The Adorable World if "Gnomeo and Juliet"

In IB Literature and Performance, we have been reading “Romeo and Juliet.” For homework, Mrs.G, decided that we should watch a film adaption and write a reflection.
I watched the 2011 Disney movie “Gnomeo and Juliet” directed by Kelly Asbury, which I really enjoyed(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0377981/?ref_=nv_sr_1). The movie is about Romeo and Juliet, two garden gnomes from two feuding families who fall in love. Juliet is a red Capulets, while Gnomeo is a blue Montagues. The movie uses modern language and is set in modern times, mostly taking place in the homes of two feuding neighbors.  
It is interesting how they included different references to the original work of "Romeo and Juliet" and kept some elements of the story intact. One of way they did it was by including parts of the prologue in the beginning, which exposes young children the the actual work of Shakespeare. It also was done in a very humorous way, as the gnome reading it is interrupted by another gnome who is bored. It was interesting how the writers decided to have Shakespeare be a character in the movie, as a statue that comes to life in the park. His characters somewhat breaks the forth wall, as he makes references to the fact that it is a "Romeo and Juliet" adaption when he explains that Gnomeo's story is similar to his play. The references to the original "Romeo and Juliet" and the intact parts of the play made the movie more enjoyable for people.
I liked aspects that result from the fact that the targeted audience is children. The two families are color-coded, with the Capulets being red and the Montagues being blue. This helps define the characters and separates the two families, which can be considered one of the hardest parts about "Romeo and Juliet." The humor is also more modern, making it funnier in some parts for people today, as the writers knew that children needed to be able to understand the humor. These are only some of the benefits that the audience gains from it being targeted at children.
My favorite part of the whole movie was the happy ending. The deaths in the original always upset me, but in this adaption, all the characters live. It also shows that the family’s feud did not need to end with their children's death, but could have ended with their parents reflection of how their actions effected them. It also gave the movie a more definitive ending than in the play. These are some of the reasons I enjoyed the happy ending the most in "Gnomeo and Juliet."
Overall I feel that it was a cute way to introduce children to Shakespeare and is still enjoyable for adults. It dumbs the story down into language that all people can understand, which I think is the second of the hardest thing to do with Shakespeare. The movie creator also does what I feel is hardest thing about adapting Shakespeare: creating a new spin on a play performed many times, with a lot of success. Because honestly, whoever thought that "Romeo and Juliet" should be made into a Disney film about garden gnomes to understand is a genus.
That's all for now. Write back to you next week. Bye!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0377981/?ref_=nv_sr_1