Teacher Notes
A Guide to
Gnomeo and Juliet (2011, U) 84 mins
Enrichment Focus
This film resource is aimed at young people from 5+. Suggested subjects for discussion are
Shakespeare and adaptations.
What’s this film about?
William Shakespeare’s classic Romeo and Juliet gets a truly bonkers reworking in this inventive
and hugely entertaining CGI comedy.
Why this film?
Played out, as the title suggests, by garden gnomes rather than humans, and boasting a starpacked voice cast, this animated tale centres on the forbidden romance of young Gnomeo and
Juliet. All this cute pottery pair dream about is being together, but sadly they’re caught in the
middle of a turf war involving the blue-hatted garden gnomes and their red-hatted rivals, who
live in neighbouring, suburban backyards. Whenever the groups’ respective homeowners aren’t
watching, battle commences, with hilarious slapstick and pun-filled results. Can the pint-sized
lovers bring peace between the Reds and Blues, or are they destined to be apart forever?
What the critics think
“I would recommend this film to everyone and anyone who loves jokes, lots of laughter and
several magnificent scenes”.
Into Film clubs member Alysia, aged 10.
“Toy Story goes Shakespearean in this animated retelling of the tale of the star-crossed lovers
of Verona”.
Kelly Asbury, The New Yorker Online
A Guide to
Teacher Notes
Before the film: Starter Activity
1. What do you know about the story of
Romeo and Juliet?
2. Why do you think it is such a popular story?
After the film: Discussion Questions
1. What caused the feud between the Red and
Blue gnomes?
2. What are the characters of Gnomeo and
Juliet like?
3. Why do you think the lawnmower race scene
was so exciting?
4. Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, is a
tragedy but Gnomeo and Juliet has a lot of
comedy — can you give examples of this?
5. What is the message of the film?
Next Steps
1. Get your students’ voices heard by starting
an Into Film club and getting them to
write reviews at www.filmclub.org
Related Resources
Create your own Shakespeare Week
screening of this film by using Into Film’s
Shakespeare Screening guide: Celebrating
Shakespeare Through Film with Into Film.
Teacher Notes
1. The Blue gnomes from the Montague garden did not
like the Red gnomes from the Capulet garden
because Mrs Montague and Mr Capulet, the
homeowners, hate each other.
2. Gnomeo hates the Red gnomes because of the long
standing feud and to please his mother he takes risks
such as lawnmower racing against Tybalt Capulet.
Juliet is put on a pedestal by her father because he
thinks that she is too delicate and is very protective
over her since he lost her mother. Juliet is desperate
to prove that she is not delicate and can take risks.
3. The scene is so exciting because of the fast music,
which includes fast drum beats that makes your heart
beat faster as you watch it. The comic parts of the
scene such as the crowd chanting help to break the
tension. There are some special effects used such as
slow motion. Ask students to watch the scene when
the Terrafirminator destroys both the red and blue
gardens.
4. There are lots of visual jokes such as the montage
sequence that shows both Gnomeo and Juliet
preening themselves for their date. Wordplay is used
just like in Shakespeare’s original play such as a
character confusing ‘illiterate‘ with ‘illegitimate’. Ask
students if they prefer the tragic ending of the play
that the statue of William Shakespeare described, or
the happy ending of the end of the animation.
5. The message of the film is that love is more powerful
than hate. Gnomeo and Juliet marry on a purple
lawnmower, showing that the neighbouring gardens
of Red and Blue are united and mixed to create
purple.