The weather outside may be frightful but that just makes it the perfect opportunity to take the family to see the latest movie from Disney, Gnomeo and Juliet. Have you seen the trailer for this? It looks absolutely adorable and I can not wait to take Alex to see it. I love the completely unique spin on a classic love story as played out by garden gnomes. {Leave it to Disney to imagine something like that up!}
Another great thing about Gnomeo and Juliet is that it brings Sir Elton John to the soundtrack. You know what that means, right? It means another outstanding soundtrack from Disney. I'm excited to hear the music for myself. And check out the cute, Elton John gnome!
Now, I haven't seen this movie so I can't tell you what I think of it {yet}. However, I have some fun facts that you may enjoy as much as I did. {These were sent to me by a rep for Disney.}
FILM FUN FACTS
CONSIDER THE SOURCE – Filmmakers offer a nod to Shakespeare in several ways:
In a nod to “Hamlet,” Miss Montague’s mailbox is numbered 2B, while her rival neighbor Mr. Capulet’s mailbox is 2B with a red slash through it (“NOT to be”).
“Macbeth” is referenced in a scene in which Juliet is threatened by a bulldog. She slams shut her garden gate and shouts “Out!”—followed quickly by the dog’s distant owner yelling “Damned Spot!”
Featherstone’s shed interior features a ticket stub for “As You Like It.”
The truck that rolls through and accidently drops a couple teapots (later mistaken by several gnomes as a broken comrade), is marked “Tempest Teapots.”
When the Goons glue Juliet to her pedestal, the glue is labeled “The Taming of the Glue.”
FAMOUS FEATURES -- Juliet’s face is inspired by several classic Hollywood faces, and of course Emily Blunt, who lends her voice to the character.
FLAMINGO FORTUNE -- Featherstone gets his name from Don Featherstone, the original sculptor of the classic plastic pink flamingo made popular in the 1960s. Even today, authentic versions of the decorative bird are embossed with Mr. Featherstone’s signature. Just look under the tail.
STREET SMARTS – Filmmakers conducted several research trips to Stratford Upon Avon to explore the world of the movie. Producer Steve Hamilton-Shaw hails from Stratford and served as a great authority.
REALITY STARS -- Several real-life gnome-populated suburban British gardens helped inspire the locations for “Gnomeo & Juliet.”
ALL IN THE FAMILY – Seeking a disguise for Juliet, Nanette jumps onto the clothesline to fetch a black sock. During her descent, she passes a Kermit the Frog shirt hanging from the clothesline.
FRUIT LOOP -- Montague’s laptop has a Banana logo on it.
NEPOTISM -- The lawn hippo from “Gnomeo & Juliet” is based on one owned by director Kelly Asbury and kept in his California garden.
HEARING VOICES – A few behind-the-scenes pros stepped up to the microphone to lend their voices to “Gnomeo & Juliet.”
Director Kelly Asbury voices the Goons.
Assistant production manager for editorial Julio Bonet provides the voice of the Mankini Gnome.
Associate editor Maurissa Horwitz lends her voice to the Call Me Girl.
HAPPILY EVER AFTER -- Gnomeo and Juliet ride off into the sunset on a lawn mower with a sign on the back that reads “Matrignomey.”
ALL ELTON, ALL THE TIME – “Gnomeo & Juliet” is the first feature film that exclusively features music from the Elton John-Bernie Taupin library.
For the film’s score, composers James Newton Howard and Chris Bacon incorporated iconic Elton John-Bernie Taupin melodies such as “Tiny Dancer,” “Rocket Man,” “Bennie and The Jets” and “I’m Still Standing,” among others, and even invited John’s band to record the rock-and-roll segments of the score.
ROCKET MEN – Headed by Elton John, David Furnish and Steven Hamilton Shaw, Rocket Pictures was established in 1996 and has created the indies “It's a Boy Girl Thing” and “Women Talking Dirty,” as well as documentary “Elton John: Tantrums and Tiaras” and two series of the music talk show “Spectacle.” Next up for the production company, “Pride and Predator” adds an alien-horror twist to the Jane Austen world, before the company focuses exclusively on music-driven projects across film, TV and the stage.
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And just in case you haven't seen it yet, I've included the trailer for you to view. {When I watched this with Alex, he wanted to go see it right away.}
THE GIVEAWAY!! {Now Closed}
TWO winners will receive this fun prize-pack of:
- (1) Gnomeo & Juliet t-shirt in youth sizes of S, M, L, or XL and colors of red or blue
- (1) Gnomeo & Juliet one-size fits all beanie in red or blue
- (1) Gnomeo & Juliet mini-notebooks shaped like a Gnome hat (front cover is red, back cover is blue)
To enter:
Tell me if you think you'd be on "Team Red" {Juliet} or "Team Blue" {Gnomeo}. Remember to include your e-mail address so I can contact you if you win.
For additional {and always optional} entries:
Blog about this giveaway with links back to this post/blog.*For 2 Extra Entries* Become a fan of Coffee with the Mrs. on Facebook. {Comment with 2 separate comments for credit}Grab my button for your sidebar. Subscribe to my blog by e-mail through feedburner {the coffee cup at the top of the right sidebar with the orange rss symbol. comment with the e-mail address you subscribed with}Follow my blog *For 2 Extra Entries* {right beneath the Giveaways listing on sidebar. Comment with 2 separate comments for credit}Follow me on Twitter @TheMrsC (comment with your twitter name)Tweet about this giveaway. If you want, you can say “CoffeeWithTheMrs.com is giving away a Gnomeo & Juliet prize-pack and I want to win!” {Just make sure to link to my blog or the giveaway}. {comment with a link to your tweet}TWICE daily retweets are available for extra entries. Leave a comment with a link to your daily tweet{s}
Please leave a separate comment for each entry. This giveaway will run until February 9th at 11:59pm ET. The winner will be selected by using random.org and will be contacted and announced on or around February 10th. If the prize is not claimed within 48 hours of initial contact, I will randomly select another winner. Void where prohibited. No purchase necessary. Open to US.
**Thanks to Disney who supplied the items to facilitate this giveaway. I wasn't compensated in any way for this post. In this post I share my thoughts and opinions of the film mentioned. Others may have a different experience or opinion.**
