A beloved Johnny Depp movie hits Netflix next month, as 2011’s Oscar-winning animated film Rango is set to be added to the streaming giant’s library this coming December. Though the western-inspired tale of a chameleon sheriff isn’t exactly a festive flick, it’s entertaining for the whole family and could be the perfect thing to stick on when you’ve exhausted all the usual Christmas content.
The pic follows pet chameleon Rango (Depp), who becomes stranded in the desert after falling out of his owner’s car and soon winds up in the lawless Old West-style town of Dirt, which is in desperate need of a new sheriff. Rango marks the fourth collaboration out of five between Depp and director Gore Verbinski, who helmed the original Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. The duo also worked together on The Lone Ranger, which shares Rango‘s western themes.
The movie sports a ridiculous pedigree of talent behind the scenes, too, as the credits list reads like a game of “spot the Oscar winner/nominee.” Hans Zimmer provided the score, acclaimed screenwriter John Logan (Skyfall, Hugo) wrote the script and the legendary Roger Deakins acted as cinematographer. It’s no surprise, then, that the pic managed the rare feat of beating Disney/Pixar to the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
On the back of a hefty $135 million budget, Rango earned $245.7 million worldwide. Though it didn’t quite double its production costs, Paramount decreed it to be a commercial success and it was enough to convince them to start up their own Paramount Animation label, which has gone on to release the likes of Sherlock Gnomes and the recent SpongeBob SquarePants movies.
If we’ve convinced you to either rewatch it or give it a go for the first time, make sure to catch Rango on Netflix when it arrives on December 28th.
