Last week I went to see Gnomeo and Juliet, one of the latest 3D family films, and I loved it. The film is based on Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” and is set in two neighbouring gardens to a soundtrack of Elton John’s greatest hits.
A mad combination I know, but it really worked! There are many reasons to love this film, from the mixture of adult and child humour, to the fantastic cast (including Emily Blunt, Hulk Hogan and Jason Statham) but the reason I wanted to mention it is because it’s a great example of how the craziest of ideas can often lead to a fantastic product.
On paper, mixing Shakespeare, gnomes and Elton John makes no sense at all; it’s a random combination without any obvious target audience. But the end result is a feel-good film that works on different levels and makes the audience laugh. How often do you have an idea but immediately dismiss it because it seems a bit too “out there”? And now think about how many leading entrepreneurs credit their success to thinking about things in a different way to most people.
Now I’m not saying all mad ideas will pay off, and some people are very wary of new combinations (my friends at university never could get their heads around my pea pizzas or chicken soup on baked potato specialities) but when you have that spark of inspiration that fills a gap in the market, it’s worth properly considering it before worrying that your peers will think you’ve finally gone and lost the plot.
