Rango - 3 1/2 smiles

“Rango” is available in 2D and 2D only. What a novel idea! You’ve got an animated film that’s bright and vivid with an engaging story and creative characters. It certainly doesn’t need the gimmick of 3D to be a hit. “Rango” celebrates the Western, using references to other Westerns and combining recognizable dialogue and music from the past. All of the Western motifs show up at one time or another, from the showdown at high noon to the dusty, parched landscape. One of the villains, Rattlesnake Jake, resembles Lee Van Cleef and The Man With No Name makes a cameo (with Timothy Oliphant doing a passable Clint Eastwood). Rango (voice of Johnny Depp) is a lizard living in a home aquarium until an accident strands him in the middle of the desert. Eventually he stumbles on the town of Dirt, a miniature version of an Old West frontier settlement with talking animals, including badgers, toads, owls and possums, with the mayor being a tortoise. Rango becomes the town’s hero through accident and his inventive bragging. And as the new sheriff, it falls to Rango to discover what has happened to the town’s water supply.

The voice cast is top notch, especially Johnny Depp whose chameleon-like voice is completely different from his Captain Jack persona. Able support comes from Isla Fisher (as Rango’s sarcastic love interest, Beans), Abigail Breslin, Alfred Molina, Ray Winstone, Ned Beatty, and Bill Nighy as Rattlesnake Jake. A Greek chorus (of sorts) augments Rango’s story - four owls, dressed in sombreros, playing musical instruments and singing commentary to what’s happening. The screenplay by John Logan is much more sophisticated than you might expect from a non-Pixar film. The plot is more complex and there’s an ongoing theme of living up to expectations. Children will enjoy “Rango” although I think adults who remember the Western in its heyday will appreciate it more. 3/4/11