History WesternAnimation / Rango

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Moments before falling out of the car, Rango announces he's had an "epiphany" that what this story needs is something to "[[TemptingFate propell our hero into conflict!]]"

* IncrediblyLamePun: "What's an aquifer?" "Well, it's fer aqua."

** There's liberal use of "damn" and "hell".

** [[spoiler: The Spirit of the West]] is voiced by Timothy Olyphant--a brilliant three-pronged ShoutOut to ''Series/{{Justified}}'', ''{{Deadwood}}'', and ''TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly'' as his character model is a ClintEastwood look alike.

** Also doubles as a Shoutout to ''TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly''.

* FunnyAnimal: Rather jarring when the walking, talking, cowboy hat-wearing animals still happen to realistically resemble their RealLife counterparts. Jake is the closest to a {{talking animal}}, though only due to the little he wears compared to the others ([[AccessoryWearingCartoonAnimal a hat and and a couple of bandoliers, not to mention the gattling gun for a rattle]]).

*** About the size issue, in the case of Rattlesnake Jake, he would in fact, be ''much'' larger than any of the townsfolk. Western Diamondback rattlesnakes can get up to 7 feet long[[hottip:*:That's the record anyway, though 5 feet would be more reasonable]], which is significantly larger than any other animal in the film.

** The "Welcome, Amigo" song ends abruptly with the line [[{{LeftTheBackgroundMusicOn}} ...watch him lose his cojones!]] [[{{CrowningMomentOfFunny}} Followed by the owls shutting up after Rango gives them a short]] DeathGlare.

* IHaveManyNames / TheUnreveal: The lizard who will become Rango says he has a stage name, a pseudonym, [[ShoutOut an]] [[Film/{{Avatar}} avatar]], and even a maiden name but he never says them on camera.

** [[spoiler: Jake's]] karma was being humbled by Rango and finding an equal in him.

** Rattlesnake Jake gets an epic one when he sees a hawk in the sky, [[spoiler: until quickly discovering the ruse.]]

* {{Tonight Someone Dies}}: Parodied shamelessly. [[spoiler: At the start of the film, the lead mariachi who serves as the narrator informs us that Rango is going to die. At the end, Rango is still alive and well, and the narrator simply points out that his prediction will come true sooner or later, since Rango is as mortal as the next guy. ]]

* OhAndXDies: Subverted; The musician birds say many times all through out the film that Rango is going to die, [[spoiler: but he doesn't. At the end, [[FromACertainPointOfView they justify it by saying]] that [[AnyoneCanDie (obviously)]] he ''will'' die ... someday.]]

* MessianicArchetype: After Rattlesnake Jake's HannibalLecture, Rango drops his sheriff's badge among the tombstones on Boot Hill; the invented character of "Rango" is dead. After his encounter with God, [[spoiler: wait I mean the Spirit of the West]], he returns to the cemetery just as the wind exhumes the badge for him to pick up again in a symbolic resurrection.

** The german version kicks the radar square in the nuts and shoots it with a double barrel, since there are atleast two instances of the word bitch/whore (Schlampe) being used. The scene where Rango gets his sheriffs clothing is of particular note, as Beans is practically screaming it right at the camera before blanking out, refferring to Angelique. The word ass (Arsch) is also used faintly in the background when the Rango is watching the moles through binoculars. The father is hitting his son, and threatens to "beat up his ass."

* ExactWords: [[spoiler: Tortoise John]] (who has Beans hostage) tells Rango to "hand over the gun". Rango has no choice but to do exactly as he says, and hands over the gun... without the bullet inside.

** At the end, it becomes more like Did You Just Save Cthulhu's Ass? when [[spoiler: Rango prevents the mayor shooting Jack]].

''Rango'' is a 2011 film directed by [[PiratesOfTheCaribbean Gore]] [[TheRing Verbinski]], starring JohnnyDepp, AbigailBreslin, Alfred Molina, Bill Nighy and others. The film is an ode to {{Spaghetti Western}}s and is also IndustrialLightAndMagic's first feature-length animated film. It won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature that year.

* ActorAllusion: Many, but the most obvious one is when Rango is flying through the air on the highway, he smacks into the windshield of a car driven by [[FearAndLoathingInLasVegas Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo]]. (It doesn't hurt Rango himself wears Duke's Hawaiian shirt.)

