Gnomeo & Juliet

Young kids will love all the loopy gnome humor -- even if they don't get all of the jokes -- and it's a great way to introduce them to Shakespeare. The premise of the story may sound a bit off-putting at first -- Shakespeare's much-beloved tragedy via CGI gnomes? But, of course, that's what purists must've thought when they first heard about West Side Story, and that's one of the greatest musicals ever. So enter Gnomeo and Juliet with an open mind, and you'll find this adaptation quite original and amusing -- and equally (if not more) a tribute to producer Elton John as it is to Shakespeare. John's best songs -- including "Bennie and the Jets," "I'm Still Standing," "Crocodile Rock," and "Your Song" -- are all incorporated in the score, and the larger-than-life singer even recorded two songs especially for the soundtrack. The result is a familiar accompaniment to an even more familiar tale -- much like a Baz Luhrmann production for kids and parents.

Grown-ups familiar with Shakespeare's works will have fun noting all of the movie's Bard references (like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Movers, Tempest Teapots, and a line from Macbeth, to name just a few ) and watching the tragic tale transform into a comedy performed by some of Britain's finest actors and comedians. McAvoy and Blunt, it's obvious, are charming whether in the flesh or voicing animated lawn decorations.