Imagine desert rodents with firearms, a reptilian romance and a mariachi of owl narrators. Add in a great cast of voices, and you've got ""Pirates of the Caribbean"" director Gore Verbinski's newest kids flick, ""Rango.""
In this animated western spin, Johnny Depp is the voice of Rango, a house pet chameleon who finds himself lost in the desert land of Dirt, where his talent for blending into any character soon lands him the position of town sheriff. Even as a cartoon lizard, Depp's eccentric mannerisms make themselves evident in his original and memorable performance. ""Rango"" is an animated kids film with all the sophistication of its adult counterparts. I was surprised at the maturity of the plotline and dialogue, yet its excitement and humor were not hindered in the least.
What makes ""Rango"" a notable childrens animated film is its ability to transcend age groups and entertain equally across the board. It was refreshing to see such a strange combination of genres and for such a combination to work so well. The film balanced its western harshness with the lightness of its child audience and PG rating. The creatures in the saloons are rowdy and surly, yet they innocently drink only cactus juice. The duels are silly and creative, dependent upon the crazy maneuvers of characters instead of actual shooting. Rango embraces the dirty and the disheveled, the ugly and the underdogs. But for all its mangy façade, the film is actually very charming. The marriage of the western classic to the childhood fable creates an effect that is both rough around the edges and adorable at its core, much like the movie's characters. For once, our heroes are not princesses or cuddly critters, but rodents and reptiles who know how to spit and handle a pistol.
While lighthearted on the surface, deep down ""Rango"" is more complex then it lets on to be. The storyline involves suffering townspeople who struggle to make ends meet in the midst of a neverending drought, and under the rule of a secretive turtle mayor (Ned Beatty) who has his own interests in mind. When it is revealed that the mayor has been withholding the water supply in order to exterminate the last group of farmland owners (an overt ""Chinatown"" reference), I couldn't help but feel a chill at this dark turn off events.
Beneath all the happy stereotypes that characterize a kids film, ""Rango"" is actually a story about what happens when a group of people are deprived of their most necessary resources. It's most evident message is about the importance of being true to yourself, which Rango ultimately learns through his series of adventures. But its vague and underlying message is slightly disturbing (remember, this is from the same director who also brought us ""The Ring"").
""Rango"" is visually creative and entertaining, with an equally fitting score. Most importantly, the film does not need to rely on 3D technology as a crutch like so many other newer kids' movies. The plot was strong enough to stand on its own. There were only a few brief moments in which ""Rango"" seemed a bit dry for a kids movie or threatened to drag, but the film soon made up for these momentary lulls with the most elaborate and adventurous action sequences, solidifying the film in my mind as a quirky and detailed success.
