'Rango' Arrives On DVD With Plenty Of Extra Goodies

By Michael Lopez

Who knew one-time bad boy Johnny Depp would eventually become a children's icon? Within the past year, he's appeared in three very popular kids-friendly films. There was the wild Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland, swashbuckling Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and (one of our personal faves) Rango the lizard. Next week, the latter film arrives on DVD and we highly recommend putting it in your Netflix queue.

First off, Rango has plenty of Latin flava (who can forget those four adorable "Mariachi Owls?"). Secondly, it's beautifully animated. And thirdly…Johnny Depp! Oh yea, his eccentric charm is all over the scaly chameleon in the red Hawaiian shirt. Plus, the fact that it's now on Blu-Ray DVD means you can pause each intricate scene and truly admire the artistic handiwork.

And we haven't even begun to delve into the extras yet. Remember the dusty town of Dirt, where Rango gets stranded? Well now you can take an interactive tour of its desert landscapes with your DVD remote. The Rango Special Edition also includes storyboard features, cast interviews, and 10 never-before-seen deleted scenes (which are just as funny as what made it into the movie).

Truth be told, we were a little bummed that Rango didn't make a bigger bump in the box office when it was released back in March. Though other animated flicks like Rio and Kung Fu Panda 2 may have taken in more cash, neither seemed to capture the originality and flair of Rango. Interestingly, the Teen Choice Awards seemed to catch on, nominating the film for two surfboard trophies.

And here's one other bit of Rango trivia that may interest you. This film was helmed by Gore Verbinski, who was responsible for the first three Pirates movies. So those of you craving still more of Johnny's Captain Jack may see a few remnants in this colorful, bug-eyed character.

Look for Rango on DVD shelves July 15th.

Did you get a chance to see Rango yet? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, DVDs, Gore Verbinski, Hot Stuff, johnny depp, Movies & CineMás, Rango