Rango (2011)

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General		Extras
Category	Animation	Main Menu Audio & Animation Alternative Version Deleted Scenes Audio Commentary
Rating
Year Of Production	2011
Running Time	102:46
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Ads Then Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Gore Verbinski
Studio Distributor	Paramount Home Entertainment	Starring	Johnny Depp Isla Fisher Abigail Breslin Ned Beatty Alfred Molina Bill Nighy
Case	Amaray-Opaque
RPI	$39.95	Music	Hans Zimmer Craig Wood Denise Chamian

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) English Descriptive Audio Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English English for the Hearing Impaired	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     Most animated films inhabit a fairly safe and confined set of rules about what can be included in terms of content and still be suitable to kids. This one, Rango, certainly breaks a few taboos with its slightly crude humour, smoking and some mildly scary sequences. It is probably not suitable for the smallest kids but my 8 and 6 year olds lapped it up, especially the older one. It is very fast paced and funny but also intelligent, wacky, witty and occasionally weird. There is lots here for adults to enjoy and not just the usual pop culture references. It is really a western first and an animated kids film second.

     Rango tells the story of a chameleon (voiced by Johnny Depp) who is someone's pet, living in a terrarium. He dreams of becoming an actor. His terrarium is flung from a car in the middle of a desert and the car goes on without him. After consulting with a partially squashed armadillo (Alfred Molina), he heads off into the desert in the direction of a town. He quickly becomes dehydrated and is rescued by a female lizard called Beans (Isla Fisher) who takes him to a small town called Dirt. He quickly realises that he is not particularly welcome in this small, very dry town which is very reminiscent of small towns in every western you have seen. In order to try to establish himself as a player he starts telling stories about his previous exploits including shooting a group of seven brothers with one bullet. He tells them his name is Rango. When he manages to deal with a hawk who has been menacing the town he becomes a local hero and starts to investigate where the town's water has gone. Other characters include the Mayor (Ned Beatty), his henchman Bad Bill (Ray Winstone), Rattlesnake Jake (Bill Nighy) and local thief Balthazar (Harry Dean Stanton). Can Rango save the town and get the girl, without revealing his true nature?

     I found this film very enjoyable, with lots of big laughs for adults and kids. There is lots of action, chase scenes and fights to keep the story moving. The animation is incredibly good and the voice work is great too. The music is wonderful featuring a score by Hans Zimmer and performances by Los Lobos. Its impact on the film is huge. The approach is certainly inventive with lots of different elements including some quite esoteric scenes. It is possible that there might be a few too many ideas bursting out of this film. If you keep your eyes open you will even see a few characters that look like Star Wars characters including Jabba the Hut and Watto. Lots of other movies are also referenced including lots of westerns such as The Man with No Name trilogy and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Considering the animation was done by ILM, I don't think George Lucas will be suing.

     The disc includes both the original theatrical cut and an extended version which runs about 5 minutes longer. The extra scenes are also included as deleted scenes. About 2 and a half minutes of the 5 are an extended alternate ending, which I found very funny.

     Recommended for those looking for something different in an animated film or lovers of westerns.

Video

     The video quality is excellent for DVD. The feature is presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio which is the original aspect ratio. It is 16x9 enhanced.

     The picture was very clear and sharp throughout showing off the excellent animation. The colour is excellent, bright and finely textured. There were no noticeable artefacts.

     There are English and English for the Hearing Impaired subtitles which are clear and easy to read.

     There is no noticeable layer change during playback.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     The audio quality is very good. This disc contains an English soundtrack in Dolby Digital 5.1, an English Audio Descriptive Track in Dolby Digital 5.1, plus an Audio Commentary in 2.0 stereo.

     Dialogue was clear and easy to hear and understand. The music is a real highlight, sounding great on this transfer. The surround speakers were used well throughout for action scenes, atmosphere and music. The subwoofer was also well used in action scenes and by the music.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

     A limited selection of extras.

Menu

     The menu was pretty standard featuring minor motion and music.

Deleted Scenes (8:16)

     The deleted scenes which are added to the extended version are also presented separately.

Commentary - Director Gore Verbinski and other crew members

     This commentary is only available on the extended version of the film. It is a quality commentary featuring technical information, discussion of the writing, acting, animation, the movies used as references and other worthwhile stuff.

    The Region 1 version seems to be the same as our local DVD. The Blu-ray edition includes significantly more extras.

     A funny, fast paced and original animated film.

     The video quality is excellent. The audio quality is very good. Extras are good but restricted in quantity.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall