FoW: Rango

Anthropomorphic reptilian animals have rare coverage and, if any, they're usually on the morally dubious side - the crocodile or Sir Hiss in Robin Hood, Bill the Lizard as Ratigan's flunky in The Great Mouse Detective, or Kaa in The Jungle Book. Gore Verbinski's Rango takes a look at a largely reptilian society, with chameleons, lizard, etc, on both sides of the moral spectrum (though, to be fair, the snake is still one of the bad guys). 

Rango, a domesticated lizard, gets lost in the desert in a Toy Story-esque moment of human involvement and eventually comes upon the largely reptilian town of Dirt. An aspiring actor, Rango takes on the persona of a rough-and-tumble cowboy, quickly stepping into the role of Sheriff. What ensues is a classic western, complete with outlaws, accents, gunshots, and high-stakes thievery. 

In almost every way, Gore Verbinski came up to the western film genre and went, "What if everyone was an animal?" Of course, with the setting a desert, the main animals would be reptilian, as most desert animals are. Despite the time period clearly being the modern age, from the human cars in the opening scene, the population of Dirt live in the age most westerns are set in - the imaginary era of the Wild West, with high-collar dresses, button boots, and funny moustaches. The society itself is also what one would expect from a classic western - there's the sheriff, the conservative townspeople, the mayor, the gang of outlaws, and the sassy love interest. The main difference, one could argue, is the mariachi-esque band that follows Rango around as chorus/narrators; I would say it's a great addition.

Westerns are really fun films, and it's exceptionally clever to take that genre and throw it into a new medium like CG animation, especially when the animation is well-crafted. Johnny Depp and Isla Fisher shine as Rango and Beans, a desert iguana; other unexpected but stellar voices include Alfred Molina as Roadkill, a nine-banded armadillo; Ned Beatty as Tortoise John, the mayor of Dirt; and Bill Nighy as Rattlesnake Jake, one of the more fearsome outlaws. Check out the trailer for Verbinski's Rango below:

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