Rango - Blu-Ray

Film: Gore Verbinski may have handed over the helm of the Pirates of the Caribbean series, but he hasn't finished working with Johnny Depp. However, the dream team's latest is set not on the high seas, but in the middle of the desert. And then there's the not insignificant fact that Johnny Depp was able to leave his Jack Sparrow outfit in the closet. Because all that was needed for Rango was Depp's voice - and he lends it to a not-so-pretty chameleon in this quirky animated film.

A silly accident transports chameleon Rango from his safe terrarium into the middle of the Mojave Desert. Here, of course, the pet stumbles from one mess into the next, but he is so unfamiliar with the dangers of nature. When he arrives in the small town of Dreck, which is suffering from increasing drought, Rango's greatest adventure begins. Before Rango knows it, he's appointed sheriff of the town and a new beacon of hope for the townspeople. But the search for water proves enormously difficult, especially since Rango's mouth is much bigger than his courage. But soon the chameleon gets the opportunity to outgrow himself.

That Gore Verbinski does not offer straightforward family entertainment, but likes it a little quirky, dark and whimsical, he has already shown in his first film Mouse Hunt, but especially in the first third of his last Pirates of the Caribbean film. And so viewers shouldn't expect a cute animated film a la Disney from Rango either. The protagonists are only mildly attractive, the cuteness factor is barely existent, and the environment in which the story is set is one of dust, dirt, and bleakness. The humor is occasionally very offbeat and is constantly laced with references to classic westerns like 12 Noon. While there are moments here and there that are clearly aimed at a younger audience, overall this animated film is more suitable for mature viewers.

There is still a stubborn prejudice, especially in Germany, that animated films, and especially those with talking animals, are primarily kids' stuff. Rango offers the perfect opportunity for a long overdue rethinking process. After all, animation can be used to tell wonderful stories for adult audiences - as it has been time and time again in the past. Admittedly, there's nothing to be ashamed of if you can still be amused by drawn, kneaded or computer-created fellows beyond adolescence. While Rango doesn't just appeal to an adult audience, at many moments it eludes the common patterns of classic children's films, making it a perfect example of how animated films just don't want to appeal to little ones.

Technically, Verbinski has managed to pull off something magnificent. The landscapes are almost photo-realistic and the characters blend in perfectly. While they are also perfectly animated down to the smallest hair and tiniest scales, they still don't look too realistic like, say, the owls from Legend of the Watchmen, but still like cartoon characters. This then also leads to the fact that they are charming and not repulsive to the viewer despite their not exactly pretty appearance.

In the original American version, quite a few other prominent speakers have gathered behind the microphones in addition to Johnny Depp. For the German version, besides Depp's regular speaker David Nathan, Michael Kessler, Martin Semmelrogge or the band The Boss Hoss, who make their dubbing debut as mariachi owls accompanying the film musically, were engaged. While the German dubbed version can't hold a candle to the original in terms of either voice celebrities or wordplay, overall it can be considered quite successful and adequate.

A reptilian western, an eco-thriller, a fairy tale with an unusual hero, a whimsical trip with plenty of classic movie quotes, all of these apply to Rango. Thus, the film escapes a bit from the common mass taste, but at the same time offers the animation-saturated viewer something new and original. But one thing is for sure: Gore Verbinski once again proved that he knows how to perfectly mix his quirky style with straight blockbuster entertainment. Not for little kids, but absolutely recommended for older animated film fans with a penchant for the whimsical!

The Extended Cut: For the longer version of the film, nearly four minutes of new footage were included in the film. Except for the longer ending, the new sequences consist mainly of the smallest scene additions, which are nice to look at, but hardly change the overall impression of the story.

Picture + Sound: Technically, the Blu-ray of Rango undoubtedly plays in the top league. The picture is razor sharp and the resolution is almost too good at moments, as it makes the computer origins of some of the characters clearly visible. But that's complaining at a very high level, as the great detail, rich colours and superbly matched black levels make the clean picture a real treat.

There's little to complain about when it comes to the sound either. While the more action-packed moments score with great surround effects, the quieter scenes are also pleasing thanks to atmospherically mixed ambient sounds and the coherent use of music. Very good!

Extras: While the DVD version of Rango is rather sparsely equipped, the Blu-Ray has quite worth seeing bonus material to offer. Things kick off with an informative audio commentary on the extended version from director Gore Verbinski, James Ward Byrkit, who helped develop the story, production designer Mark McCreery, animation director Hal Hickel, and visual effects supervisor Tim Alexander. In the casual conversation, the men talk about the structure of the story, the technical background and various aspects of the production.

The two-part, nearly 50-minute making of then delves deeper into the subject matter. Not only does it go into the making of the story and initial animation tests, but it also shows the rather unusual way in which the actors recorded the dialogue. Instead of standing alone in a dark studio, as is usual for voice recordings, the actors were dressed up in costumes and acted out the respective scenes together, recording their voices. Watching Johnny Depp walk around the studio as Rango is just too delicious.

Furthermore, the Blu-ray has a featurette on the real creatures from Dirt (about 20 min.) and a virtual tour of the fictional town. In addition to that there are eight minutes of cut scenes, where you can also find the new scenes from the extended version, and the possibility to watch the storyboards during the main movie. Finally, viewers are treated to the trailer for the film. An overall good bonus package.

Conclusion: Rango is a rather unusual, but very entertaining and quite whimsical animated film, which can also be viewed in a slightly extended version in the heimkino. The Blu-Ray is technically on quite a high level and has some very worth seeing extras, such as a detailed Making of to offer. Absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp