Rango (character)

NOTE: This article is about the character, you may be looking for the film.

Rango giving a speech to the townspeople of Dirt.

Rango is the titular protagonist of film of the same name. He is an intelligent and eccentric chameleon, who was initially the pet of a human family, but he's stranded in the middle of the desert after a car accident. He later arrives in the frontier town known as Dirt, where he becomes the new sheriff.

He is voiced by Johnny Depp.

Overview

Rango used to live as a family's pet chameleon in the beginning of the film. He later finds himself stranded after a car accident. He then meets an armadillo named Roadkill who was injured by the accident, and soon guides Rango on how and where he should go to survive.

Although “Rango” is not his real name, he got the idea from a beverage in the town of Dirt, when he was making up a whole new persona to impress the townspeople.

Personality

Rango is a very comical character, and was once lonely, as he was isolated and is seen conversing with inanimate objects such as a headless mannequin, a dead cockroach, a toy fish, and a decorative tree; however, he actually believed these objects were his friends and he had a social life.

Throughout the film, Rango is seen suffering from an identity crisis. He is constantly saying "Who am I?" to himself and doesn't even know his own name. Rango is an actor and expects his "friends" to be the same. He describes Victor, an inanimate tree as "wooden" and his wind-up goldfish, Mr. Timms, to be "too good". After arriving at the town of Dirt, Rango was able to create his own identity and new name. He also has a tendency to go over-the-top as he said where he came from, that they kill and cannibalize a man before breakfast just to work up an appetite.

Rango was first cowardly, such was shown during the scene when he caught the eye of a hawk and ran away screaming in terror. This also happened again during a showdown with Bad Bill and his crew, when the hawk returned which caused Rango to cower in a latrine, and then flee. He was also in fear when Rattlesnake Jake first entered Dirt. He later became brave and fearless at the end of the film where he threatened to shoot Rattlesnake Jake with one bullet.

Despite his stories claiming that he was the one who killed the seven Jenkins brothers, Rango had never actually done so and was always reluctant to actually kill someone. This was shown when a hawk was close to eating him, and Rango aimed the gun at the hawk but hesitated and shot the rope that was restraining him from being caught instead, which caused the bullet to bounce off the hawk's beak and broke down an old water tower instead, which crushed the hawk. But this made the town believe that Rango was the one who killed it, on purpose. This belief of theirs changed when he became reluctant to kill Jake with one single bullet like he did with the hawk.

After the mayor made Rango become the sheriff of Dirt, he was shown to be very clueless, almost shooting a child in the face when he only wanted an autograph, and then handing him a gun. He also came across three bank robbers and mistook them for miners, then actually gives them a prospecting permit and directions to the Bank of Dirt.

Despite this, Rango can also be intuitive and intelligent. When he and his posse capture Balthazar and his family, he was able to realize that something ominous was happening in Dirt and that Balthazar's family found the jug of water empty and truly didn't murder anybody like they first thought. When the Spanish Daggers, a type of tree or cactus, were seen walking like the legends that Beans had told Rango about, he remembers that they go towards water, which is how he discovered Las Vegas. This is where he realized that the mayor was the real person who shut off the water to Dirt.

After being humiliated by Rattlesnake Jake, Rango shamefully leaves Dirt, but after a pep talk from Roadkill, and uncovering the mayor's true plan, he returned to Dirt and showed bravery and made an alliance with Balthazar's family. He then confronted Rattlesnake Jake and became a well-known legend and hero to the townsfolk of Dirt after returning their precious water.

Appearance

Due to being a chameleon, Rango is shown to have green scaly skin that can change colors when he blends into his surroundings. In the beginning of the film, he wore a red Hawaiian shirt. After being a sheriff, his clothing changed to a white button-up shirt, dark grey pants, dark brown vest with a silver sheriff badge, and tan hat. Later during his duel with Rattlesnake Jake, he wears a dark brown hat and a brown poncho.

During their ambush against Balthazar and his gang, Rango wore Beans' dress, while she wore Wounded Bird's poncho.

Talents

• Acting - Rango is seen to be very good at acting. This was shown at the beginning of the film where he acted like a sea captain and a swordsman. He has shown his acting ability in front of the citizens of Dirt when he first introduced himself. During when he and the townspeople prepare to get the water jug back, he and his allies performed a small play in an attempt to distract the moles.
• Gunman - Despite being reluctant to kill anyone, Rango is a very skilled gunman as shown in the film where he fires his gun in the air to attract attention, causing a water tower to collapse onto a Hawk, and when attempting to shoot Jake. In the video game based on the film, Rango is seen to be killing outlaws with his own revolver.
• Intelligence - Rango seems to have very high intelligence as he was able to capture Balthazar and his family (who were falsely accused of stealing the water cooler bottle). He was able to think of a clever plan to retrieve Dirt's water and ally with Balthazar's family in an attempt to distract Rattlesnake Jake by using bats in the form of a Hawk. He is shown to use his intellect to defeat two of Balthazar's men when he pulled the wagon's brakes and the two bullets hit Balthazar's men instead of him and Beans.
• Combat Skills - Rango shows some hand-to-hand combat skills when he accidentally knocked one of Dirt's people unconscious with a single punch. In the video game based on the film, he is shown to be an excellent hand-to-hand combatant.
• Strength - Although it is not estimated of how strong Rango is, he is shown to use his strength to knock a person unconscious with one punch.
• Speed - He is able to run faster and can outrun the Hawk that chased him in the desert and in Dirt.
• Stamina - Rango is shown to have an improved stamina which enables him to keep running faster without tiring, such as when he kept running from the Hawk.
• Camouflage - Because Rango is a chameleon, he can change his colors to blend into his surroundings. This was used when he attempts to hide himself from being spotted by the Hawk, seen in the beginning of the film.
• Bravery and Courage - Rango is shown to be very courageous as he decided to head back to Dirt and duel with Rattlesnake Jake without getting intimidated by him. He has shown his bravery when he brings the water back to Dirt.
• Horseback Riding - Rango is an exceptionally skilled rider as seen when he and his posse went to find the missing water jug, and in an alternative ending of the film.

