Rango is a Peak Western
Summary
TLDRThe video script delves into the evolution of popular film genres, highlighting the dominance of Westerns from the 1940s to 1970s and their eventual decline. It spotlights 'Rango,' an animated Western from director Gore Verbinski, which revitalized the genre with its unique 'emotion capture' technique, blending live-action performances with animation. The film's success, including an Academy Award, is attributed to its distinct visual style, talented cast, and a compelling narrative that explores themes of identity and legend, culminating in a story that respects and redefines the essence of Western cinema.
Takeaways
- 🎬 The script discusses the cyclical nature of popular film genres, noting how they rise and fall in popularity over time.
- 🏆 Currently, superhero films dominate the box office and popular culture, much like Westerns did from the 1940s to the 1970s.
- 🔫 Westerns were once a pop culture phenomenon, with a romanticized depiction of lawmen, ranchers, and outlaws in various media forms.
- 📉 As societal values and media realism evolved, the public's belief in the 'righteous man in a badge' diminished, leading to the decline of traditional Westerns.
- 🍝 The Italian 'spaghetti Westerns' with morally ambiguous protagonists gained popularity, reflecting a shift in public sentiment during the 1960s.
- 📽 The 1970s saw a rise in 'gritty realism' in films, which attracted larger audiences and overshadowed the Western genre.
- 🎥 In 2011, Gore Verbinski directed 'Rango,' an animated Western that was both critically acclaimed and commercially successful, winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
- 🎭 'Rango' employed a unique production method, using live-action performances by actors to inform the animators, resulting in a more emotionally expressive final product.
- 🌟 The film featured an ensemble cast of talented actors, including Johnny Depp, who brought their own flair to the characters in the film.
- 🏜️ 'Rango' presents a realistic yet anthropomorphic world, with detailed environments and character designs that blend photorealism with stylized features.
- 🎼 The film's score by Hans Zimmer captures the essence of the Western genre, with influences from classic spaghetti Western scores.
- 🐍 'Rattlesnake Jake' is a visually intimidating and memorable antagonist, whose appearance and actions significantly impact the story's tone.
- 🦎 The story of 'Rango' revolves around the search for identity, as the main character evolves from a pet chameleon to a respected sheriff and a Western legend.
- 🛡️ The film explores themes of legends, power, and the impact of heroes and villains on society, as well as the corruption of legends by those in power.
Q & A
What is the current most popular genre in mainstream cinema?
-The current most popular genre in mainstream cinema is superhero stories and comic adaptations.
What genre dominated the box office and popular culture from the 1940s to the 1970s?
-The Western genre dominated the box office and popular culture from the 1940s to the 1970s.
How did the Western genre reflect the ideals of the time politically and culturally?
-The Western genre reflected the ideals of the time by portraying highly romanticized depictions of righteous lawmen, heroic ranchers, and outlaw gunslingers.
What type of Western films replaced the big budget Hollywood Westerns in the 1960s?
-Smaller budget Italian spaghetti Westerns replaced the big budget Hollywood Westerns in the 1960s.
What was unique about the production of the animated film 'Rango'?
-The unique aspect of 'Rango' was that the actors performed their scenes together in live action, which was then used as a reference for the animators, a process described as 'emotion capture' rather than motion capture.
Who was the cinematography supervisor for 'Rango' and what is significant about him?
-The cinematography for 'Rango' was supervised by Roger Deakins, who is one of the most celebrated cinematographers in the history of filmmaking known for his mastery of lighting and color.
What themes does the story of 'Rango' explore?
-The story of 'Rango' explores themes of identity, the power of legends, and the search for meaning and purpose.
How does the character Rango initially present himself to the town of Dirt?
-Rango initially presents himself as a dangerous outlaw named Rango, using his acting skills to convince the townspeople.
What is the significance of the character Rattlesnake Jake in the film 'Rango'?
-Rattlesnake Jake is a visually intimidating and memorable antagonist who represents a looming threat and contributes to the film's dark Western tone.
What message does the film 'Rango' convey about becoming a legend?
-The film 'Rango' conveys the message that to become a legend, one must first believe that they are one, and that legends can inspire both hope and fear in people.
How does the film 'Rango' use the character of the Spirit of the West?
-The Spirit of the West, modeled after Sergio Leone's 'The Man With No Name' character, serves as a mentor figure to Rango, providing advice and reminding him of his purpose.
Outlines
🎬 The Rise and Fall of Genres in Cinema
This paragraph discusses the cyclical nature of popular genres in cinema, highlighting the dominance of superhero films in contemporary culture and drawing a historical parallel with the Western genre's peak from the 1940s to the 1970s. It explores the cultural significance of Westerns, their eventual decline, and the emergence of Italian spaghetti Westerns as a reflection of changing societal values. The paragraph also introduces the transition of director Gore Verbinski from the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise to his first animated Western film, 'Rango,' which was both a critical and commercial success, winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
🏆 The Artistry and Impact of 'Rango'
The second paragraph delves into the unique production process of 'Rango,' which involved live-action performances by the actors to inform the animators, leading to a more emotionally resonant final product. It praises the film's visual style, character design, and the use of photorealism combined with anthropomorphism. The narrative of 'Rango' is summarized, focusing on the protagonist's journey of self-discovery and the film's themes of identity, legend, and the power of storytelling. The antagonist, Rattlesnake Jake, is highlighted for his visual intimidation and impact on the story's tone. The paragraph also touches on the film's homage to classic Westerns and its use of music to enhance the genre's atmosphere.
🔍 The Evolution of the Western Legend in 'Rango'
The final paragraph examines the transformation of the protagonist in 'Rango' and his embodiment of various Western archetypes, including the lawman, the outlaw, and the stranger. It discusses the film's commentary on the nature of legends and their ability to inspire hope and fear, as well as how they can be manipulated by those in power. The paragraph concludes with an analysis of the film's finale, which emphasizes the importance of self-belief in becoming a legend, and the acknowledgment of Rango's growth into a hero who upholds the law despite the corruption around him.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Genre
💡Western
💡Superhero
💡Swashbuckler
💡Spaghetti Western
💡Rango
💡Emotion Capture
💡Anthropomorphism
💡Cinematography
💡Legend
💡Identity
💡Rattlesnake Jake
Highlights
The historical dominance of a single film genre in popular culture and its eventual decline, followed by the rise of a new genre.
Superhero stories and comic adaptations are currently the most popular genre in mainstream culture.
The Western genre's significant influence from the 1940s to the 1970s across various media forms.
The shift in public sentiment from romanticized Westerns to the more morally ambiguous Spaghetti Westerns.
The unique production method of 'Rango' using live-action performances for animators' reference, termed 'emotion capture'.
The critical and commercial success of 'Rango', including its Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
The distinctive visual style of 'Rango', blending photorealism with anthropomorphism.
The detailed and realistic texturing in the character designs and environments of 'Rango'.
The use of color and lighting in 'Rango' supervised by celebrated cinematographer Roger Deakins.
The narrative of 'Rango', focusing on the search for identity and the power of legends.
The thematic exploration of how legends can inspire hope and fear, and be corrupted by power.
The character development of Rango from a fraud to a true hero, embracing his role as the town's sheriff.
The memorable antagonist Rattlesnake Jake, a visually intimidating and iconic character.
The climactic confrontation between Rango and Jake, highlighting the transformation of Rango into a legend.
The importance of believing in oneself to become a legend, as exemplified by Rango's journey.
The homage to classic Western films and characters throughout 'Rango', including references to John Wayne and Clint Eastwood's 'Man With No Name'.
The musical score by Hans Zimmer that captures the essence of the Western genre.
Transcripts
when looking at the history of popular
mainstream Cinema it's interesting to
note how often a single genre of film
will dominate the box office for years
become a major staple of popular culture
for its time and then when the ticket
sales start to go down B slowly fizzled
out and replaced by the next big thing
this has been going on for decades and
it's interesting to take a look at the
genres and sub-genres that brought home
the big bucks for their generation I'm
sure we are all aware of what is by far
the most popular genre of well anything
right now superhero stories and comic
adaptations are the biggest thing not
just in theaters but everywhere it's
hard to imagine that at any point in
history there has been a type of story
that has gotten this much mainstream
attention that's why it's so interesting
to look back on just how massive the
Western genre was from the 1940s to the
1970s just like superheroes now you had
massive hit films TV shows Comics albums
radio shows and merchandise also
celebrating the highly romanticized
depictions of the righteous law man or
heroic Rancher and eventually The Outlaw
Gunslinger westerns at one point were a
pop culture phenomenon but like all
popular things the next big thing will
come along westerns represented the
ideals of the mainstream at the time
politically and culturally but as times
changed and media began to show the
world in a more realistic light the
public no longer believed in the
righteous man in a badge as their hero
the big budget Hollywood romanticized
Golden Age westerns were soon overtaken
by the smaller budget Italian spaghetti
westerns while they were still
romanticized the morally gray
protagonists of the spaghetti western
that only served themselves but might
help one another out for a price and
often stood at odds with local
government better reflected the public
sentiment at the time and helped the
Western genre to stay alive throughout
the 1960s however by the 1970s a new
language of film was being popularized
and the greedy realism better reflected
the current landscape was bringing in
bigger audiences and the Western genre
with notable exceptions of course has
never truly returned to the popularity
that it once had
in 2007 director Gore verbinski had just
released the final film of the Pirates
of the Caribbean franchise that he would
be involved with the series that he had
started with the Curse of the Black
Pearl was a rare film in the
schwashbuckler genre that was a gigantic
hit in recent memory spawning a
franchise that has earned billions of
dollars for his next project rubinsky
would look to another genre that had
been seemingly Left Behind like the
swashbuckler Not only would he tackle
his first Western but he would also be
at the helm of his very first animated
feature reuniting with his lead from
Pirates Johnny Depp in 2011 Gore
rubinsky would unleash the bizarre funny
sometimes surreal and at points very
mature animated Western Rango onto
mainstream audiences and it was a major
success both critically and commercially
it took home the Academy Award for best
animated feature making it one of only
two films in the 2010s to beat out
Disney and Pixar and like the other
winner it is very distinct in its visual
style and tone when compared to the
other animated films of its time a lot
of that style can be attributed to the
unique way that Rango was produced the
actors all performed their scenes with
one another filming them in live action
so that the animators would have better
reference for their movements and so
that the actors could have more room to
express themselves and work off of one
another Johnny Depp famously described
it as not motion capture but emotion
capture those emotions can be felt in
the final product whether it's a
dramatic moment or a comedic scene
involving many characters the dialogue
and interactions all feel natural and
spontaneous it also helps that the cast
is absolutely stacked with some insanely
talented character actors all adding
their own little Flair to this unique
world the world of Rango namely the town
of Dirt is presented in a way that feels
very grounded and realistic everything
is scaled down to the size of the animal
characters and it's fun to see some
normal sized objects repurposed as
buildings and other structures Rango
exists in this strange Middle Ground of
photorealism and anthropomorphism the
environment look and feel like they were
actually photographed yet the characters
range in how realistically they're
depicted the level of detail that's put
into the texture of their clothing skin
fur and weaponry is astonishing but the
character designs themselves I think
were made to feel more unsettlingly real
if the character's personality called
for it the more antagonistic the
character is written the more like the
actual animal they look like the most
striking example of that being Jake but
we'll get to him in a minute the staging
of the shots and the way scenes are lit
is really what makes wrangler's visuals
still hold up today the majority of
these shots are just downright gorgeous
not only is this a result of the
planning of the filmmakers during the
emotion capture performances it's also
because the cinematography was
supervised by Roger deegans if you don't
know who he is he's one of the most
celebrated cinematographers in the
history of filmmaking and his list of
credits is beyond impressive he's a
master of lighting and color so having
someone like him on board to supervise
the way scenes are staged along with the
high level of detail tales on the
characters and environments is what
makes Rango what I can only describe as
beautifully ugly that ugliness is
reflective of the dark Western world
that the story plays out in that story
follows a pet chameleon who is flung out
of a car onto a desert highway finding
himself in the town of Dirt whereby
using his honestly really impressive
skills as a wannabe actor is able to
convince the townspeople that he's a
dangerous Outlaw named Rango the mayor
of dirt names Rango the new sheriff and
he's put in charge of finding the stolen
water from the bank that the entire town
survives off of Rango actually ends up
being pretty damn good at his job
despite being a total fraud and actually
comes to bond with the people of dirt on
their Journey to Find The Stolen water
that journey is filled with some very
funny character interactions thrilling
action sequences and some real heart
that ultimately made Rango one of my
favorite westerns it celebrates the
genre with visual callbacks and
references as well as a phenomenal
musical score by Hans Zimmer that feels
reminiscent of some of the Spaghetti
Western scores composed by ennio
morricone and at one point I noticed on
my latest watch even directly lifts from
Elmer Bernstein's score for the
Magnificent Seven
[Music]
foreign
bodies the classic Western law man
archetype so well that he ends up
rallying his new friends together and
inspiring them having underestimated the
effect he would have on the people the
mayor the real villain of The Story
begins to see Rango as a threat and
ultimately decides to dismantle the
legend he's building up by calling in
another
for many Rattlesnake Jake is the most
memorable element of this film as far as
animated antagonists go he's one of the
most visually intimidating right off the
bat for anybody who has a phobia of
snakes the fact that Jake is the most
photorealistic depiction of any animal
in the film will probably immediately
strike as much fear as he does into the
people of dirt and Rango in his first
appearance that first appearance
occurring way later into the film than
you would think Jake is a great example
of an antagonistic force that looms over
the story before ever appearing he only
has about six minutes of screen time but
the way that characters speak of him
before he arrives makes him feel like
the Grim Reaper coming to collect one of
the characters goes as far to say just
that Jake's appearance drastically
Alters the tone of whatever scene he's
in just about every moment with him is
played straight with no real comedic
relief the way he moves the hissing
sounds he makes the Gatling gun tale and
the outstanding performance of Bill Nye
Elevate Jake to a level near iconic for
me I guess I just like movies where
Johnny Depp and Bill Nye face off with
one another with Jake being introduced
he actually helps to bring the major
thematic element of the story to its
climax that element being the search for
identity when we first meet Rango he's
an unnamed pet that's searching for some
defining characteristics to make up who
he is he's alone and when he finally
meets people that he could develop
relationships with he defaults to a
dangerous Outlaw Persona that earns him
the respect of the townsfolk who see him
as a Fearless killer ironically building
for himself the same Legend as
villainous entities like Jake the mayor
then gives him a new identity a sheriff
of dirt and as Rango grows to care for
his friends he Embraces that new role
for himself acting heroically because
that's what the people need although
still not entirely letting go of that
Outlaw past he's made up for himself to
keep his reputation Rango keeps up the
LIE believing that if he keeps
pretending to be the law man then he'll
be respected and loved even if he isn't
a hero he doesn't even realize lies that
he actually is becoming the resourceful
heroic figure he's playing at along the
way the only reason Jake is even brought
in is because the mayor sees this
version of Rango as a threat to him when
Jake exposes Rango as a liar he's left
without purpose and wanders aimlessly to
the metaphorical other side once there
he meets another character that's
mentioned throughout the story the
mythical spirit of the West the spirit
gives Rango some much needed advice most
importantly he reminds Rango why he
needs to go back to dirt and become the
legend he's pretending to be it's not
for adulation or reputation or ego don't
you see it's not about you
about them
Rango has to transform into the hero
that the people need Rango has to grow
into a western Legend this story is
about Legends and how Legends can
Inspire both hope and fear in a
collective of people but also be
corrupted and used by those in power the
mayor used Rango to distract dirt from
his schemes of controlling the water and
taking their land and even uses Jake to
get rid of him when he's served his
purpose but even Jake is just a tool to
him and he turns on him just as quick
once he scares everyone into submission
early in the film Rango dresses
similarly to characters portrayed by
John Wayne or Gary Cooper the classic
Western Heroes who often serve the law
but just like the audiences so many
years ago the people of dirt could no
longer look up to someone who was
falsely propped up by a corrupt person
in power it's clear as to why the spirit
of the West is modeled after Sergio
Leones The Man With No Name character
famously portrayed by Clint Eastwood the
man with no name was an ally to some and
enemy to others but but he wasn't
controlled he was who he wanted to be
and what audiences needed him to be at a
time when those Dawning badges weren't
as celebrated as they used to be when
Rango returns to dirt he wears the same
Dusty Poncho and squint as the man with
no name but still choosing to do things
his way he dons the badge deciding to
uphold what the law stands for even if
those in power don't the finale of Rango
is just a suspenseful action-packed and
badass as any Great Western that
inspired it however rather than ending
with one man standing Victorious over
the body of another Rango concludes with
an acknowledgment an understanding
between two legends who both know their
place in this story Rango is an amazing
Western because it understands the
importance of Western Legends the law
man The Outlaw and the stranger Rango
played all three at some point but
became his own legend by the end so much
so that even the widely feared
Rattlesnake Jake was rendered terrified
after look into the eyes of the changed
Rango knowing what he intended to do
this is my favorite moment in Rango
because it plainly states one of the
story's most important messages if you
want to become a legend first you have
to believe that you are one you we got
the nerve
try me
[Music]
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