You WILL believe that Johnny Depp is a lizard, in case you didn't already.

Rating: 7/10 (2 September 2012)

Rango isn't a Pixar movie, but it feels like it may as well be -- state-of-the-art animation, playful creativity, overheated critical praise up to and including having an Oscar for Animated Feature in its best pocket more or less since release, a remarkable first act, and a surprising reliance on the usual plot outlines and conventions of children's movies.
Rango uses the formula of the oddball pretending to be a hero, and if you've seen one of these movies (Dumbo is perhaps the most archetypical) you'll be able to see every beat coming from a mile away. But the journey is enjoyable and has some pretty amazing setpieces, which I won't spoil here. It also has a decidedly cynical sense of humour which is only eventually muted in the formulaic climax.
The computer animation is top-notch, rendering a nigh-photorealistic desert and some gorgeous water effects. The distinctly odd character designs show more personality and are less realistic, which was probably a good decision. As the requisite big name star without voice acting experience, Johnny Depp gives a hyperactive and schticky performance that doesn't really suit the character. The rest of the cast acquits themselves much better, with Isla Fisher and Ned Beatty especially standing out.
There's a tendency to grade these films on a curve: American critics expect little from animation and kid's movies, so when there's something of merit they overreact. The truth is, the bar has been raised for animation (and children's cinema, for that matter) a long time ago. Rango doesn't surpass that bar, but it more or less meets it. It's a formulaic diversion, but one with a lot of great moments and more than a bit of an edge to it.