Rango

"No man can walk out on his own story."

2011 1h 47m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

🍅

88%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.3

IMDB

★6.9TMDB · 7,360🍅88%Rotten Tomatoes●75Metacritic★7.3IMDB · 314,167

AnimationComedyFamilyWesternAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When Rango, a lost family pet, accidentally winds up in the gritty, gun-slinging Western town of Dirt, the theater-loving lizard suddenly finds himself the newly appointed sheriff. Welcomed as the last hope the town has been waiting for, Rango is forced to play his new role to the hilt and uncover the truth behind a looming water crisis—before his act catches up with him.

“No man can walk out on his own story.”

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Cast

Johnny Depp
Rango / Lars (voice)
Isla Fisher
Beans (voice)
Ned Beatty
Mayor (voice)
Bill Nighy
Rattlesnake Jake (voice)
Abigail Breslin
Priscilla (voice)
Alfred Molina
Roadkill (voice)
Stephen Root
Doc / Merrimack / Mr. Snuggles (voice)
Harry Dean Stanton
Balthazar (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Gore Verbinski
Writers: John Logan, John Logan, Gore Verbinski
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

$135M budget — tentpole studio territory.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 15 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CAST

Did you know

400+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Gore Verbinski, shot by Roger Deakins. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Hans Zimmer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Craig Wood shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Johnny Depp and Isla Fisher and Ned Beatty carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "No man can walk out on his own story.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Gore Verbinski directs. Roger Deakins behind the camera. Hans Zimmer scores. Craig Wood cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1$135M budget — tentpole studio territory.
2Released 15 years ago.
3400+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
4Directed by Gore Verbinski, shot by Roger Deakins. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Hans Zimmer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Craig Wood shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Johnny Depp and Isla Fisher and Ned Beatty carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "No man can walk out on his own story.".
9IMDB entry: tt1192628 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 24 themes, including "hero", "gunslinger", "sheriff", "suicide attempt".

The technical file

Cinematography: Roger Deakins
Original score: Hans Zimmer
Editing: Craig Wood
Production design: Mark 'Crash' McCreery
VFX supervisor: John Knoll
Sound: Peter Miller
Stunt coordinator: Keith Campbell
Runtime: 107 min · 1h 47m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $135,000,000
Box office: $245,724,603
Return: 182% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Rango (2011)
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 75/100
IMDB rating: 7.3/10 · 314,167 votes
MPAA: PG

Awards

Won 1 Oscar. 46 wins & 25 nominations total

Annie Award for Best Animated Feature
Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Animated Feature
Academy Award for Best Animated Feature

