Gore Verbinski’s animated extravaganza Rango is a rather unusual piece of work. For a start, it’s not the most obvious story ever: a chameleon with an identity crisis (Depp) tries his best to save the inhabitants of a small Western town from the drought that threatens their community. Oh, and nasty beasties who want to eat them. But it’s all beautifully animated and generally spectacular looking, so when we came across these step-by-step illustrations of the film’s animation process, we thought we’d share them.
First up is the group of Mariachi owls who narrate the film and generally provide the drama. Well, they provide the music which we’re saying amps up the drama by a good 37%.
Next is a scene from the first meeting between the one they call Rango (Depp, of course) and the lovely Beans (Isla Fisher). Yes, her name is Beans, but we don’t recommend that you make anything of it. She has a shotgun and a chewy Western accent, and she’s not afraid to wield either one.
This is a look at the town of Dirt’s mayor (Ned Beatty), a grizzled old tortoise. While he is in a wheelchair, it’s probably fair to say that he’s one of the more formidable figures in town.
Now, we ride! This is one of those scenes where our hero’s dreams are coming true, as he leads a posse out a-huntin’ for the town’s water. Yee-haw, etc.
Finally, this scene shows most of the key characters among the townsfolk camping out on the plains on their quest. A handsome bunch, we’re sure you’ll agree.
