Okay, so Johnny Depp’s role in an animated film doesn’t pique the same interest within the female population as one where you see his beautiful face. Perhaps you did not find the previews of yet another computer animated movie for kids very appealing (especially with ugly, talking animals). Maybe you have never felt inclined to see a Western. Still, for any movie lover, not giving this little lizard a chance is to do oneself a major disservice. After an intriguing interview with director Gore Verbinski (who also directed the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies…yes the ones with Johnny Depp) and seeing his first animated feature for myself, I fell in love with Rango-and no, it was not because Depp’s voice alone was enough to charm any male-loving theatergoer (well, not entirely).
Rango is a pet chameleon living in the tiny world of his tank, complete with miniature pool and a palm tree. He bides his time talking to his humorously disturbing “friends,” including a Barbie’s nude torso, a wind-up fish, and a recently deceased insect. He also considers himself an actor, performing for his aqua-torium to combat his loneliness and lack of purpose. When fate decides to land him in the middle of a desert town that’s running out of water, Rango must play his most demanding role yet, a sly cowboy with an intimidating reputation. While ceasing this opportunity to be anybody, he really needs to just find himself. It’s sort of like figuring out the right major, but with rattlesnakes and hawks trying to eat you. If that doesn’t sound kid-friendly, it’s because it isn’t.
“You know, it’s animation, it must be for kids and moms,” said Gore Verbinski sarcastically. “I don’t know where that comes from.” After seeing Rango, neither do I. Gore Verbinski takes animation (which he asserts is not a genre, but a story-telling technique) to a place beyond the realm of your typical computer generated image film. When asked how he felt about critics describing the tension in Rango and whether or not it was suitable for children, Verbinski said he did not really set out to make a movie for a particular audience. “I always find that the stuff that’s not for kids, they won’t recognize and, you know, the adults will have some fun enjoying the film. There’s plenty of slapstick humor and they seem to really stick with this movie. Then, particularly in the sections where it becomes more emotional, you really see them kind of stop squirming and sort of transfixed by the film.” As kids giggled at the physical humor found throughout the film, I found myself trying to stifle my laughter after a reference to the “morning after” pill and other unexpected, yet welcome, double entendres. Along with clever lines and rodents, Rango is also teeming with references to Western movies (that most children have probably not seen).
The mortality of even the main characters also sets this film apart from others made for children, who would probably shudder to think that a talking animal could die (unless it is not shown, like that Disney movie with a dead parent). While this gives Rango certain morbidity, it allowed for a more genuine concern for Rango’s plight, and left the conclusion that much more satisfying. After all, were we supposed to expect sunshine and rainbows from a guy called “gore”?
The animals were given an authentic appearance, looking a bit on the ugly side compared to the embellished cuteness of beloved characters like Nemo and Gollum of Lord of the Rings. Still, Rango’s characters retained some cartoon qualities, such as normally quadrupled creatures walking on two legs and donning popular threads (like Stetsons, Hawaiian shirts, and bonnets). The quality of the animation itself was stunningly beautiful, from the texture of the creatures’ skins to the desert night sky. Movements were done using motion-capture technology where sensors are placed on the voice actors bodies in order to give characters more life-like facial expressions and actions.
Now you DO get to see Johnny as Rango…yay!
If Rango wasn’t already a post-modern masterpiece, this twist on a classic genre took another risk. In most animated pieces, voice actors perform their parts individually, and everything is dubbed together later. Rango was done with multiple characters on set all at once. They even wore minimal costumes to help them get in the zone. Depp and Verbinski have both referred to it as an evocation of some very low-budget theatre. High school play style or not, it seems the cast a crew got it right. The soundtrack is enhanced by a quartet of owls, who provide some musical allusions to story elements and conspicuously foreshadowing the inevitable, but with a few tricks up their sleeves (or, wings).
If my raving about this quirky addition to the animated film world has not sufficed, allow me to quench your thirst for celebrity gossip just a bit. So as not to risk being that cliché female journalist from the girl’s magazine, I did not ask the question plaguing this generation of woman-kind: “What is it like to work with Johnny Depp?” Thankfully, someone else asked…and I was able to revel in the fact that I was talking to someone who talked to Johnny Depp (girly shriek!). “Well, you know, I think the first time we met we had a lot of [things in common]. We’re the same age…[had] a lot of similar experiences growing up, [and] a lot of the same musical influences. So, I met him in London in a restaurant and we just, you know, stayed there until like three in the morning, just talking,” Gore divulged. Talking to someone who has been on a date with Johnny Depp (grrr)? Verbinski went on to describe how close they truly got. “Certainly with Johnny [and I] doing so much work together we developed a shorthand – I mean, a lot of times I’ll speak in almost..in sound effects and nonsensical words. You know, go up between takes… and underline one line [of] dialogue and say, you know, more “fuzz” here, more “spank” on this one.” Spank? Well, you might be a little jealous, but don’t take it out on Rango. If you want to know what all the “fuzz” is about, you have to see it for yourself.