14 Years Later, This Animated Movie Is Still The Most Innovative Western

The Western genre is one of the oldest and most resilient genres in film history, as it has stayed relatively the same ever since its invention in 1903 with Edwin S. Porter's The Great Train Robbery. It is arguably the most important Western movie of all time, having created a blueprint that is somehow still used over a century later, even in distinctly different films like Rango.

The Great Train Robbery proves the relevance of the genre in cinematic history as well, as it is the first narrative film ever made. So, the Western is almost a meta genre, as it deals with the story of America's creation and expansion in the West, while being the genre that started what we know as the film industry today.

Many forgotten Western movies that should be considered classics have risen in popularity in recent years, as the themes of Western cinema seem relevant again in today's political climate. The genre's exploration of the role of innovation and modernization makes it timeless in a sense, and the Western movies you should watch after the classics especially deal with this aspect.

Rango Has The Elements Of A Classic Western Movie

Gore Verbinski's Rango is one such revisionist Western movie that takes a familiar tale and adds aspects to it that make it relevant to our times. The nature vs man battle is a common theme in animated cinema, the most famous example being Princess Mononoke, an aesthetically pleasing and unique animated movie, but Rango recontextualizes that for the Western genre.

While it does mix more modern themes with the Western genre, the film is still quintessentially a Western, as it has the most iconic tropes of the genre, and doesn't experiment with them as much. There's a hero with no backstory who rises to the occasion to save his town against the corrupt management that's making deals with unsavory criminals.

There is also the theme of the frontier myth on a smaller scale. The titular Rango finds the solution to the town's problem after venturing to lands previously forbidden or considered too intimidating. Meanwhile, the town's mayor is scheming to control the town by planning a more modernized version of society where life as the residents know it is obsolete.

The Frontier Myth Becomes A Hero's Journey In Rango

Many great Western movies based on true stories are premised on the frontier myth, which is the promise of America being a land of opportunity where every ambitious person can make their way to the top by working hard. It drove the expansion of the country's frontier in the West, as it motivated adventurers to go looking for better futures.

This promise of improving life by being brave is perfectly personified in the form of the Spirit of the West, which is supposedly what a true hero sees when they're daring. The hunt for this spirit drives Rango's journey as a character who is initially yet to discover his purpose in life and become the sheriff he's destined to be.

Rango has a very traditional narrative structure as an adaptation of the hero's journey. However, it adds a perspective to the Western genre that makes it refreshing. Rango isn't the suave, mysterious, and endlessly capable gunslinger his townsmen initially believe he is. One wonders if the classic Western heroes all have such hidden personalities we never see when glorifying them.

Gore Verbinski's Experience Making Pirates Elevates Rango

The most noteworthy level of experimentation that Verbinski employs with Rango is infusing a famously dry and gritty genre with humor that is occasionally slapstick. Rango's unserious nature is best demonstrated through the throwaway jokes he makes while creating a heroic persona, even remarking that his mother was promiscuous to justify his claim of having a snake for a brother.

It is no surprise that this adventure movie with infectiously energetic action sequences also has innumerable funny moments when you consider Rango was Verbinski's first movie after completing the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. Dead Man's Chest is often considered the best sequel in the franchise, due to its amped-up sense of humor that perfectly complements its chaotic action sequences.

Rango's Animation Breathes Life Into Its Themes

Rango also marks the only time working with animation. It makes me wish he'd try his hand at the medium again. Rango's strongest feature is its breathtaking animation. The gorgeous shots of the sprawling landscapes make you wish the movie would never end. The film's stylized look also makes you want to live in its curious, crooked and chaotic world.

This is why Rango is an animated movie much better than expected, since, on paper, the story of a lizard becoming the sheriff of a make-believe animal town by fighting a snake sounds only mildly interesting. The plot is unsurprisingly as predictable as its summary implies, but the animation adds a metaphorical depth to the movie's visual aesthetic and themes.

The two major action setpieces in the film only work because the animation is unapologetic. Rango doesn't bother with adhering to the laws of nature, and exploits the freedom that its medium affords. It's also because of the animation that the scale of the occurrences, despite being minute, feels as immense as it would to lizards, turtles, mice, and rattlesnakes.