When I first learned of the movie Rango, I imagined it as the typical children’s movie, fattened with cheesy comedy to compensate for its dry and unimaginative plot. My assumption was, however, entirely wrong. With its creative story, splendidly crafted animation, and surprising intelligence, Rango succeeds in entertaining both children and adults. Although it is yet another movie of animals paralleling humans, and the idea of a chameleon going on a journey to discover himself is farfetched, the film captures the essence of a story set in the Wild Wild West quite well. Parents may have been a bit uncomfortable with the level of gun shooting, death, and words such as “damn” or “hell” in a movie targeted to children. Yet the intensity of the violence was low enough that it really dealt no harm.

Johnny Depp functioned perfectly as the protagonist; his character was the silly and eccentric pet-lizard turned western hero, Rango. I also found the mariachi band composed of desert owls who narrate the movie entertaining and enjoyable. The lizard love plot between Rango and a Miss Beans that the writers tried to squeeze in felt a little out of place, but it was acceptable.  Filled with drama, quirks, humor, and gun slinging action, Rango makes for an interesting watch this spring.