Gnomeo & Juliet 3D

Gnomeo & Juliet is a fresh and funny makeover of one of the world's most timeless stories. The animated movie features music from Sir Elton John and the voice talents of Emily Blunt, James McAvoy, and Sir Michael Caine. Caught up in a feud between neighbors, Gnomeo (McAvoy) and Juliet (Blunt) must overcome as many obstacles as their namesakes. But with flamboyant pink flamingos and epic lawnmower races, can this young couple find lasting happiness? (Gary Reber)

The three-disc Blu-ray Disc™ includes the 3-D version and 2-D version on two of the discs and a DVD and digital copy on the third disc. Special features include up-front previews, the featurette Elton Builds A Garden (HD 05:47), two alternate endings with filmmaker introductions (SD 04:05), an alternate opening (SD 04:41), an alternate scene (SD 05:27), six deleted scenes with filmmaker introductions (SD 32:17), Frog Talk with Ashley Jensen (HD 01:46), The Fawn Of Darkness featuring Ozzy Osbourne (HD 01:29), and the Crocodile Rock music video featuring Elton John and Nelly Furtado (HD 01:32).

The 1.85:1 1080p MVC 3-D picture is naturally focused with a sense of realistic depth and perspective. Objects and animated gnome characters are nicely spaced and sized and rendered with volumetric dimensions and weight. The overall sense of natural depth is excellent, especially during ground level perspectives. There are minimal gimmicky effects. The garden scenes are nicely revealing of detail, even in the darker scenes. The color palette is richly hued with warm tones expressive of the "blue" and "red" warring garden gnomes. The overall visual experience is far more realistic in 3D compared to the 2-D version. Resolution is excellent, with revealing detail exhibited in the various garden objects, wood fencing, blades of grass, shrubs, flowers, and the respective intricate qualities of the gnome characters down to the finest delineation of scuffs and textures. Detail is impressively exhibited in the scene with the pink flamingo. Contrast is excellent, with deep black levels and revealing shadow delineation, even though the nights appear to be moonlit. There are no distracting double image ghosting artifacts or noise, for a pristine visual experience. The 3-D dimensionality delivers a unique and wonderfully natural garden perspective, with an unassuming sense of depth, making this a visually stimulating, entertaining experience for families. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 7.1-channel soundtrack is rather reserved in that the prominent musical score sounds further recessed into the soundstage. Still, the recorded fidelity is excellent and the orchestral voicings are spread wide and deep across the soundstage, extending into the surrounds with a subtle presence. The added two channels are properly positioned 90 degrees relative to the primary sweet spot listening position, which delivers a much deeper sense of sonic depth. The song vocals are nicely balanced against the orchestra backdrop. The sound is dynamic, with an impressively natural low-frequency extension, though, the .1 LFE channel's use is limited. Sound effects and Foley are effectively engaging as background elements and sound perfectly natural throughout, with occasional panning and localization in the surrounds. Environmental effects sound perfectly natural, such as backyard ambiances, including running or sprinkled water. Dialogue is ADR but sounds perfectly natural, though, the synchronization with mouthing gnomes is not particularly well integrated. While the overall soundtrack is nicely balanced, the sonic impact lacks dynamic punch and sound is generally laid back and reserved. Still, the clarity is outstanding, and the overall sense of surround envelopment is engaging. (Gary Reber)