Weapon Of Choice Used In The Film.

The gun that Rango wields throughout the movie is a Colt Single Action Army revolver, given to him by Bad Bill before they have a stand-off. The gun is incorrectly depicted as having a swing-out cylinder.

Quotes

1. Mmmaa . • . Ma . . • Ma -- crunchy, creamy, cookie, candy, cupcake.
2. okay everybody, let's take it from the top.
3. The stage is set, the night moist with apprehension. Alone in her chamber the princess prepares to take her own life.
4. People, we've talked about this! Acting is reacting!
5. My character is undefined? That's absurd. I know who I am. I'm the guy, the protagonist, the hero, every story needs a hero, I mean who else is better qualified to bask in the adulation of his numerous companions.
6. The stage is waiting... The audience thirsts for adventure. Who am I? I could be anyone.
7. And if you desire romance. I will become the greatest lover the world has ever known!
8. Hola. I couldn't help but notice you noticing me noticing you. You know the women's find me uncomfortably good looking.
9. People, I've had an epiphany. The hero cannot exist in a vacuum. What our story needs is an ironic unexpected event that will propel the hero into conflict.
10. Yeah, I'm just looking for the path to water.
11. Okay, then I'm going, I am leaving the road now. I'm walking into the desert... alone.
12. No, no. It's not too late! I'm blending. I'm a blender!
13. Don't distract me.
14. Well, you're lucky he didn't plum love asparagus.
15. It's a defense mechanism, actually lots of lizards have it.
16. Well, I'm a man of many epithets. There's my stage name, my pen name, my avatar, had a pseudonym once but I had it legally changed...
17. Well, I sure do appreciate this Miss Beans, and if there's ever anything I could...
18. Yeah, okay then. See ya, Beans.
19. You got a funny looking face!
20. I'd like a glass of water.
21. You know I'm glad you asked me that, and I will be happy to tell you how. But you're gonna have to listen up! Because this is where it gets... complicated.
22. Got some new rules! I want my shoes shined every morning, my coffee hot with a Danish on the side...
23. Of course there is no need for violence as long as we stick together, work as a team. So I want you all to come outside now and line up single file while I take a brief intermission.
24. Oh yeah, want the old John Hancock, do ya? Here, hold this.
25. Remember, son, stay in school, eat your veggies, burn everything but Shakespeare.
26. Well, this is a heck of a hoedown you got going, still working out those steps. So is this considered normal civic behavior?
27. And I got no problem with this Rattlesnake Jake.
28. None of that civil disobedience in my town, thank you very much!
29. Alright, listen up. I've been thinking and I believe I figured something out: you folks have a water problem.
30. Ain't no one going to tango with the Rango.
31. Evening ladies.
32. I stand corrected.
33. Get your hands up where I can see them.
34. Just as I suspected, prospecting without the authorized equipment. Don't move a muscle.
35. Now, you got your shovel, pickaxe, Benadryl, Loofah, assorted snacks and puzzle books, and you're gonna need a permit.
36. That's right, sir. Just doing my duty. The lonely constable on his rounds, keeping an eagle eye out for mayhem and malfeasance.
37. Well, here in the town of Dirt we have the finest financial institution this side of the Missouri.
38. All right, folks, stand back, this is a crime scene now. Clear the area, secure the perimeter, dust for prints, check for fibers, scan for DNA, and get me a latte, and don't mix up the two.
39. Now we're gonna be doing this in an orderly fashion. First off, does anybody here know how to use a firearm of any kind?
40. Now... WE RIDE!
41. Now as my deputy, you'll be in charge of all tracking and finding of villains. Utilizing your well developed and no offense taken. So, which way you think they went? You wanna smell the air or commune with the great buffalo or something?
42. Always good to have a medical man along, Doc
43. Now just wait one cotton-picking minute! A posse ain't no place for a...
44. Whoa! Hold on there, little sister. someone's going to have to look after the town while I'm gone.
45. Count on it, little sister.
46. Clearly the robbers came from this direction. I say we track this pipe back to its hydraulic origin and apprehend the culprits behind this aquatic conundrum.
47. Whatever you do, do not look down.
48. Ah, yes, the Spirit of the West.
49. The eternally unattainable ideal. They say he rides in an alabaster carriage with golden guardians to protect him. But he only appears to those who have undertaken an epic quest and have made it, to the other side.
50. It's what we call his natural predator.
51. Well, the thing about heroes is, whenever you...
52. Well, I don't know about you all, but I could sure go for a dip.
53. That's for my gun. That's gun lotion.
54. There's trouble down at dry creek. Bad Bill's been acting up again.
55. Where's my Tic Tac?

Gallery

Rango wearing his Hawaiian shirt, inside of his terrarium.

Trivia

• According to Donald Schultz on the "Real Creatures of Dirt" feature from the Rango DVD, Rango could possibly be a flap-necked chameleon.
• His name "Rango", is possibly inspired by Django, the protagonist from the 1996 film of the same name.
• Its name came from the description of a Cactus Juice, that says "hecho en durango" ("made in durango" in spanish).
• The film “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” (which Johnny Depp acted in) is referenced briefly in the beginning of the film. This happens when Rango is hit by a red convertible with two passengers who are characters in the film.
• Rango of Rango similar Roddy St. James of Flushed Away.