[easyazon-image-link asin="B004HO6HXY" alt="Gnomeo & Juliet" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61e9sI3qSbL._SL160_.jpg" align="left" width="116" height="160"]A very funny film about two sets of gnomes, the reds and the blues.  They live in two different gardens next to each other and do not get on.  Just as in the story of Romeo and Juliet, a red gnome (Juliet) and a blue gnome (Gnomeo) fall in love with each other.  This causes lots of problems and at the end of the film there is a ‘battle’ between the ‘blues’ and the ‘reds’ and we are led to believe that the two ‘true loves’ have died.  However, the film does have a happy ending and the two sets of gnomes call a truce and forgive each other.

Scene 10 for approximately 11 minutes (or longer if you want to include the closing song).

This scene is at the end of the film and shows the battle between the reds and the blues and also the truce and friendship that comes as a result of them believing that Gnomeo and Juliet have died (although in actual fact they haven’t!).

This would be a good clip to use as you introduce the question: ‘Who is my neighbour?’, as talked about at the beginning of the Parable of the Good Samaritan.  I would show them the clip and then talk about the fact that although they were gnomes, they were in fact ‘neighbours’ too.  I may then ask the children to think about their own neighbours and ask them what they think a ‘neighbour’ is.  I would read to them Luke 10:27 and ask them who they thought Jesus was talking about when he said ‘neighbour’.  Hopefully the discussions would continue and eventually they would work out that ‘everyone’ is our neighbour.  This clip may also lead to discussions about the dangers of arguing, fighting and war and also the importance of saying ‘sorry’.

You could also talk about the fact that Gnomeo loved Juliet so much, that he was willing to die for her.  He refused to leave her alone to face the attack of the lawnmower and tried his best to move her out of the way before it destroyed her.  It was an impossible task, however, as her father had ‘glued’ her to the stone, to prevent her wandering away with Gnomeo!  There is an obvious link/introduction here to the fact that Jesus loved us so much that he was willing to suffer a terrible death on the cross, so that we could have eternal life with God in heaven.