Rango looks as if it is going to be a whole lot of fun. Featuring the voice of Johnny Depp the trailer of the film has just been released and the movie looks like it is going to be huge. Rango is a chameleon, complete with Hawaiian-shirt who is undergoing something that can only be called an identity crisis. The trailer sees our hero (played by Depp) in the desert trying to avoid a hawk. Some assistance comes from a toad but not much. Further hindrance is provided by a Greek chorus with a difference. It is made up of Mariachi owls – and it is a little reminiscent of the crows in Dumbo for some reason (though without the racist undertones of the Disney characters).
Conceived and directed by Gore Verbinski of Pirates of the Caribbean fame and written by John Logan (The Aviators) the movie comes with a fine pedigree. The voice talents are not bad either, with the honors being divided between Brits and Yanks. Included among the voice British talent ranks are Bill Night, Alfred Molina and Ray WInstone. American talent on show includes Timothy Olyphant, Harry Dean Stanton and Abigail Breslin (the eponymous Little Miss Sunshine).
A new term has been coined for the movie – emotion capture (rather than motion – geddit?) and certainly the trailer shows off some impressive feature animation techniques.
We will have to see if the rest lives up to this standard when Rango hits the silver screen in March of 2011.