** When Rango is in his tank and trying out various different characters, some of them seem to be allusions to other roles of Depp's, including [[PiratesOfTheCaribbean a grizzled sea captain]] and [[DonJuanDeMarco a Latin lover]].
*** Speaking of ''PiratesOfTheCaribbean'', Rango is carried away by woodlice in a brief scene, where he later [[spoiler: finds a boat in the middle of a salt flat]].

**** And like Jack in the first ''[[PiratesOfTheCaribbean Pirates of the Caribbean]]'' movie, Rango is also armed with [[OneBulletLeft one bullet]].

* GirlyRun: Rango. It rather resembles [[PiratesOfTheCaribbean another character of Depp's]].

* DropWhatYouAreDoing: Rango, glass in hand, turns and sees a flattened Armadillo talking to him. SMASH.

*** Speaking of ''PiratesOfTheCaribbean'', Rango is carried away by rock-like insects in a brief scene, where he later [[spoiler: finds a boat in the middle of a salt flat]].

** While ducking a gatling gun, Waffles gives [[StarTrekTheNextGeneration Counselor Troi]] a run for her money. "I am sensing hostility!"

* ObligatoryJoke: Rango giving direction to a plastic tree. "You were wooden."

** Rango dons a dress at one point in the film; [[EdWood this isn't the first time a Johnny Depp character has worn a dress.]]

** Also, this isn't the first time Bill Nighy has portrayed a [[PiratesOfTheCaribbean feared Grim-Reaper figure]].

The movie is also noted for its visual contrast with other wide-release CG animated films. Whereas most other films in the genre tend to go for a clean, idealized look for their world, ''Rango'' intentionally avoids this. Most of the characters are based on ugly-looking animals and the whole world seems to have a layer of dirt and grime on it. The result is a setting that looks more "real" in some ways and more cartoonish in others. Either way, it certainly stands out visually.

* AffectionateParody: Of the SpaghettiWestern. Basically, the genre's ''KungFuPanda''.

** "Who am I?"

** Secure the perimeter, dust for prints, check for fibers, scan for DNA! I want a urine sample from everyone get me a latte.

* CucumberFacial: Rango is awakened from one of these by an alarm at the bank.

* DecadeDissonance: The movie is obviously set sometime in the past decade, but the MouseWorld of Dirt seems to have gotten stuck in the classical [[TheWildWest Wild West]] era (roughly 1860 to 1890) - though it ''does'' start to modernize over the course of the film.

* DontSneakUpOnMeLikeThat: Rango gets a bit too deep in character with an autograph-seeker.

* EnvironmentalSymbolism: The portraits behind Rango in the Mayor's office.

** "It's a puzzle, like a big ole [[DelusionsOfEloquence mammogram]]!

* GoMadFromTheIsolation: In the opening, Rango definitely looks like he's reached this point, and maybe even surpassed it, to the point where every inanimate object in his glass box has a name (even the dead bug), and personalities attributed to them, and he hears them talking to him. Which really isn't surprising, since he's probably spent his whole life stuck in that cage without anyone to talk to but himself.

* IronicEcho: Rango likes to tell tall tales. One such tale was to claim that him and Rattlesnake Jake were brothers and had acquired an immunity to his venom. When the two finally meet, Jake pulls out a shot glass, filling it with his own venom, and offering it to Rango while taunting him with the line "Hello, ''brother''. Thirsty?"

* LecherousLicking: Jake creepily licks Beans' cheek when he's partially strangling her.

* LinkedListClueMethodology: Shoeprints at the site of Mr. Merrimack's murder, and his glasses left behind in an empty water jug.

* MasochistsMeal: Rango snatching Bad Bill's cigar and eating it.

** Some wizened old guys in Rango's posse.

* ScreamingWarrior: The Moles let out a gobbling war cry (perhaps a rebel yell?) before giving chase to Rango's wagon.

* UnflinchingWalk: Rango walking the highway at night.

* VolleyingInsults: Rango's first encounter with Priscilla.

* WhatMeasureIsANonCute: Thoroughly subverted--almost none of the characters, good or bad, could be called "cute" or "cuddly", with the possible exception of Abigail Breslin's aye-aye character, but the nice ones are still very likable.