Rango is a Peak Western

Summary

The 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

00:00

🎬 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.

05:00

🏆 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.

10:02

🔍 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.

Keywords

💡Genre

A genre in the context of film refers to a category of cinematic content that can be characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter. In the video, the term is used to discuss the dominance of certain genres, such as the Western and superhero genres, in different eras of cinema. The video notes how the Western genre was a staple of popular culture from the 1940s to the 1970s, similar to how superhero stories are today.

💡Western

The Western genre is a category of films that depict narratives set in the American Old West. The video script highlights the Western genre's peak in popularity from the 1940s to the 1970s, with its romanticized depictions of lawmen, ranchers, and outlaws. It also discusses the decline of the traditional Western and the emergence of the Italian spaghetti Westerns, which introduced morally ambiguous characters.

💡Superhero

Superhero stories are a genre of film that features protagonists with extraordinary abilities, often derived from comic books. The script points out that superhero adaptations are currently the most popular genre in mainstream cinema, dominating box offices and cultural attention, much like the Western genre did in its heyday.

💡Swashbuckler

A swashbuckler is a genre of film characterized by adventure, romance, and derring-do, often set in historical or fantastical settings. The video mentions the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise as a modern example of a swashbuckler film that achieved significant success.

💡Spaghetti Western

Spaghetti Western is a term used to describe Western-style films produced during the 1960s and 1970s by Italian filmmakers. The script notes that these films featured morally gray protagonists and were a response to the decline of the traditional Hollywood Western, reflecting a changing public sentiment.

💡Rango

Rango is an animated film released in 2011, directed by Gore Verbinski. The script discusses the film as an example of a modern Western that was both critically and commercially successful, winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The film's unique production method, involving live-action performances by the actors to inform the animation, is highlighted.

💡Emotion Capture

Emotion capture, as described in the script, is a filmmaking technique used in 'Rango' where actors perform scenes together in live action, allowing for more natural and expressive animation. Johnny Depp referred to this process as 'emotion capture' rather than motion capture, emphasizing the emotional authenticity it brought to the characters.

💡Anthropomorphism

Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. In the context of 'Rango,' the script describes how the film presents its animal characters in a world scaled down to their size, creating a unique blend of photorealism and anthropomorphism.

💡Cinematography

Cinematography refers to the art of capturing and creating visual images on film or video. The script mentions Roger Deakins' supervision of the cinematography in 'Rango,' emphasizing his mastery of lighting and color, which contributed to the film's distinctive visual style.

💡Legend

A legend is a traditional story or myth that has come to be accepted as historical. In the script, the concept of a legend is explored in relation to the characters in 'Rango,' who embody different aspects of Western legends, such as the lawman, the outlaw, and the stranger. The film's narrative is about how these legends can inspire hope and fear, and how they can be manipulated by those in power.

💡Identity

Identity in the script refers to the sense of self or personal characteristics that define an individual. The main character, Rango, goes through a journey of self-discovery and identity formation, starting as a pet chameleon without a clear identity and evolving into a heroic figure that the town of Dirt needs.

💡Rattlesnake Jake

Rattlesnake Jake is the primary antagonist in 'Rango,' characterized by his visually intimidating and photorealistic depiction as a snake. The script describes his role as a looming threat that significantly alters the tone of the scenes he appears in and his confrontation with Rango as a pivotal moment in the film.

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]