Analysis of Gnomeo and Juliet pt. I

What major themes are strongly represented?
    -Love
    -Hate
    -Satire

How true to the text does the film remain?

    -Um...well...Elton John was an executive producer, hence a whole lot of Elton John music...definitely not in the original text...For the most part, the text that actually made it into the film was used more as comedic relief/satire.

How true to the plot does the film remain? 

    -Certain major plot themes were present throughout:

      -Two households with bitter rivalry

      -Romeo and Juliet meet/Balcony scene

      -Tybalt causes damage to friend and Romeo smashes him

      -Romeo exiled; Juliet's life hangs in the balance

      -Romeo saves Juliet from death and they live happily ever after...wait, that's not right

That plot maintains consistent story arc until the very end. Which definitely affects the themes - emphasizing the theme of love conquers all, even hate. Definitely not a main theme in the original text

   

What minor characters receive more screen time and how does that affect the play? 

How does the portrayal of minor characters affect the play?

    -Benvolio doubling as Mercutio - Benny the gnome doubles as Mercution and Benvolio. This means that at times he's the voice of reason, but after being disfigured by Tybalt, he seeks revenge for Romeo's exile. So like Mercutio, he escalates the fight which leads to total destruction of both gardens. This is interesting because it continues to play up the theme of hate, but in the character of Benvolio which is different from the text.

    -Friar John as Featherstone - Friar John is portrayed as a pink flamingo who has had his wife/lover/fellow female pink flamingo torn from him when their owners got a divorce. The reason I bring this up is because while talking to Gnomeo and Juliet he states that he allowed other peoples hate to destroy his love. Obviously, this plays back to the original script in emphasizing the theme of the destructive power of hate. It also foreshadows that Gnomeo and Juliet won't allow the same thing to happen. This theme of love being able to conquer is prevalent throughout the entire film.

    -Tybalt - Tybalt as a Gnome is a serious jerk. He destroys the Blue Gnomes property, fights with Gnomeo, and generally causes trouble. Overall, this, along with the parents hate, emphasizes the theme of hate. Especially since, like in the text, his attacking Benvolio causes Gnomeo to fight with him and cause his smashing. Which leads to escalation in the fighting and the hate. In the original text, Tybalt does get pushed by Mercutio into fighting, however, in this Tybalt goes crazy.

-More to come in the next post-