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.