Gnomeo and Juliet have been named the leaders of gardenful
of gnomes. While they’re sorting through the emotional challenges of taking on
new roles in a new home, they are shocked to find that all of their fellow
gnomes have been kidnapped. Gnomeo and Juliet join forces with the famous
detective Sherlock Gnomes and his underappreciated assistant Gnome Watson to
try to find the missing gnomes, who they believe have been captured by the evil
Moriarty.
** SPOILERS AHEAD THE REST OF THE WAY **
The Adoption
Connection
There is no adoption element to the film, although some
viewers will relate to the concept of having new lives in a new location.
Strong Points
The film has a relatively thickly-laid-on theme of “don’t
take your friends for granted.” It’s not a bad message, it’s just applied
heavily and a bit carelessly.
Challenges
The theme of mass kidnapping could be scary for some
viewers.
It appears that Watson falls to his death.
It feels like Juliet ends up being repentant for having healthy
boundaries with Gnomeo.
A twisted genius tries to have Sherlock be the “unwitting
executioner” of all those that he has tried to protect.
Recommendations
Sherlock Gnomes could be scary for very young viewers or for
viewers with a particular fear of kidnapping, but it seems likely to be fine
for most viewers ages 9 and up. It probably won’t appeal to viewers much older
than 11.
Questions for
Discussion
How could Sherlock and Watson have improved their communication
ahead of time to avoid all the hurt feelings? Whose job would it have been to
fix that relationship? Sherlock? Watson? Both?
When he thought Watson had died, Sherlock did not
demonstrate any negative feelings. This upset Juliet. Why don’t you think
Sherlock seemed sad? Sherlock said that “sadness and anger won’t help. Emotion
is the enemy of logic.” In what ways is he right? In what ways do you disagree
with him?
Who are some of your most dependable friends?
Other Ideas
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