Rango, or The Animated Sequel to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Without doubt one of the most unanticipatedly bizarre offerings of 2011 so far, Rango has been dubbed the ‘Animated sequel to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’. This may seem strange from a film attached to kids’ favourite, Nickelodeon, better known for the likes of Keenan and Kel and The Amanda Show – but, with the realisation that the real brains behind the outfit is more specifically Nickelodeon Animation Studios, responsible for the genesis of such mind-boggling cartoon classics as The Ren and Stimpy Show, Rocko’s Modern Life, and of course, SpongeBob SquarePants, all becomes clear.

Combining the man behind Pirates of the Caribbean and The Ring, Gore Verbinski; Nickelodeon Animation Studios’ iconic hallucinatory style and Jonny Depp (enough said) comes Rango – the story of an ordinary chameleon embroiled in the mishaps of the Wild West outpost town of Dirt – and this is probably the most rational aspect of the film.

Fuelled by dehydration induced hallucinations, akin to those of Fear and Loathing’s Raoul and Dr. Gonzo, Rango the thespian chameleon is spurred on to a mythical, spiritual journey by a wise Mexican aardvark in a search for his true anthropomorphic-amphibian identity.

This will be kept short, though there is little to give away as the film is almost entirely inexplicable; its unexpected left-of-centre humour and grotesquely original animation make it well worth a watch. Rango is no mere child’s play; go expecting outrageously sized floating wind-up goldfish, leave still more confused, but utterly entertained.