Rango (2011)

Rango is an ordinary chameleon who accidentally winds up in the town of Dirt, a lawless outpost in the Wild West in desperate need of a new sheriff.

Director:

Gore Verbinski

Writers:

John Logan, John Logan (story),

Stars:

Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin

Won 1 Oscar. Another 26 wins & 17 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Johnny Depp	...	Rango / Lars (voice)
Isla Fisher	...	Beans (voice)
Abigail Breslin	...	Priscilla (voice)
Ned Beatty	...	Mayor (voice)
Alfred Molina	...	Roadkill (voice)
Bill Nighy	...	Rattlesnake Jake (voice)
Stephen Root	...	Doc / Merrimack / Mr. Snuggles (voice)
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Balthazar (voice)
Timothy Olyphant	...	Spirit of the West (voice)
Ray Winstone	...	Bad Bill (voice)
Ian Abercrombie	...	Ambrose (voice)
Gil Birmingham	...	Wounded Bird (voice)
James Ward Byrkit	...	Waffles / Gordy / Papa Joad / Cousin Murt / Curlie / Knife Attacker / Rodent Kid (voice)
Claudia Black	...	Angelique (voice)
Blake Clark	...	Buford (voice)

Storyline

Rango is a pet chameleon always on the lookout for action and adventure, except the fake kind, where he directs it and acts in it. After a car accident, he winds up in an old western town called Dirt. What this town needs the most is water, but they also need a hero and a sheriff. The thirsty Rango instantly takes on the role of both and selfishly agrees to take on the case of their missing water.

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Plot Keywords:

lizard | water | sheriff | western town | chameleon | 

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for rude humor, language, action and smoking

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [au]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 March 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled Gore Verbinski Animated Project

Box Office

Budget:

$135,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,638,613 (UK) (4 March 2011)

Gross:

$123,207,194 (USA) (1 July 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies, Blind Wink Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although he receives special billing as the Spirit of the West, Timothy Olyphant only has nine lines.

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Goofs

At the accident, when the fish tank starts floating, Rango has the glass in his left hand, but when he gets up and stares at the toy fish, it is in the right. In that same scene the doll's arm goes from left to right as well.

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Quotes

Rango: [from trailer] So you want something to believe in?
[points at the "Sheriff" sign]
Rango: Believe in that there sign. For as long as it hangs there we've got hope.

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Connections

Referenced in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #1.8 (2011)

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Soundtracks

"WALK DON'T RANGO"
Written by John Thum and David Thum
Performed by Los Lobos featuring Arturo Sandoval
Produced by Hans Zimmer and Gore Verbinski
Los Lobos performs courtesy of Shout! Factory
Arturo Sandoval performs courtesy of Concord Picante

User Reviews

Nickelodeon bares its fangs

So a slight blurb about how surprised I was that Nickelodeon was tackling several mature themes: Rango boasted quite a number of darker undertones that you wouldn't normally expect from a PG, animated Nickelodeon movie. Such areas included language (sporting such lines as "You son of a-"!, "Go to hell!", and "Can I gut-shoot someone?"), violence (an impressive amount of shooting and dying), sexual themes (making references to how "active" one's mother was and a joke about a mammogram), and the film's portrayal of death (where characters constantly expect Rango's death and at one point, parody death by hanging). That is, you could arguably find just as much material in other animated films, such as The Incredibles- but it just goes to show that Nickelodeon is ready to experiment with a braver sort of film, much like Disney did with Pirates of the Caribbean. Okay, disclaimer over.

Rango is beautiful film that, regardless of its content, gave everyone in the theater a darn good time. Borrowing heavily from classic Westerns (The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly) and Western comedies (The Three Amigos), the film brings reinvents a past formula in an amusingly creative way. Rango, a pet chameleon unsure about how he wants his identity to develop, is suddenly cast to into the life of the wild wild west and decides to assume the duties of the sheriff in a troubled town. When the gunslingin' enemies arrive, the trouble begins...

If anything, the film is revolutionary in its animation. The quality and textures of the animals and landscape is simply spot-on and never ceases to amaze. By far this is the movie's greatest strength- and supporting the beautiful visuals is a whole slew of jokes. Like I said before, sometimes the humor is a bit awkward for its targeted audience (there were definitely a lot of times adults laughed instead of the kids) but for the most part the theater as a whole enjoyed the comedic spots. The voice acting cast is of course lively and fun, bringing a unique quality to each and every animal character. And lastly, the score by Hans Zimmer is once again majestic and exciting (influences from his work in Pirates and Sherlock Holmes are easily heard, but with a Mexican twist!).

Overall, Rango is a beautiful and exciting western adventure that you shouldn't miss! As long as you know what you're in for, the humor and the visuals will take you for an unforgettably pleasing ride. 8/10