The Freak's Rating: B : Typically when a Hollywood icon is attached to an animated film, it goes wrong. Rango, though at times dangerously close to doing so, stays out of this pitfall of the genre. Johnny Depp's voice is recognizable for about 5 minutes of the film, but then the character he puts on supercedes your assumption and takes over.
At times I am saddened by the fact that what my daughter considers animation is so vastly different than what I considered it as a child. However, whenever that sadness creeps up, I remind myself of how much better she has it now, how many characters truly come to life and are no longer limited by the two dimensional visions of animators gone by. I believe Walt Disney would be proud of the progression his company started, even though this film in particular isn't created by Disney but rather Paramount via Nickelodeon Pictures. Rango is beautifully created, with enough lighting and shadow tricks (painfully obvious in desert scenes - most of the movie) to bewilder you into thinking you are watching a real lizard on screen. I am consistently amazed at how much detail can go into an animated film.
Voices are well integrated, losing the celebrity status failure common to the genre (ala Horton Hears A Who). Lines are delivered well and direction, editing and cinematography is nicely integrated.
The script is par for the course, a standardized tale of a loner who stretches the truth to get friends and blah blah blah. This is the same tale you've seen a hundred times, but it still is entertaining. What is more surprising though, is the level of violence in the film. There are deaths of characters (something NEVER shown in animation past) and some moments that might terrify a squeamish child. So take note that Rango is PG and not G, meaning that parental guidance should seriously come into play should your child fall into that category.
