hits theaters on today 2/11.