Synopsis
Rango is an animated adventure-comedy film released in 2011. It is unique in its combination of Western storytelling elements with humor, colorful imagery, and self-discovery. The film was directed by Gore Verbinski who is known by many for the Pirates of the Caribbean films. As such, it is expected to take the audience through the wacky and unpredictable desert town of Dirt inhabited mostly by animals.
Rango is a pet chameleon who spends an uneventful and comfortable life inside of a broken glass. Every day, he plays scenes in his mind where he is a hero and performs in imaginary adventures. His dream world suddenly collaps the moment he is ‘attacked’ by a car and violently thrown out into the enormous and unforgiving Mojave desert.
Rango then begins roaming dry lands for the rest of his life where he meets a number of strange animals. Ultimately, he is exhausted and out of sorts, as he walks into a dirty and barren town known as ‘Dirt’. The town is home to an astonishing variety of desert animals, such as mice, owls, tortoises, and snakes. Without a doubt, the town is facing a major crisis in that they are lacking an adequate water supply.
It rapidly dawns on Rango that survival in Dirt requires complete assimilation. In a feat of imagination fueled by his fondness for theatrics, he constructs a valiant narrative for himself. He regales the townsfolk with the tale of a valiant gunslinger who single-handedly vanquished a band of nefarious outlaws, and, quite astonishingly, the tale wins the hearts of the townsfolk who immediately take him in as their new sheriff with the hope that he will restore order and resolve the persisting water crisis the town has been facing.
Without any experience, Rango happily accepts the new title. He attempts to perform his duties as a leader of the town and though he enacts the role poorly, his imagination coupled with a rising sense of duty helps in advancing the story. During this journey, he also meets a scrappy and smart desert iguana named Beans who has been trying to defend her family land and figure out what happened to the water supply of the town.
Rango uncovers the mystery behind the absence of water in the town and the answer behind it is more intricate than he believes it to be. It is quite evident that the absence of water is not due to the absence of rain, and is rather due to the sinister plans of some of the townsfolk, including the quiet and respected town mayor, a tortoise who appears to be hiding a lot.
Rango has to change and philosophize at the same time. He has to come to terms with the fact that fantasies impede progression; one can desire to be a hero, but to achieve that, one has to do morally difficult things. With the Spirit of the West and Beans, his new friends, Rango confronts the weight of reality and manages to hope back into Dirt.
Rango in the end, is no longer a lonely, unsure pet. He has now left uncertainty behind, and emerged, holding water to the town with a protective embrace. With his uniting intentions, the town became purposeful. Rango, with his courage, teamwork, and self-belief, earned the townspeople’s trust.
Rango is voiced by Johnny Depp, who lightly infused the character with humor. He has managed successfully to change into a true hero from the character’s theatrical persona and trembling spirit.
Isla Fisher character Beans, is Rango’s tough, intelligent, and no-nonsense iguana sidekick, who Rango gets along with the closest, and who fiercely defends injustice.
Ned Beatty as Mayor Tortoise John: The mayor of the town Dirt is wise-looking but under his calm and peaceful demeanor he possesses controlling tempernature Beatty’s voice lends the character an air of authority and quiet menace.
Bill Nighy as Rattlesnake Jake: An equally respected and feared snake. Although he is a sensitive character, he plays a fundamental role in the testing of Rango’s bravery.
Abigail Breslin, Alfred Molina and Ray Winstone also share in the wealth of animated characters which spice up the town Dirt.
Their voice portrayals were also characterized by ability, which added vividness and color to the animated figures.
Animation & Visual Style.
One of Rango’s strongest attributes is the sophistication of its design. Unlike many family-oriented animated features, Rango’s style is gritty, highly vivid and pays homage to the classic westerns. The film is dominated by warm desert tones, imaginative character portrayals, and distinctive dusty textures.
Animals in the film are not animated in the common cutesy, cartoonish style usually ascribed to characters in children’s films. Instead they are brought to life with attention to detail as seen by skin folds and character of the eyes.
The natural beauty of the desert scenery, which is animated, is secondary only to the cinematography, which captures ‘live action’ elements, entwined with easter egg type mysteries, with fluid motion cameras, extreme close-up and slow motion vignettes, and panoramic views with succesive shots of the torrential water flows.
The film is much more than just a funny story about a lizard in the desert. It touches deep and variegated issues of life, like courage, identity and community.
Rango, the main character for instance, throughout his journey, learns more about the ‘real him’ and having to be yourself is more powerful than the pretending self.
The film encapsulated the idea of ‘ a nation is defined by its borders, a community by its people’ in a way that helped the viewers foster the importance of the spirit of togetherness. This is achieved by illustrating that to save the town, it wasn’t a single hero, but a collaboration of the whole community.
Rango’s gradual transformation, for instance, illustrates how the fulfilling of duties and taking up responsibilities changes a character for the better. In this case it is Rango, who in this case, learns that being a leader is more of a lost art and less about being popular. Rather, it is about having the wisdom to make the right decisions, for the right reasons.
Reception and IMDb Rating
Rango has been praised and admired for it’s creativity and unique style of animation and storytelling. The movie has a solid IMDb score of 7.2/10 and, also won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2012.
Both critics and audiences applauded the movie for it’s originality and daring approach, and many commented on the fact that the movie seems to target both children and adults. Its humor, references to Western films, and emotional complexity set it apart from other animated films.
Final Thoughts
Rango is an unique and imaginative animated feature that is unlike most pieces of cinematic work. Its humor, heart, and animation all work in a way that creates a emotional, yet inspiring film.
The story of the young chameleon with oversized dreams reminds us that anyone can be a hero, but not by disguising themselves as one, but by simply purposefully being themselves. Rango speaks of courage and friendship, but most importantly, believing that change can be brought by the most unexpected of heroes.
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