Suddenly the lizard finds himself in the unforgiving desert. After a Looney Tunes-type escape from a hungry falcon, Rango arrives at the ramshackle town of Dirt, where a motley collection of desert critters are desperate for a drop of water.  With shades of Chinatown, the Mayor (a turtle in a wheelchair voiced by Ned Beatty) controls the wet stuff and hires the hapless hero to protect it. The fact that last sheriff lasted less than a week does little to damper Rango's enthusiasm and he dives into his new role with the enthusiasm of an understudy given a chance to shine.

For a movie made by the same studio that brought us Transformers and The Love Guru, Rango is a stunningly original piece of work. For starters, simply the quality of animation is easily at par with the best of Pixar. The creatures in this silly spaghetti western are beautifully drawn, right down to Rango's aquamarine scales and Priscilla the Possum's dark amber eyes. 

For his first animated feature, director Gore Verbinski also broke with tradition in how he captured the critter's voices. Most animated movies are voiced with actors isolated in small studios, often alone. But for many of the scenes, Verbinski put his ensamble on sound stage, encouraging them to hoop and holler as a group, (as Wes Anderson did for Fantastic Mr Fox.

The result is a loose and lively feeling film. The sense of humour, the collection of non-sequiturs and references to other Westerns will zing over the head of most younger viewers.  Not surprising then, Verinski considers Rango a bridge to making a more mature type of animated movie.

But while the visuals are breathtaking, the story itself is less than innovative. The simpleton sherrif, the corrupt mayor and the gullible townfolk are as familiar as the tumbleweeds that roll across the screen. While Rango tries to find his courage, it seems Verbinski can't describe where he's making a Western or mocking one. The climax of confusion come near the end, where our hero meets the "spirit of the west", a Clint Eastwood lookalike, sculpted Spitting Image style.

There is so much innovation packed into Rango, it feels petty to pick on the failings of the story.  But if Gore Verbinski envisions a more mature type of animation, he should look east. Japanese filmmakers such a Hayao Miyazaki  have already mastered the art of animated movies with a universal appeal.  Sure they're not as rich in references for film fans, but the stories stand on their own.

RATING: 3 Tumbleweeds out of 5.

-- by Eli Glasner