Busy but flat animated adventure in which the hero (voice of James McAvoy) and heroine (voice of Emily Blunt) of 2011’s “Gnomeo and Juliet” team with the detective of the title (voice of Johnny Depp) and his sidekick, Dr. Watson (voice of Chiwetel Ejiofor), to stop a spate of garden gnome kidnappings taking place across London that they suspect may be the work of the sleuth’s arch-nemesis, Moriarty (voice of Jamie Demetriou). Easily satisfied kids may be willing to accept the rudimentary plot and unfocused proceedings on display in director John Stevenson’s film. But, despite a positive lesson about not taking friends or loved ones for granted, most others will be unimpressed.
Watch out for: Scenes of peril, some mild scatological and anatomical humor.
Rated: A-I, general patronage; MPAA: PG