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Gore Verbinski

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

ohlalipop2017-02-09
Honestly, I wasn't excited to see this film. I know I'll just catch this in dvd. But since there's nothing to do and it's my birthday and Mayi will treat me, okay! The animation was great. I really liked the animation. The story was alright too. But the pacing of the story was slow that I was close to snoozing off. I felt like there were some scenes in the movie that should've been cut off.
DoryDarko2017-02-21
★ 8/10
'Rango' is typically one of those movies that can't quite be categorized into this or that little genre of comedy. Obviously, it's an animated film. Is it a kiddie movie? Well… kind of. Allow me to elaborate. The film starts off absolutely hilariously, with an accident, half a road kill and a journey through the desert turned into a maniacal chase as soon as a hungry hawk gets wind of Rango's presence. After meeting a lovely lizard named Beans, he ends up in the small town of Dirt. Where, after a good deal of bluff and dumb luck, he is appointed sheriff. So far, no harm, no foul, just good comedy. In fact, nearly-wetting-my-pants-laughing-out-loud-comedy. However, at this point is where it all turns just a little bit haywire. No real damage done, just a small sense of cluelessness as we go along. The story continues as though Gore Verbinski and John Logan were just trying to think of as many weird situations as they possibly could whilst forcibly trying to mash it up into one, cohesive storyline. Truth be told, seems like they were trying just a little bit too hard. It actually gets even a little bit boring here and there, where the pacing kind of sinks in up to the point where it all comes together and starts to make sense again. (Mind you – this could also be due to the fact that I was watching the extended version, not the theatrical one, but still.) But fear not, no real quality is lost, as 'Rango' provides some of the most excellent and funny characters I've ever seen in an animated movie. They also rounded up a perfect voice-cast, with Johnny Depp who doesn't sound anything like Jack Sparrow, but still adds the same kind of awkward quirkiness to his character. Alfred Molina's part is small but vital, and I'll bet you've never heard an armadillo with a perfect Mexican twang before… Bill Nighy is awesome as Rattlesnake Jake, and you can even hear a little bit of Davy Jones coming through sometimes. One of the best parts however, is done by Ray Winstone as Bad Bill. Who would expect some Wild West bad guy to have a cockney accent? Brilliant. Another thing I must mention is the superb animation. Without a doubt the best I've ever seen from a non-Pixar production. Heck, even if it was Pixar it would have been their absolute best so far, and that's saying something. The animation parallels – or, dare I say, even surpasses – Finding Nemo. That's right; I said it, so sue me. Yep, Industrial Lights & Magic made a fan out of me. Now, back to the original question – is it a kiddie movie? Yes and no. Some parts are totally hilarious and will have your youngsters rolling over the floor with laughter. Other parts will sail right over their little heads as they are very much grown-up humour with references to classic films and jokes they simply won't get. (Is it just me or did I catch a tiny reference to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas in the beginning?) Another factor is that some of the humour is a little grim and quite mature for small children, with some of the creatures smoking, swearing and even getting shot and/or killed. Now, personally I don't know any children who would be upset by any of this, they see things that are much worse on a daily basis on the Disney channel. But then again, I'm not American, and it is my understanding that some American parents are hugely bothered by some of the elements in this movie. So I would recommend that you simply watch it first and then decide if you would like your children to see it. But honestly, I would try not to be too sensitive about it, it doesn't get scary anywhere and none of language or behaviour is really that bad. All in all, 'Rango' is definitely a fun ride, and one of the few animated movies that will entertain as many adults as it will children. (July 2011)
Filipe Manuel Neto2022-09-06
★ 8/10
An enjoyable film that gives us, perhaps, more than we could have hoped for. This film surprised by not coming from any of the major animation studios and, even so, having a lot of quality and winning the Oscar for Best Animated Film. I didn't see it at the time, I just saw it now, but I can say that I was reasonably pleased. The film pays an honorable tribute to the old western movies with a narrative set in the present day, but in a small village in the Nevada desert, where the water has disappeared, causing fear to all the residents, who still live and behave as they did in the old days. Of course, the characters are anthropomorphic animals, and the protagonist is an unnamed chameleon (mistakenly called lizard by everyone) who, already in the city, adopts the name of Rango, eventually being promoted sheriff. As such, he will have to deal with bandits, protect the already scarce water supplies and find out what happened to these supply. Overall, the story is quite satisfying and has its merits. The film is neither too childish nor overly tiring for adults, I felt there was enough material to appeal to a wide range of age groups. Directed by Gore Verbinsky, the film has a very pleasant pace, despite being a little longer than most animated films, which almost never exceed 90 minutes. In addition to really beautiful and well-executed cinematography, with good lighting and good use of color, the film has the best digital animation, clearly evident in the details of the buildings, the characters and the environment in which they move. The issue of water, and its importance, was not wrongly thought either, and it seems increasingly relevant in the times we live in… you don't have to live in the desert to feel the lack of drinking water. The soundtrack also deserves a special mention for its relevance and quality, with melodies that alternate between epic, western and Latin-Mexican. Finally, a note of appreciation for the quality of the voice actors and the work they did together: Johnny Depp works very well with his voice in the main character, and he still plays another character, in another vocal timbre. Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Bill Nighy, Ned Beatty and Alfred Molina are all in great shape here.