Rango

It is inexplicable how movie houses fail to see the magic that a movie creates and move it off the screen within the blink of an eyelid. Just when I thought that I would take the opportunity to add another movie to my “must make everyone see” list, Rango moved out of screens this week. It’s a sad but true story of how quality work will never get enough critical mass in this country. In the same breath, an average animation movie such as Rio – and I tip my hat to 20th Century Fox’s marketing team on timing – is ringing in the cash across the country for over a month now. I say fantastic timing because it coincided with the kids vacations and every parent that I see at the box office counters is going nuts. Thank God for small mercies that there is no merchandise that has yet hit the stores. Is TCF missing a point here? I would guess so. But this write up is more to do with probably the best Animation movie released since Toy Story. An I would not be incorrect if I were to say that Rango moved out sooner than it should have because people just did not get it – because it is not a kids animation movie. It is one, for the more cerebrally evolved.

Lars (Johnny Depp) is a chameleon who has been relegated to the position of a pet. Yep – a pet chameleon who stays in a glass box with a few inanimate objects. A decapitated miniature doll, a plastic toy fish, lots of gravel, a bowl of water amongst other not so exciting things. And I can only assume that the family is shifting or doesn’t want to leave home without their darling chameleon – which explains why Lars is in the back of the car under the hatch. He is biding his time here by honing his acting skills – he believes that he is God’s gift to acting in the chameleon world. However, in between a skillful rendition of a romantic hero, an unexpected bump on the road and a near accident finds him ejected from his comfort into the desert – a place that he has never been in. After saving himself from an eagle on his way to a town called Dirt, he finds himself with Beans (Isla Fisher), a lizard who helps him to the town. He gets there only to find out water is as good as gold. But Lars’s survival instincts get the better of him and using his passion for acting he weaves a story about how he single handedly killed seven notorious brothers and how he is close pals with Rattlesnake Jake (Bill Nighy) the most dreaded animal other than the Chihuahuan Raven. He then begins his conquest, along with the Mayor John (Ned Beatty), a desert tortoise to find out where the water has disappeared.

I would have to agree with my good friend Vinay Zende on this one (not that we agree too much these days). Rango is not an animation movie. It’s a western. And I strongly recommend that you watch it like you would if you were watching a classic Clint Eastwood – who is by the way the inspiration for the character of The Spirit of the West (Timothy Olyphant). The quality of animation is lifelike – almost alive – as good as Clint from TGTBATU – and if u don’t know what that ridiculous abbreviation means I suggest you have a relook at your status as a lover of Western Movies. The voice overs especially the ones by Bill Nighy for Rattlesnake Jake send a cold shiver down your spine. The narration by the four Burrowing Owls is amazingly amusing and yet so creative. I honestly cannot find fault with Rango in too many places, but there are a few consistency errors which can be noticed by probably the seasoned movie watcher only. The Gore Verbinksi and Johnny Depp combination has done it again I say!!!! Don’t miss Rango – its definitely a 7.5 on 10 if not an 8. My first pick for the nominations from 2011 for the Academy awards.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2047646233/

Toy Story 3

An-i-mate (v. an-uh-meyt; adj. an-uh-mit)

verb, -mat•ed, -mat•ing, adjective
–verb (used with object)
1. to give life to; make alive: God animated the dust.
2. to make lively, vivacious, or vigorous; give zest or spirit to: Her presence animated the party.
3. to fill with courage or boldness; encourage: to animate weary troops.
4. to move or stir to action; motivate: He was animated by religious zeal.
5. to give motion to: leaves animated by a breeze.
6. to prepare or produce as an animated cartoon: to animate a children's story.

Pixar – an incomparable organisation that does all of the above with PERFECTION.

Nearly 15 years back, Pixar studios burst into the animation scene with the first edition of the Toy Story Franchise. Although they were incorporated over 10 years before this, Toy Story was their first ever block buster. Most animation studios on the block at that time knew that they had seen who would be the BIG DADDY of animation in the years to come. It took 4 years more to make Toy Story 2 and a further 11 to come up with what is clearly the best animation movie of the year and the best animation movie after Pixar released “Up” last year.

Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) are back with their gang of friends at a time when Andy has turned 17 and is off to college. Faced with a predicament of whether to throw them away or stow them in the attic, Andy decides to go for the latter. He puts all of them but Woody in a garbage bag and is going to the attic when he sees Molly having some trouble with her box of toys that she is donating and helps her out. Since the toys are in a garbage bag, Andy’s mom puts it out with the rest of the garbage. The gang now thinks that Andy wanted to throw all of them away anyways but using Rex’s pointy tail they manage to escape out and make their way to the garage. They all get into a box labeled Sunnyside along with Molly’s toys. Woody’s effort to tell them that Andy never wanted to give them away goes in vain since none of them are ready to accept it. Also, their desire to be played with and not stay in an attic drives them to make a choice of Sunnyside much to Woody’s disdain. But before Woody can move out of the car, Andy’s mom arrives and drives them off to Sunnyside Day Care.

Much to their relief, the gang is given an extremely warm welcome @ sunnyside by Lotso (Ned Beatty) and the other toys at Sunnyside. Little do they know that Lotso runs his own empire here and that all new toys are first sent to the “initiation” with the new toddlers who come to Sunnyside. Although Woody travels with the gang to Sunnyside, he tries his best to convince the gang to come back with him but when they don’t listen, he decides to take off himself. His dare devil escape gets him over the wall @ Sunnyside and hanging off a tree without his hat and right in the way of Bonnie who promptly takes him home with her. @ Bonnie’s place Woody meets Trixie, Buttercup and Dolly who tell him about the horror that lies in store for his friends @ Sunnyside and how Lotso runs his it like a brutal emperor. Stunned @ the revelations, Woody changes his plans about going back home and decides to help his friends escape.

Lee Unkrich finally gets to direct his first solo movie with Pixar. He was till date only the co-director on Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc and Toy Story 2. Proves that good things come to those who wait. Although I would personally feel that Finding Nemo was far superior that this effort, its also because of the amount of work that could have been done with Nemo that made it probably the 3rd best animation movie of all time. Toy Story 3 however, to Unkrich’s credit clearly transcends the benchmarks set by the previous 2 editions of this franchise and takes it to the next level. Best of all, it leaves options open for a fourth edition. In one of my previous reviews I had said that a successful franchise is one that should be scaleable. Toy Story is a fantastic example of what I was speaking then.

The voices of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are nostalgic and take you back over a decade to the previous 2 editions. The characters are absolutely true to life. The narration absolutely superb. But I sometimes do wonder if animation movies are ever going to be just for kids. The story coupled with the quality of execution makes it so easy for even an average adult to go through what would otherwise have been targeted only for less than 12 year olds. Lovely movie for people of all ages. I give this a 8 on 10.