ROMIE-0 AND JULIE-8
Premiered on CBC 14 April 1979, this half hour animated special was the third effort of Nelvana team: Hirsh, Loubert and Clive.
Essentially, it is Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet given futuristic characters and setting. The star-crossed lovers are now two robots, Romie-0 and Julie-8. The Montague and Capulet families are transformed into rival computer corporations, Mega Stella Company which has just released Romie-0 and Super Solar Cybernetics who are the creators of Julie-8. Where in the Shakespeare play, the lovers meet when Romeo and friend crash a celebratory feast given by the Capulets, Romie-0 and Julie-8 meet a giant tech convention where they have been unveiled. Like Romeo and Juliet, our two robots upon seeing each other instantly fall in love, this to the chagrin of the two corporate owners Mr. Thunderbottom and Ms. Fassbinder, After the balcony scene common to both the play and this production, the two lovers run away. Enter the character Gizmo filling the role of the benevolent Friar Laurence in Shakespeare’s play, but a sleazy character with an agenda of his own in this production. He helps them escape to Trash-o-lot, a planet turned into a garbage dump, where they encounter the Junk monster Sparepartski who banishes Romie-0 to the other side of the planet and imprisons Julie-8. Almost immediately Romie-0 escapes and is making his way back to Julie-8 while Gizmo reappears and convinces Julie-8 to consent to marry Sparepartski to gain Romie-0’s freedom. She consents to this but as in Shakespeare’s play where Juliet when faced with a forced marriage takes a potion that puts her into a coma simulating death, Julie-8 in effect commits suicide by removing from herself a necessary circuit. However, Romie-0 finds her restores her circuit and they begin their escape. Running parallel to this action Thunderbottom and Fassbinder if not resolving their bickering, have at least joined forces searching for their missing robots. They arrive at Trash-O-Lot only to be captured and imprisoned by Sparepartski. Romie-0 and Julie-8 during their flight encounter and free them and all four flee from Sparepartski who has been left standing at the alter. At one point the lovers carry their creators who are too exhausted to run further. At another point their creators carry them to safety out of a rust storm that immobilized them. Fortunately, the rust storm also destroys Sparepartski. The two corporate owners have fallen in love. They reconcile their differences much like the Montagues and Capulets in Shakespeare’s play. The difference being the lovers in Romie-0 and Julie-8 live the see the reconciliation.
In a final scene, Gizmo reappears and confesses that Sparepartski was his creation and that Gizmo was using him to gain Julie-8 for himself. He now whines that he is all alone. Romie-0 and Julie-8 convince that he can create his own sweetheart from the trash on the planet. Perhaps a plug for recycling. The story ends.
Globe & Mail critic Donn Downey complained the production contained too many ideas to be successful. The production does have a rushed feel to it, but this shouldn’t be surprising when the adapters are trying to compress a two plus hour drama into net twenty-four minutes. It could have easily been twice the length and still kept the audience engrossed. Furthermore, John Sebastian’s songs pause the plot’s action when it needs all the time it can get. In addition, the need for a happy ending makes the reconciliation between the two owners feel abrupt and not quite believable. Still if not great animation it is entertaining.
SOURCE:
Article book:
The Rough Guide To Shakespeare. Writ., Andrew Dickson. “Romeo and Juliet”: 325-334.
Article newspaper:
Globe & Mail, 7 April 1979: “Cartoon Romeo flirts with too many ideas”. Writ., Donn Downey.
Internet:
https://en. Wikipedia.org/wiki/Romie-0-and-Julie-8
GALLERY:
Globe & Mail, 7 April 1979.