Romeo and Juliet Montague and Capulets , West side story Jets and Sharks and more closely in terms of its animation Gnomeo & Juliet. The Crips and bloods without the violence - you get the plot

Two families both alike in dignity in fair planet far way from the imaginative pen of Julia Donaldson

An enjoyable cgi animated short with a happy ending what di you get when you mix red and blue - watch and you'll find out

The secret to a good animation is script - the poetry here was very enjoyable and it helps if you have familiar actors voices ; Meera Syal , Rob Brydon and Bill Bailey providing the star appeal

Good

Pad. A 6/10.

Julia Donaldson's The Smeds and the Smoos is really a reworking of the Romeo and Juliet story for kids. It also reminded me of Dr Seuss's The Sneetches story about discrimination.

In a far off planet the Smeds and Smoos live separate lives due to their differences.

The Smeds are red and the Smoos are blue but that are is not the only distinction between the two.

Janet and Bill are the star crossed lovers who decide to mix together and play together. When the young Smed and Smoo fall in love. Their families strongly disapprove of the union.

So they decide to hop into their spaceship and zoom off into space. Now the respective families give chase and hopefully gather that they have more in common.

The CGI animation is good but not of the standard of animated feature films. The message will be more appreciated by the children.

We've waited years for The Smeds and the Smoos to be brought to the screen, the book being a firm favourite of my youngest and my eldest before that. It did not disappoint. The characters have been brought to life with more complexity than the book could provide, partly thanks to the great voice actors, and the story is more involved with nuances and humour added to the evolving relationship of the Smeds and the Smoos throughout the screenplay. The alien scenery is beautiful, the skies in particular are gorgeous, almost mesmerising, and the detail of the various landscapes is superb. The only thing on that front is that the children were disappointed not to see a 'baby Gruffalo' on Grimbletosh! The score is fantastic, and the song that featured throughout and at the end is a delight. The narration isn't quite what I had expected, but its gentle delivery doesn't get in the way of the story which I guess was the aim. This will be a festive favourite in our house for years to come.