RANGO

Rango, the newest western since True Grit started today. It has some firsts. First animated movie by Industrial Light and Magic (George Lucas's Company) if you don't count the Animated Stars Wars stuff. First movie by director Gore Verbinski with Johnny Depp if you don't count the three "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies. AND probably the first animated movie to prove you don't need 3D.

This movie rated PG was a full house of half adults and half kids. Like most good animated movies, the animal characters were for the kids and the story, private jokes and humor was for the adults. As has been pointed out in reviews there are references to movies like "Raising Arizona", "Chinatown", "High Noon" and Clint Eastwood westerns.

An example of "over the kid's heads": At one point in the movie Johnny Depp's Sheriff character dresses up as a woman with other good guys and pretends to be a traveling theater group. When the bad guys asks who they are, they answer, "Thespians!" They exclaim, "That's illegal in about seven states!"

It is a great movie and a fun story. Johnny Depp is great. The animation is very realistic. I would rate the story and humor for PG30. Those kids don't know who Clint Eastwood is!

I give it ***1/2 stars.

2011 Movie # 10