A Rather Good Western

Rating: Null/10 (19 July 2011)

I was telling my co-worker about this film, "If you took out the jokes and the talking animals, you'd end up with a pretty good Western." "Rango" does something that Pixar often employs, which is elevate animation to a higher level. This is a Western, with rather grown up themes and Western motifs that run deep in the storyline. I was briefly exposed to the trailers and thought nothing much of it, just marketing Johnny Depp as a lizard. But what we were treated to was a robust and rather surprising tale that's brilliantly animated. I started out skeptical especially with Rango as the main character, because honestly a lizard is not an especially appealing thing to look at for an hour and a half. But they managed to make the character likable and entertaining.
That aside, I would consider that it's likely not as interesting for children, being that the humor does get a little macabre at times and between the accent and the highly stylized art direction, the film may seem boring or perhaps a little much. But if you've got older kids or just wouldn't mind if your kids watch their first Western, Rango is a worth a look.